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Planning ahead for a challenging year was the central theme among contractors at the 2009 International Roofing Expo, which was held Feb. 3-5 at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

Stopping leaks is part of any roofing contractor’s job description. Other common tasks include securing edge metal and repairing cuts and failing seams in a variety of low-slope roof systems. Chris Margarites, the president of EternaBond, says his revolutionary roofing tape can be the answer to all of these problems - and then some.

Industry Leaders Share Their Favorite Titles

Residential reroofing remains a viable profession despite the turbulent economy and the sudden dip in demand for new home construction in many parts of the country.

Our industry has been blessed with multiple years of prosperity. The stars have been aligned. The number of properties has been growing, which supports continued reroofing, repair and maintenance growth.

The fourth quarter of 2008 was a tumultuous time. A presidential election was taking place. Commodity prices were volatile. As the economy was in turmoil and bailouts and loans seemed the only ways to salvage the financial and automotive sectors of the economy, Roofing Contractor turned to contractors to take the pulse of the roofing industry in an exclusive survey sponsored by GAF Materials Corporation.

There is one thing manufacturers and industry leaders agree on as 2009 gets under way - it won’t be “business as usual” for the roofing industry this year. The economic environment is unprecedented and the uncertainty created will likely force the residential and commercial roofing sectors to become more efficient and innovative.

It was a relatively good year for the roofing industry in 2008 despite the volatility of raw materials and escalating distribution costs.

Looking back over the last decade, 2008 was an overall average demand year, according to Sheree Bargabos, President of the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association and President of Roofing and Asphalt for Owens Corning.

Looking back at 2008, Kate Baumann, Marketing Director for Mule-Hide Products Co. Inc., said her company had “a very good year.” While Baumann said experts predict that, when the final numbers are in for 2008, new non-residential construction starts will be up just 5 percent in dollars - and down 10 percent in square footage - she believes commercial new construction and retrofit combined should be up.