On Thursday, August 19^th & Friday, August 20^th the owners and senior managers of Duro-Last® met with the members of the Duro-Last Contractor’s Advisory Board in Chicago. On Thursday, the group watched the Chicago Cubs take on the San Diego Padres from the rooftop of 3639 Sheffield Avenue, located directly across the street from Wrigley Field’s right field wall. The group enjoyed food and drinks while watching the Cubs fail to execute the fundamentals of baseball, including covering home plate.

On Friday morning Duro-Last senior managers updated the Advisory Board on the 2010 sales year to date and corporate goals. Some of the highlights of the meeting included: Tim Hart explaining how and why Duro-Last received the 2010 Oregon Sustainability Award, Keith Gere’s engineering update and proposals for new products, Steve Przybylski’s elaborate and in depth manufacturing update, and Art Gilles’ new product offerings from EXCEPTIONAL® Metals. The contractors, led by Contractor Advisory Board President Michael Faught of Roberts McNutt Inc., then offered their insight and input, including: future opportunities for advertising & marketing including the exploration of a national advertising campaign, how to attract and retain more national accounts, new product offerings, and their desire to see more warranty options in the future.

Everyone at Duro-Last would like to convey their sincere appreciation to the members of the Contractor Advisory Board. My grandfather John Burt, the founder of Duro-Last, always said that he got some of his best ideas from the people who installed the product . . . the contractors! That’s still one of our guiding principles: listening to the customer. The Duro-Last family would also like to extend their thoughts and prayers to George Bock of Mid-Western Commercial Roofers. George was recently involved in a car accident and was unable to attend the meeting; however Michael did a great job of conveying George’s key points. We look forward to see George and all of the members of the Contractor Advisory Board at our next meeting in Orlando, just prior to the 2011 National Sales Seminar.

- Jason Tunney, Executive Vice-President.

Duro-Last Contractor Advisory Board members in attendance

Chairman, Michael Faught, Roberts-McNutt Inc., North Little Rock, AR

Jimmy Breault, Breault Roofing Inc., New Bedford, MA

Allen Clark, Clark Restoration & Custom Roofing, Cropwell, AL

Steve Leslie, Competitive Commercial Roofing, Hood River, OR

Curtis Nicholson, Western Roofing, Golden, CO

John Thurber, All Elements Inc., Rogers, MN

Ted Witbeck, Ted’s Quality Roofing, Coaldale, Alberta

Dave Bridenbaugh, Pro-Tek Exterior Services, Cincinnati, OH

Gene Fowler, Sentry Roofing, Covington, IN

Ken Kelly, Kelly Roofing, Naples, FL

Don LaFerney Jr., LaFerney Inc., Kingsport, TN

Michael W. Morss, M.W. Morss Roofing Inc., Romulus, MI

Stuart Parsons, Parsons Commercial Roofing, Waco, TX

Larry Tombaugh, Tomkat Roofing, Streator, IL

Bob Walcik, Jaco Construction Inc., Clute, TX

Larry Winkler, United Roofing & Sheetmetal, Bryan, TX

Duro-Last contractors Curtis Nicholson, Ken Kelly, and Michael Faught at the Cubs game.

Gene Fowler, Bob Walcik & Dave Bridenbaugh listen as Mike Morss addresses the Contractor Advisory Board.

Michael Faught, Chairman of the Contractor Advisory Board, addresses the meeting.

John Burt's daughter, Kathy Burt Allen, with Mike Morss at the Contractor Advisory Board.

I’ve been to plenty of real, in-the-flesh trade shows, all with the common attributes of cheesy attention-getting devices, expensive, overpriced food served by surly staff, achy feet, and staffers who are actually sitting down in their booths (are you kidding me?). In recent years, I’ve managed to avoid attending most industry events (sorry, media reps), but one popped up last week that I couldn’t resist.

Duro-Last was pleased to sponsor the Global Green Expo on August 5, hosted by BNP Media, which publishes the magazines, Sustainable Facility and Environmental Design & Construction, among other titles. This was a live, “virtual” show that was attended through the Internet by over 1200 people from all over.

The “Event Lobby” provided access to an Exhibit Hall with vendor booths, a Resource Center, a Networking Lounge, and an Auditorium, where Duro-Last’s own Drew Ballensky presented the webinar, High-Performance Vinyl Roofing – an Active Asset.

On the whole, it was a good event for us. We had interactions with over 400 people, either in our booth or during our webinar and the subsequent chat session. Lots of folks downloaded materials from the booth and chatted with Duro-Last staffers about a variety of roofing and sustainability topics.

I suspect we’ll be seeing more of this type of thing going forward. The availability of information to show attendees was good and our investment was reasonable, given the number of contacts we received. And we avoided travel and living costs for staffers, who handled their shifts from the comfort of their cozy cubicles – yes, sitting down.

The Global Green Expo is available “on demand” at this link until November 5, 2010.

Duro-Last Booth at Global Green Expo

On Wednesday, July 28, 2010 the Michigan employees of Duro-Last® Roofing, Plastatech® Engineering, Ltd., EXCEPTIONAL® Metals, Creative Impressions® and Tri-City Vinyl® were treated to an appreciation luncheon of rib eye steaks, baked potatoes, salad, and rolls.

This annual event has taken place at all of our locations every summer for the past 16 years. Over 365 employees were served by the owners of the companies. During the luncheon, employees were able to purchase tickets to take a turn immersing members of senior management in a dunk tank. Over $175.00 was raised, and all proceeds were donated to Hidden Harvest, a Saginaw, Michigan, charity.

All employees were given a chance to “Spin to Win“ fun prizes, such as restaurant gift cards, hats, golf shirts, and first aid kits – where everyone walked away a winner. In all, the day turned out to be very successful with cooperative weather and everyone having a great time.

Spin to Win Wheel

Dunk Tank

Steak Fry Food Line

Hurricane season officially began on June 1, and although those storms directly affect only a portion of the United States, building and roof preparation lessons can be applied to any areas of the country where severe weather can pop up.

The roof is the most important building component when it comes to weather protection and the most vulnerable during a hurricane event. Proper precautions are recommended to limit damage. If you’re not able to conduct these preparations yourself, don’t hesitate to call in a commercial roofing professional or other construction expert in your area.

Here are a few important things to consider:

Exterior of the Building

Walk the perimeter of building to ensure that any unsecured objects cannot become airborne projectiles. This includes trash cans, signs, trees limbs, and loose building materials. Trees should have all dead or broken branches removed and should be trimmed away from the building to prevent possible fires.

Windows/Doors

Windows and doors should be inspected for leaks, insect damage and proper sealant. If windows and doors are not equipped with hurricane shutters, these can easily be fabricated from plywood. It’s a good idea to have the plywood pre-cut for fast installation in the event of an upcoming storm.

Perimeter of the Building

Roof edge details should be checked to ensure that they are tight fitting and properly sealed. Corners of the building are the most susceptible to wind damage and additional precautions may be necessary in these areas.

Drainage

All debris and loose materials should be removed from the roof. Leaf grates, if part of the roofing system, should be cleaned and secured in a manner that keeps them in place during high winds.

HVAC/Rooftop equipment/Other penetrations

Check all sealants on penetrations and terminations. All roof mounted equipment (HVAC units, satellite dishes, antennas, duct work, etc.) should be secured in a manner which will not allow it to be moved easily. If it can be moved by hand it could become displaced in a storm. All service panel doors should be inspected to ensure that they are properly fastened. Any missing fasteners should be replaced.

LEAVE!

If civil authorities tell you to evacuate, do it! Buildings and building components that are damaged or destroyed during a severe storm can be replaced. You can’t.

I recently read an article in Professional Roofing’s July edition titled, A Culture of Safety, by Kaylee Alberico. This is a great addition to our series of posts on rooftop safety where we concentrated on three areas of fall hazard control: elimination, prevention, and protection.

This article discusses how different roofing companies train their employees on safety; a common element is that they take a very active role in enforcing safety and getting employee buy-in. It offers great tips to ensure that ever-changing work areas are safe as well as how to keep employees interested in safety.

Safety training for employees at Duro-Last is tailored specifically to job function, but everyone goes through annual training. Content varies from the very basic to intensive, including such areas as environmental, fall prevention, driving, reviewing incidents from the previous year, and changes in laws.

We also have a program to recognize employees as safety milestones have been met. Recently both EXCEPTIONAL® Metals (a division of Duro-Last) and Plastatech® Engineering (a sister company) have reached over 100,000 hours of work without an OSHA recordable accident. These employees were honored with a lunch and recognized for their accomplishment. (See photos below.)

A reduction in recordable accidents directly impacts a company’s bottom line by decreasing workers’ compensation costs, reducing lost production time, and maintaining employees’ well-being. It’s good to know that so many other companies take safety as seriously as we do.

EXCEPTIONAL Metals Luncheon

Plastatech Engineering Luncheon

In our introductory post about this topic we discussed how fall hazard control – and corresponding cost control – is increasingly being considered in constructability analyses. “Constructability” is a project management technique that reviews a building project from start to finish, during the pre-construction phase.

We also introduced the three types of fall hazard control: elimination, prevention, and protection. In the previous two posts we discussed elimination and prevention. In this final post we will discuss protection.

Constructibility techniques that support fall protection systems involve, to a large degree, the designation and installation of suitable anchorage points. Personal fall arrest equipment technology is rapidly changing but will always be dependent on adequate anchorage. Roof anchorage which is used successively by construction trades and eventually by operations and maintenance personnel is now commonplace on most newly constructed roofs.

Fall protection systems are active by nature. That is, they require the active participation of the protected worker. Fall protection systems require extensive training both of users and their supervisors, and are dependent upon the availability of the proper personal fall protection equipment. They require adequate anchorage points and are most effective where standards or expectations are clear and discipline for non-compliance is certain. Success (translated as ‘no falls from heights’) is much easier to attain when fall elimination or prevention is accomplished through constructability programs.

The value realized with the widespread use of constructability techniques to accomplish fall hazard elimination and prevention is still often difficult to quantify. A glimpse at the potential savings can be obtained by reviewing worker’s compensation costs and third party liabilities costs. Injuries can amount to millions of dollars of additional costs to facilities construction programs.

Using the hierarchy of preference of controls as a guide, constructability efforts should first aim to eliminate and then prevent fall hazards. Fall protection systems should be the last line of defense. The earlier that falls are addressed in a project, the greater the ability to influence the cost. Properly implemented fall elimination and prevention engineering increases in value over the life of a facility.

The 36^th annual Western Roofing Expo was held at the Paris-Las Vegas Hotel & Casino from June 20^th – June 23^rd. The trade show had good attendance and the Duro-Last booth was manned by Tim Hart, Vice President of West Coast Operations, Marty Krolikowski, Rocky Mountain Regional Sales Manager, Alan Mullins, Rocky Mountain Sales Coordinator, Scott Franklin, Duro-Last Sales Representative for Los Angeles, and me. It was good to see all of the Duro-Last contractors and Independent Sales Representatives who attended.

With over 150 exhibitors and almost 3,000 attendees, the show is a great way to catch up with many of our existing contractors and see what our competitors are promoting. One topic of discussion on the show floor was the acquisition of Bradco Supply Corp. by ABC Supply Co. Inc. Although this does not affect Duro-Last directly, it is always good to know what is going on the building and construction industry.

Attendees were optimistic of the year to come and we heard a lot about roofing activity in the works. This is good news to everyone that has been affected by the economic downturn. Another buzz on the show floor was about solar. This continues to be a growing trend in commercial buildings and we were able to discuss the fact that our roofing system is Solar-Ready™ and ideal for any commercial rooftop solar application.

In addition to staffing the booth, the Duro-Last crew attended several informational sessions that were offered before the show room floors opened. One in particular was given by Mark Guy from Building Envelope Technology & Research, and Rick Olsen from Tile Roofing Institute, tiled; How the 2009 IBC Affects You and the Roofing Industry. This provided an overview of the roofing-related changes to the 2006 edition of the International Building Code, International Plumbing Code, and International Residential Code.

Next year’s expo will be at the Peppermill Resort & Casino in Reno, Nevada.

If you have any photos or stories you would like to share about your experiences at the Western Roofing Expo please post them here.

Energy savings analysis has been around for years. There are any number of Internet-based calculators, formulas and procedures for estimating the savings associated with products or actions undertaken to reduce or avoid energy usage. Energy savings is but one component of a much more comprehensive analytical process referred to as life cycle analysis or LCA. But LCA is not nearly so well-defined. Unlike energy savings analysis, which considers a limited number of variables that can be reasonably well defined and quantified, there is no uniform procedure for LCA.

There are some Internet-based calculators for LCA, but they range from being over-simplified to exceedingly complex; from being biased toward individual products or special interests to being overly generic and meaningless. Some approaches to LCA only consider short term direct financial burdens while others consider more indirect or subjective costs both upstream and downstream in the life of a product.

A mainly financial LCA approach for comparing roof systems might consider the following:

• Installation – product cost, installation costs, tear-off costs, disposal costs, business disruption costs.
• Long Term Durability – routine maintenance costs, roof replacement costs.
• Repairs – roof repair costs, interior damage repair costs.
• Energy Savings – estimated savings, rebates and incentives.
• Warranty – cost premiums.

On the other hand, a highly comprehensive environmental-based approach might entail the evaluation of all material and energy inputs and outputs at every stage, from the creation of natural resources through extraction, manufacture, use, and demolition, and disposal of a product. Consider the complexity of the following extreme LCA flow example:

BANG → Earth Appears → Life Begins → Dinosaurs/Other Creatures Appear → Creatures Die/Turn Into Fossil Fuels → Human Race Appears/Evolves → Resources Extracted (fossil fuels, salt, etc.) → Resources Transported to be Processed/Refined → Process/Refine Raw Materials → Process Components (film, scrim) → Produce Product Components (membrane, rigid parts, etc.) → Transport for Fabrication → Fabricate and Assemble The Duro-Last® Cool Zone® Roofing System → Deliver to Jobsite → Installation → Roof In Action (energy savings/heat island mitigation/global warming or cooling or both) → End of Useful Life → Removal/Disposal → Recycle and/or Transport to Landfill → 100,000 to 1 Million Years of Decay and Revert to Fossil Fuels, Salt, etc. → Another BANG!? Or Re-Extraction?

Although this second example seems extreme or absurd, it makes the point that there can be limitless considerations in a comprehensive LCA. The difficulty comes in deciding how far to go and making fair and objective assumptions of all criteria at each stage in the life of the product or system. One of the best things LCA helps accomplish is identification of opportunities for improvement. The important thing to remember in addressing this continuous improvement process is to remember that every action has a reaction, so don’t rob Peter to pay Pa

Occasionally, we come across articles that we feel will be beneficial to our readers. John D’Annunzio has written a series of articles for FacilitiesNet discussing factors that determine roof longevity. Below is a brief description and link to each article.

Part 1: Proper Design Improves Roof Longevity

This first article discusses key components to proper design that include wind uplift calculations, drainage design, thermal factors, perimeter edge design, and existing building conditions. It also discusses the selection of materials and systems that are compatible with existing building conditions. Proper design should always focus on providing a long-term roofing system.

Part 2: Focus On Roofing Materials And Workmanship To Improve Longevity

The second installment explains that not all roof materials are the same and not all materials are suitable for all buildings. Applied materials should be new, free of all excess moisture, and manufactured in compliance with ASTM standards. Proper material storage at the project site is also required.

In addition, the roof is one of the only major building components that is partially or fully constructed on-site. A large percentage of premature roof failures occur due to improper workmanship.

Part 3: How Weather And Maintenance Impact Roof Longevity

Finally, the third article describes how applications of roofing materials in conditions not suitable to the material’s constraints (too hot, too cold, in wet weather) will contribute to premature failure.

No matter the roof type, all roofs require a certain level of attention. Roofs are exposed to the elements 24 hours a day, every day of the year. One of the most important reasons to implement an annual roof maintenance program is to extend the service life of the existing roof system.

In our introductory post about this topic we discussed how fall hazard control – and corresponding cost control – is increasingly being considered in constructability analyses. “Constructability” is a project management technique that reviews a building project from start to finish, during the pre-construction phase.

We also introduced the three types of fall hazard control: elimination, prevention, and protection. In the previous post we discussed elimination. We will discuss protection in a subsequent post.

Constructability techniques that address fall prevention need to be identified in the planning or design phase of a project’s life cycle but can also be implemented at later stages. The reliance on equipment and physical installations as opposed to work process planning allows fall prevention consideration to take place throughout a facility’s life cycle.

Here are some examples of fall prevention techniques that have gained wide acceptance:

• Extensive use by all the trades of mobile elevating work platforms and telescopic scaffolding
• Crane-suspended baskets and suspended scaffolding are now recognized as being inherently safer than reliance on personal fall protection equipment
• Bringing the work to the worker who is located in a guarded work location surrounded by railing has many productivity and safety advantages
• The use of warning lines for low-sloped roofing personnel is a significant life saver, if measures have been taken to equip the six-foot area adjacent to the fall hazard with a more substantial method of protection
• The use of perimeter netting around the edges is becoming more common especially on foreign projects
• Barricades of all kinds provide protection by preventing exposure to edges or openings and can remain behind to be used for future applications
• Self-adjusting lanyards (basically horizontal lifelines) are especially flexible in their ability to limit access to perimeter hazards.

The passive nature of fall prevention systems is dependent on adequate inspection and maintenance to preserve their effectiveness, as is an understanding of the fine line between prevention and protection.

The next post in this series will discuss recent regulatory changes that recognize prevention systems and the differences in their anchorage requirements.