MICHIGAN ROOFING
CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION

The Michigan Roofing Contractors Association (MiRCA) 35th Annual Convention is less than a month away. The MiRCA convention site for this years convention is Boyne Highlands Resort located in Harbor Springs, Michigan. The convention dates are Thursday, August 3rd through Saturday, August 5th, 2000.

I would personally like to encourage you, if you have not attended an MiRCA Annual Convention in the past, to attend this years convention. The MiRCA convention is a fun filled family orientated event.

The MiRCA staff plans special programs for everyone who attends the convention, including golf, theme dinners and luncheons. The MiRCA staff also plans educational programs for Friday and Saturday mornings. Friday’s guest speaker will be Mark Stasa, an attorney with the law firm of Kerr, Russell and Weber, PLC. Mark’s program is entitled “Move It Or Lose It” - Transferring the family business to the family instead of the government.

Saturday’s guest speaker will be Craig Brightup, Associate Executive Director of Government Relations with the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA). Craig’s program is entitled, “ROOFPAC, and its financial and political goals for the election-cycle.”

My family and I began attending the MiRCA convention approximately five years ago. Now my children will not allow us to miss a convention! Our children make many friends and often keep in touch throughout the year.

My wife Linda and I have made dozens of new friends as well. Besides the friendships made, I have gained vast knowledge by communicating with other members of the statewide association which include roofing contractors as well as suppliers.

I have learned that everyone has their own way of managing their business’, but we all face the same day to day challenges.

Once again, I encourage you and your family to come on out to the MiRCA 35th Annual Convention at Boyne Highlands. One trip to the convention will get you hooked for life!

Steve Hoekstra
President

Steve Hoekstra - Hoekstra Roofing Co.

Mark Your Calendars for
Future Locations of the
MiRCA Annual Convention

2001 – Shanty Creek Resort August 2-4
2002 – Double JJ Resort August 1-3

PRESIDENT
Steve Hoekstra - Kalamazoo

VICE-PRESIDENT
Daniel E. Casey - Rochester

TREASURER
Gary J. Sova - Burton

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Karen Colver - Warren

OMNOVA Solutions Chooses Muscle Shoals
for its GenFlex Manufacturing Expansion

Omnova Solutions, Fairlawn, Ohio, has selected a green-field site near Muscle Shoals, Ala., as a manufacturing expansion for its GenFlex™ commercial roofing products. Omnova first announced plans for the multimillion dollar expansion last December. Construction of the 100,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to be completed in late 2000, including installation of a new production line that utilizes the latest extrusion technology capable of making wide-sheet TPO and PVC commercial roofing products.

Omnova selected Muscle Shoals because the city offers an aggressive pro-business community, convenient rail access and proximity to customers and suppliers. “The Shoals has made us feel very welcome,” said Jon Apgar, president of Omnova’s Building Products business. “We look forward to building a World Class production facility in an environment that is conducive to meeting the needs of our customers and employees,” Employment at the new facility will approach 50 people.

Products to be made at the new plant site meet the requirements of the EPA and DOE Energy Star Program, which identifies the best products for saving energy and protecting the environment.

GAF Building Plant to Produce
High-Tech Product

GAF Materials Corp., Wayne, N.J., announced that the construction of its new plant in Mount Vernon, Ind., is underway. This new roofing factory will manufacture EverGuardŽ brand thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) membranes for sale into the commercial roofing market.

The plant is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2000 and will sit adjacent to GAF’s other Mount Vernon commercial manufacturing facility. It will be staffed with experienced personnel trained to work with technologically advanced extrusion equipment calibrated to manufacture 10-foot wide TPO membranes in black and white.

CertainTeed Corp.
Signs Letter of Intent to
Purchase Celotex Roofing

CertainTeed Corp., Valley Forge, Pa., announced that it has signed a letter of intent to buy the roofing assets of Celotex Corp, Tampa, Fla. Negotiations between CertainTeed and Celotex are ongoing with both parties working toward the execution of an asset purchase agreement this month. As part of the proposed purchase, CertainTeed would acquire four asphalt shingle manufacturing plants located in Fremont, Calif.; Los Angeles; Birmingham, Ala; and Cincinnati. The purchase would also include a fiberglass mat production plant in Russellville, Ala.

(The above articles obtained from Roofing Contractor, a BNP Publication, July 2000)

Carlisle SynTec Incorporated
Announces TPO Plant Expansion

Carlisle SynTec Incorporated recently announced plans to expand its TPO manufacturing facility in Senatobia, Mississippi.

The Senatobia plant, producing the company’s 8’- and 10’- wide Sure-Weld™ TPO single-ply membranes, has broken ground with an aggressive expansion program that will triple the size of the current facility and allow for additional warehousing and shipping capabilities.

Carlisle SynTec Incorporated is a leading manufacturer of single-ply roofing systems and products.

Carlisle SynTec Incorporated
Announces Merger

Carlisle SynTec Incorporated announced plans today to merge the worlds of EPDM and asphalt into a new roofing system which will complement the repertoires of both single-ply and BUR/modified roofing contractors.

Responding to the requests of single-ply roofing contractors for Carlisle to enter into this technology, and recognizing some of the limitations of BUR and Modified Bitumen systems, Carlisle SynTec Incorporated has developed Sure-SealŽ HM (Hot Mopped) Roofing Systems. HM Systems utilize Carlisle’s AFX (an EPDM membrane laminated to a proprietary fleece backing) set in hot asphalt, making available to a wider audience the advantages of EPDM that have, until now, been experienced only by single-ply contractors.

The user-friendly detailing of this system will allow contractors to make the most of their labor pool by expanding the range of options for their hot crews.

HM Systems provide tangible advantages over traditional hot systems, including weatherability, reduced life-cycle costing, low maintenance, redundancy without weight, wider sheets, less seaming, systems simplicity and user-ease.

In March, NRCA issued three technical bulletins: Bulletin 2000-1, “ASTM Standards for Polymer-Modified Bitumen Sheet Products”; Bulletin 2000-2, “Fire Safety Considerations in the Design of Roof Systems Utilizing Torch-Applied Polymer-Modified Bitumen Sheet Products”; and Bulletin 2000-3, “Use of Cover Boards Over Polyisocyanurate Insulation.”

Bulletin 2000-1 incorporates the six new American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards regarding polymer-modified bitumen sheet products into the manual. (See “Who is in compliance?” May 1999 issue, page 28, for descriptions of these standards.)

Roof system designers who specify polymer-modified bitumen sheet products should reference compliance with the ASTM standard appropriate for the specific bitumen modifier, reinforcement and surfacing type desired.

Bulletin 2000-2 provides recommendations for designers to consider to minimize the risk of fire during application of torch-applied polymer-modified bitumen sheet products. These include the suggestion that a thermal barrier, such as a noncombustible insulation layer, be incorporated into roof system designs that have torch-applied polymer-modified bitumen sheet products over combustible substrates.

If noncombustible insulation is used as a thermal barrier, NRCA recommends the roof membrane specification be considered an “insulation substrate” roof system configuration as described in the manual.

Bulletin 2000-3 provides recommendations for the use of cover boards over polyisocyanurate insulation. NRCA previously had recommended using cover boards over polyisocyanurate, polyurethane and phenolic insulation when hot-applied bituminous membranes are installed.

In Bulletin 2000-3, NRCA recommends designers specify a suitable cover board over polyisocyanurate insulation in all low-slope membrane roof systems, including thermoset and thermoplastic single-ply membrane roof systems in ballasted, mechanically attached and fully adhered configurations.

Insulation cover boards should be at least 1/2 inch (13 mm) thick and composed of glass-faced siliconized gypsum board, perlite board, wood-fiber board, fiberglass board or mineral-fiber board. When selecting a suitable cover board, a roof system designer should consider a specific roof assembly’s characteristics and cover board’s compatibility with the assembly.

By issuing technical bulletins, NRCA continues its effort to maintain its manual as an up-to-date source for conservative, time-tested, sound roof system design criteria and application techniques applicable throughout the United States.

However, NRCA recognizes that some other design criteria and application techniques also may perform successfully.

You are encouraged to implement the recommendations contained within NRCA’s new technical bulletins.