MICHIGAN ROOFING
CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION

Roofing contractors and suppliers gathered at Boyne Highlands Resort in Harbor Springs, MI August 3–5, 2000 for the Michigan Roofing Contractors Association (MiRCA) 35th Annual Convention. One of the highlights of the event was the election of Daniel E. Casey as the new MiRCA President for the 2000-2001 term. He is also President of T. F. Beck Company in Rochester Hills, MI. Dan succeeds Steve Hoekstra of Hoekstra Roofing Company located in Kalamazoo, MI as MiRCA President.

Dan brings a vast amount of experience to the MiRCA presidency. He has been a member of the MiRCA Board of Directors since 1998. He has also served as a Roofing Industry Promotion Fund (RIPF) Trustee and Southeastern Michigan Roofing Contractors Association (SMRCA) Board of Director since his election in 1995. Dan has also served as President of the Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors National Association (SMACNA), for the years 1997 through 1999.

On January 4th of 2001, Dan and his wife Dawn, celebrated their sixteenth wedding anniversary. They have two children, Patrick age 13 and Tara age 10. The Casey family is very sports orientated. Tara is active in basketball and ice-skating. Patrick has a lot of the same interests as his father. They both enjoy golf and football. As a matter of fact, Dan coaches Patrick’s football team. Dan also enjoys hunting, racquetball and snowmobiling.

Bill MacArthur of MacArthur Roofing and Sheet Metal in Saginaw was elected Vice President. Gary J. Sova of National Roofing and Sheet Metal Company remains as Treasurer and Karen Colver of the Southeastern Michigan Roofing Contractors Association continues as the Executive Director. The remainder of the Board of Directors are listed on the chart on this page.

from the MiRCA staff! Heather, Karen and Glenna
(pictured from top left).

August 2-4, 2001
MiRCA’s 36th Annual Convention
Shanty Creek Resort
Bellaire, MI

October 11-12, 2001
MRCA’s 52nd Annual Convention
Nashville, TN

August 8-10, 2002
MiRCA’s 37th Annual Convention
Crystal Mountain Resort
Thompsonville, MI

July 31-August 2, 2003
MiRCA’s 38th Annual Convention
Treetops Resort
Gaylord, MI

TREASURER
Gary J. Sova - Burton

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Karen Colver - Warren

ALCO-NVC, Inc., Detroit, Michigan announced that Debbie Morse has joined their sales team. Debbie comes to ALCO-NVC, Inc. with 15 years experience in the building materials business and will be responsible for inside sales as well as territorial responsibilities. Congratulations!

The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), Rosemont, Ill., recently relaunched its Web site, www.nrca.net. The newly designed site includes the following features:

Up-to-date roofing industry news

Personalized, frequently updated weather service

Four search boxes (“Search NRCA,” “Search for a contractor,” “Search NRCA’s technical database” and “Search Professional Roofing”)

An enhanced government relations section that enables users to track important legislation and contact their legislators

Online registration for NRCA’s annual convention and exhibit, as well as educational programs

NRCA’s Buyers Guide

NRCA’s Virtual Store

A comprehensive calendar of industrywide events

A partnership with Healthinsurance.com, an online group health insurance provider

NRCA’s Web site also includes information about NRCA-related organizations, which include the National Roofing Foundation, National Roofing Legal Resource Center and Roofing Industry Educational Institute.

NRCA members can benefit from several online features, such as additional news, special online polls, customized press releases and a discussion forum. NRCA members also can renew their memberships online, as well as receive information about updating their member records.

For more information about NRCA’s Web site, visit www.nrca.net or contact Laura Meister, NRCA’s manager of Web-site development at:

(847) 299-9070, Ext. 255
lmeister@nrca.net (e-mail)

Zono-Patch is ideally suited for many purposes, including repairing fastener holes on existing LWIC decks, dressing up damage and divots on new pours, and filling in around drain sumps. It is appropriate for use on all lightweight insulating concrete deck surfaces (very old or unusually soft concrete should be tested for compatibility, bond, etc.).

Because Zono-Patch is cementitious in nature, it is resistant to moisture. It sets in 1-3 hours, depending on ambient weather conditions, and can be feather edged to zero thickness with a predictable bond to the substrate.

Zono-Patch is available in 22 lb. plastic pails (7.3 board feet yield) and 40 lb. bags (13 board feet yield). Call 1-800-922-8800 for more information and the name of your local Siplast representative.

Thermo has just opened a new manufacturing facility located at:

301 Walnut Springs Road
Lindale, TX 75771
1-800-882-7007

The heavy amounts of snow that have blanketed our state this winter may create havoc for many homeowners, as well as some businesses. Home owners may experience damaged ceilings, walls and other interior damage due to water leaking into their homes from roof edges jammed with heavy ice and snow collections. While commercial building owners, with flat roofs, worry about the heavy added weight of the unusual amounts of snow that we have experienced this winter. Both scenarios are worrisome and can be dangerous.

“Ice Damming” is the primary worry of residential homeowners. The problem occurs when heat escapes from the interior of the home and melts the underside of the snow, causing water to flow toward the gutter. However, when the water reaches the roof overhang, which is colder than the rest of the roof, it freezes creating an ice dam. The ice dam continues to collect water, causing a water back up, which often finds its way up under the shingles and into the home. What can be done to help eliminate the problem? Unfortunately, after the ice dam is in place, only short-term remedies are possible.

You may attempt to carefully cut openings through the ice dam in an effort to create a path to allow the backed up water behind the dam to escape. This must be done with care, because you can make the situation worse by damaging the shingles in this area. Shingles are stiff and very brittle at this time of year and can be damaged very easily.

You can help the situation by removing snow build-up along the roof edge. This eliminates some of the future water that will be created by the described melting process. Use a tool that does not have sharp edges, which can damage the shingles. If you can perform this feat from the ground for one-story roofs, with an extension pole device, it would be preferable and it would provide you a measure of safety.

A generous amount of calcium chloride placed into the ice filled gutter, along with warming temperatures, can help to start the water to flow.

It must be stressed that attempting to implement some of these remedies can be dangerous. Extreme caution should be exercised in such adverse conditions to avoid over exertion and possible falls.

You may want to call a professional roofer to perform these measures. He is more sensitive to the possibility of damage and is better equipped to improve the situation.

The time to attempt to eliminate this ice-damming problem from re-occurring is during periods of warmer weather. Added attic insulation can help to reduce the amount of heat loss from the interior, and thereby maintaining a more consistent “cold roof”. Increasing attic ventilation by improving airflow in the attic space can also aide in reducing winter problems. This can be done by utilizing the recommended soffit and roof ridge venting method, or through use of power ventilators. A waterproofing membrane, such as an “ice and watershield” modified bituminous sheeting, should be installed a minimum of 3 feet above the gutterline to provide a protective barrier under the shingles to eliminate water infiltration. This ice and watershield protection is a must when replacing your old shingle roof.

Commercial building owners, who have primarily flat roofs, can perform certain measures to help improve their chances of avoiding serious problems during periods of heavy snow loads.

Inspect the roof to determine if heavy drifting of snow is evident in any areas. Although there is a designed “snow load” for every roof, heavy drifting can exceed the designed loading allowances. The result can be a disastrous collapse of the roof structure.

Careful removal of these heavy drifted areas can help to eliminate overload problems. Extreme care should be observed to avoid serious damage to the roof membrane. As is common with all roof membranes, they are cold and brittle during the winter months and are very susceptible to damage. Safety should also be observed to avoid the possibility of falls. Roofs covered with snow and ice are extremely slippery and hazardous.

We are in the process of updating our mailing list. Occasionally people change job responsibilities, move to other companies or retire.

You can assist us to make sure that our newsletter is delivered to the right people. We want to continue to keep you informed on the latest roofing industry news and technical information. We ask that if there are any changes, you complete the following information and fax, e-mail or mail it back to our office. If you have any questions contact Glenna at the MiRCA office at (810) 759-2140.

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Fax to: MiRCA Office at (810) 759-0528 or
E-mail to: info@mirca.org