A Renaissance on the Roof of the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center
Low-slope roofing involves a lot of science to achieve great results. From multiple materials technologies to the design, engineering, and estimating to the planning that it takes to perform the work, the variables are complex and intertwined. When it comes down to actually performing the work of demo and replacement, however, there is often a considerable amount of artistry on display. Roofing Contractor was invited to bear witness as Ben Hill Roofing and Siding Co. Inc. of Douglasville, Ga., painted a masterpiece atop the main building of the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center.
Roofing manufacturers love to sell products. Roofing contractors seek them out. In an age where consumers feel bombarded with unwanted messages, the construction trade is one of those distinctive markets where end users are requesting available products - sometimes urgently. With such willing parties, it would seem a simple matter to connect the dots and provide a quality roof system which would satisfy the end user and provide a solid profit for the manufacturer and the installing contractor, but in reality the relationship is often like a complex courtship based on trust, communication, and commitment.
Once again roofing contractors are faced with a building spree of epic proportions. The frequency and severity of hurricanes are having an impact far beyond the regions directly affected. Factor in the growth in the Sunbelt, particularly in Florida and Texas, that is undeterred by the prospects of material, fuel and labor crunches, and there's a perfect storm of hyperactivity brewing.
There was no sophomore jinx at the 2005 Roofing Contractor Best of Success event, as the second annual conference held in the Dallas-Fort Worth area was, by all accounts, even better than last year's initial offering in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Nearly 200 contractors joined manufacturer sponsors and industry executives for the two-day educational conference, and a packed house was on hand to tap into the knowledge of industry experts.
Inspired and supported by our advertisers and readers like you, the parent of Roofing Contractor sponsored one of the more than 200 homes built in Michigan during Habitat for Humanity's 2005 Jimmy Carter Work Project (JCWP) this summer.
Business owners realize that a job well done can be the most valuable testament to a contractor's quality workmanship. A new roof that turns heads can be a billboard more effective than any advertisement, one that's visible to everyone who drives through the neighborhood.
With apprenticeship programs virtually nonexistent, the task of training and educating the guys pulling the mop and bending the panels is being fulfilled through a variety of venues, from contractors to distributors to manufacturers.
It's no secret that the Internet is becoming the leading research tool used by consumers. But did you know that it's also becoming a primary way consumers search for roofing professionals? New research from the Kelsey Group, a New Jersey-based consulting and research firm, shows that 70 percent of adults in the United States use the Internet as an information source when shopping locally for products and services, including residential roofing professionals.
My first introduction to the E-Myth came by way of roofing contractor Joel Thompson of Anthony Roofing, LTD. Roofing Contractor had the opportunity to spend some time visiting with Joel and his world-class roofing operation some six or seven years ago. After the reviews of the facilities and roofs and the interviews were over, Thompson handed me a book with a recommendation that I read it. The book was The E-Myth Manager by Michael Gerber.
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