Editor's Note

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I was sitting at this very desk 10 years ago on September 11 when the news began to break about events at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania.

It has been over a year since Arizona passed its immigration enforcement law. Now three other states - Utah, Alabama, and my home state of Georgia - have passed similar legislation.

One of the topics of this month’s issue of Roofing Contractor is “Distribution and the Supply Chain,” the area of the industry this editor has worked in for the past quarter century. In addition to being an observer of the roofing industry overall, I have a keen interest in the supply chain.

The first car I ever owned was a 1969 VW Beetle, and it came with full shoulder/lap harnesses. Without any pressure from the government, I made the choice to use the seatbelt.

The weather this winter was brutal in some parts of the country, which has led to a nice little uptick in roof repair and remediation work this spring. Now we are entering the storm season and there is no way of knowing how, when, what, or where the next weather event will strike.

It is always an enjoyable challenge to put together our Editor’s Choice feature. Enjoyable because we get to learn about new and improved products, systems, and initiatives produced to make roofing products better or help your roofing business run more smoothly (or both).

The Roofing Contractor team recently returned from this year’s International Roofing Expo (IRE) in Las Vegas. One thing we all took away from this year’s event was the clear change in the outlook of exhibitors and attendees from the past several years.

The question as to who is going to be the prime contractor furnishing and installing rooftop-mounted solar system seems to becoming clearer. Or is it? 

Happy New Year! These three words always bring on thoughts of new beginnings and new challenges. I like that the beginning of the calendar year is the time when we look forward instead of back. It is the time when we resolve to do new things or to do old things better.

The first column of this year had me looking forward with an optimistic point of view. I must tell you that compared to some other years my numbers have actually been off in 2010, but the outlook has really worked for me. Not only with my business, but on a personal level as well. I am not a born optimist so I have to work at it.