Editor's Note

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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.

Whenever I think of things gone wrong on a retrofit roofing project I remember that day in Miami when David and I visited Art and his boys (and girl … she ran the kettle). I was there doing my job as the roofing equipment pro, and David ran the branch of my distributor.

We have enough problems with our image in the roofing industry. Now Georgia-based roofing contractor American Shingle’s Chapter 7 Bankruptcy filing is leaving a trail of homeowners, subcontractors, and various other suppliers in the lurch over tens of millions of dollars worth of insurance work that was never completed. 

This column is commentary and contains some opinions rather than complete details of the topic being covered. The topic is OSHA’s amended Part 1926 Subpart CC - Cranes and Derricks in Construction.