Summer 2013 News

LiveRoof LLC announced an overburden removal warranty program in March.  Under the program, LiveRoof warrants the removal and replacement of LiveRoof modules when they must be taken up in order to assess and repair leaks in roof membranes. The warranty applies to any roof membrane from any membrane manufacturer.

“In the past, when a green roof was installed on top of a membrane, the issue has been who covers the costs of removing and replacing portions of the green roof to gain access to fix membrane leaks,” said Dave MacKenzie, horticulturalist and president, LiveRoof, LLC. “Our overburden removal warranty resolves the issue for LiveRoof green roof installations.”

He continues, “Now, building owners, architects, roof designers and contractors can specify, select and install LiveRoof with the assurance that overburden removal is under warranty no matter which manufacturer’s membrane is on the roof. ,”

The program covers installations of the LiveRoof Hybrid Green Roof System that have been installed by company-certified installers, and also requires that the membrane has been inspected, tested, and certified as being watertight prior to the LiveRoof installation.

In April, the Sump and Sewage Pump Manufacturers Association (SSPMA) hired Blake R Jeffery, as its managing director.  Jeffery replaces Pamela Franzen, who served as SSPMA’s managing director of 39 years, and is retiring from association management.

Jeffery has 13 years of association management experience, and brings more than two decades of local and state legislative agency, lobbying, public affairs and management experience to the associations he serves.

SSPMA represents the manufacturers of sump, sewage and effluent pumps, together with component and accessory suppliers. As part of the transition, association headquarters have been moved to Indianapolis.

The Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) has created an educational video series promoting the benefits of asphaltic roofing systems.

Available online at the association’s YouTube channel, the series is intended to educate both commercial and residential audiences about America’s most prevalent roofing material.  Four out of five U.S. homes are protected by an asphalt roofing system.

Roofing Supply Group, a  U.S.-based roofing distributor, has been purchased by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, LLC, a private equity firm. Terms were not disclosed.

RSG provides a wide selection of residential and commercial roofing materials and related supplies, including shingles, single-ply roofing, metal roofing, roll roofing, insulation, slate and tiles, nails and fasteners, cements and coatings and other complementary building materials.  RSG operates locations in 24 states throughout the western regions of the U.S.

The EPDM Roofing Association (ERA) has launched an updated, streamlined website with enhanced research and technical support for the roofing industry.

“We realize… people have questions about sustainability, cool roofing, recycling, and the environmental impact of construction products,” said John Geary, vice president of marketing at Firestone Building Products, and chairman of ERA’s board of directors.

The new website organizes information about EPDM in specific sections, including “An EPDM Roof for Every Climate”; “Cool Roofing and Energy Efficiency”; “Recycling EPDM”; “The Environmental Impact of EPDM”; and the “Long-Term Service Life of EPDM.” The website also provides a database of EPDM research, the latest media coverage of EPDM, and breaking news related to federal and state regulatory issues.

To access the new website, go to www.epdmroofs.org.

Insulation from Dow Building Solutions is certified by the Cradle-to-Cradle program. Originally certified in 2010 and recertified in 2011, several products were certified for a third time in April 2012.  Styrofoam Brand Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) Foam Insulation recertified at the SILVER level and Thermax Insulation achieved BASIC recertification.

Cradle-to-Cradle is a eco-label that assesses a product’s material content, recyclability and manufacturing characteristics.

“We feel the Cradle-to-Cradle Certified program provides a strong indication of a product’s comparative value when looking at energy efficient solutions,” said Michael Kontranowski, strategic market director for Dow Building Solutions. “Because the program looks at the entire product life cycle—from manufacturing to disposal—we are able to identify key priorities for continuous improvement. We are constantly looking for ways to remain affordable, accessible, sustainable, durable, and easy to use and install for builders, contractors and designers around the world.”

Carlisle SynTec Systems, a manufacturer of single-ply roofing systems, now has a mobile application for iPad, iPhone, and Google’s Android system.  It features a news stream, full color installation details, and a submittal builder.  The app is available for download in the iTunes App Store.

Salesmen and estimators can use the app to access document collections and customized submittal packages. Users can instantly share content, or collections of content via email sent directly from the mobile device, without having to exit the app.

For the jobsite, the app is loaded with Carlisle’s entire suite of installation details for its EPDM, PVC and TPO roofing systems. All details are in full color and users can zoom, scroll and share from within the mobile app.

“Since the majority of our business is conducted on the road, our goal was to create a tool for our roofing contractors, sales reps and distribution partners that would deliver the ultimate experience when doing business with Carlisle remotely,” said Robert Reale, manager of marketing communications.

Earlier this year, Firestone Building Products was awarded two 2012 RoofPoint Excellence in Design Awards.

RoofPoint is a green-friendly rating system developed by the Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing. Firestone earned awards in the “Global Leadership” and “Advancing Sustainable Roofing” categories.

The Global Leadership award was related to a reflective/photovoltaic roof installed on a Toronto-area Lowe’s Home Improvement warehouse.

The Advancing Sustainable Roofing award was given for the company’s work on the  Bridgestone Americas Technical Center in Akron, Ohio.  This LEED-Gold project covers 260,000 sq. ft. and used a reflective white EPDM membrane to cut energy expenditures by approximately 8%.