When times are tough, it’s often imperative to invest in your business. Of course, that’s also when cash flow might be tightest, so it makes investing difficult. I’ve read numerous studies that assert that drastically cutting marketing dollars in a downturn is a mistake, as keeping jobs coming in is more important than ever. Tough economies are also good times to invest in training, as things might be a bit slower, but you’ve got to make sure the cost is justified.

Of course I’m not exactly impartial, but one excellent source of training is Roofing Contractor’s own Best of Success conference, which will be held in Nashville this year Sept.21-22 (www.roofingcontractor.com/bestofsuccess). It has a lineup of speakers — many of them contractors themselves — who will be talking about topics near and dear to roofing companies, including increasing sales leads, ensuring safety and making the most of opportunities in the federal stimulus package. The full agenda can be found here: www.bnpevents.com/RC/BOS/Schedule.htm

Perhaps the greatest benefit of the event is the opportunity to network with non-competing firms from other parts of the country in an atmosphere that encourages sharing ideas. One of our speakers, Rod Menzel, is the founder and co-owner of GreatWay Roofing Inc. After attending the Best of Success conference in 2007, he implemented several ideas that revolutionized his business, and he will share his insights with this year’s attendees in a presentation titled “Rebranding: Expect a Great Experience.”

Make the best of 2009 by attending the Best of Success conference. You just might find some insights that will help your company become more successful.

Source: Roofing Contractor

Roofing Contractor magazine hosted its largest event ever on Sept. 21-22 in Nashville when 225 participants, speakers and staff attended the 5th Best of Success conference.

Sponsored by both Roofing Contractor and Architectural Roofing & Waterproofing magazines, the event was a tell-all two-day conference where contractors, distributors and suppliers were brought together to talk about ways to succeed in the roofing and construction business.

Presenters ranged from some of the top revenue-generating contractors in the United States to attorneys to sales experts. But no matter who you were, or what part of the country you were from, the conference provided a platform to talk with and learn from those who know how to succeed in the roofing business.

Guest speakers and their topics on Day 1 included: Rick Davis, President, Building Leaders Inc. (Making the Phone Ring); James Hoff, Director of Research, Center for Environmental Innovation in Roofing (The Government Stimulus Package and Your Bottom Line); T.J. Daniels, President, Bright Roofing & Restoration, and Linda Daniels, Past President of Metro Detroit Building Superintendents Association (What’s on Property Manager’s Minds Today); Adam Quenneville, President, Adam Quenneville Roofing (Recycling Your Way to Success); Roger Harper, Principal, Creative Dispute Resolutions, and Chris Dunn, Attorney, Walter Lansden, Dortch & Davis (Making Alternative Dispute Resolutions); Andy Filer, President, Berkshire Construction Company (How to Successfully Manage Your Crews); Jim Stamer, President, Prospect Roofing (Garden Your Way to More Green); Rod Menzel, Co-Owner, GreatWay Roofing (Rebranding: Expect a Great Experience); Jim Bush, Owner, WeatherShield Roofing Systems (Passion in Leadership and Sales); and Tim Hershey, President, ThoroughBred Contractors (Big Bucks from the Small Stuff).

Day 2 speakers and their topics included: Rob McNamara, President, NRCA (NRCA Update); Bruce Fryer, President Fryer Roofing, and Dane Bradford, President, Bradford Roof Management Inc. (How to Build a Profitable Maintenance Department); Paul Brockman, Owner, Roof Maintenance Inc., Steve Little, President, KPost Company; Rod Menzel, Co-owner, GreatWay Roofing, Jim Bush, Owner, WeatherShield Roofing Systems (Sales & Marketing Panel); and Doug Ehlke, Owner and Partner, Ehlke Law Offices.

After Day 1, a networking reception was held at the Sheraton Hotel in Nashville, which provided an arena for genuine conversation about the roofing industry. While many old friendships were rekindled during the reception, it was the new-found friendships that paved the way for the future of the business.

From the fabulous meals provided by the Sheraton staff to Bosch Tools providing free tool giveaways to 18 lucky attendees, there seemed to be no end for the excitement the 2-day event generated.

Roofing Contractor Publisher Jill Bloom called the event, “The best ever!”

For more coverage of Best of Success, check out the blogs on the Roofing Contractor Web site at www.roofingcontractor.com, as well as the November and December digital edition of Roofing Contractor at www.roofingcontractor.com.

Source: Roofing Contractor

Moorpark company's acrylic application helps cut cooling costs

These days, “green” roofs are white.

A Moorpark company has been growing its business in “cool roofs” since it did its first installation in 2001 — for BMW DesignworksUSA in Newbury Park.

Now that the green movement is afoot, homeowners want to cut cooling bills and companies are increasingly asked how they will make their buildings energy efficient, said Rod Menzel of GreatWay Roofing.

The roofing system, called fluid-applied reinforced acrylic, is sprayed on like paint and is considered easy to repair. Even the U.S. Energy Secretary has advocated cool roofs.

“Since the talk’s been out there, more people are like, ‘I ought to go ahead and do it,’ ” Menzel said.

The white roofs reflect the rays of the sun, making it cooler inside the buildings. The Cool Roof Rating Council reports average energy savings from 7 to 15 percent of total cooling costs.

“For us, it’s real simple,” Menzel said. “Without complicating things: You cool a roof down, you cool a building down.”

Menzel started GreatWay, then called Great American Roofing, in 1999. The company employs 16 people.

Until the recession, GreatWay had been growing by about 20 percent per year since it started, Menzel said.

The cool roof “is becoming a bigger and bigger portion of our business,” he said.

Besides being able to sell the bottom-line savings in energy, Menzel said he likes that the cool roof system is safer for his employees to install than a hot asphalt roof and doesn’t carry the fire and fumes hazards of a traditional roofing job.

The company currently is installing roofs on about 189,000 square feet of roof space on four new industrial buildings in Oxnard.

Those buildings belong to Sunbelt Enterprises, which has 60 properties and close to 3 million square feet of space in its portfolio. The company has used cool roofs over the years, including the Kavlico building in Simi Valley, said Bjorn Nilsen, general manager of Sunbelt.

Nilsen said the cool roof significantly reduced the electricity bill there, lowering the temperature by about 10 degrees in the afternoon heat.

But it also offers other advantages the company likes.

While “hot mop” tar roofs have a tendency to leak, as do roofs installed with seams, the liquid coat creates little chance for leaking, he said.

Menzel said the cool roof can go over an existing roof, or, as was the case with the Sunbelt buildings, his team can install a fire sheet, an emulsion and polyester fabric, and then the white coating on top.

The cool roof system cost ranges, on average, from about $1.80 to $2.80 per square foot on commercial projects or $2.25 to $3.25 per square foot on residential projects, depending on the size and complexity of each project and factoring in the extra setup cost on a residential installation, Menzel said.

Even though the system can cost more for materials, there are labor savings and often the old roof doesn’t need to be torn off, which saves on dump fees for the old material and can make a project competitive with a traditional roof installation, he said.

The majority of his commercial projects are cool roofs, which also includes a single-ply PVC with heat-welded seams.

Lately, there’s been a boost in residential interest as well, particularly with the availability of a green tax credit. For those who want the aesthetics of a shingled roof, he offers colored shingles that reflect and don’t hold the heat.

Grace Lennox of Ventura has a flat roof on her home and was looking for something to replace her existing roof.

“My previous roof was supposed to be good 10 to 15 years and it didn’t even last five,” she said.

What drew her to the cool roof was its dependability and lifetime warranty. The cooling was a bonus.

“So far, I’ve noticed a difference,” she said. Even though Ventura hasn’t hit the really hot days of summer, she said her temperature gauge shows the inside of the home is 5 to 8 degrees cooler than it was with a black roof.

Source: Ventura County Star

GreatWay Roofing has been honored with a "green business" award by a regional business publication for its efforts in installing cool roofing and promoting its benefits toward energy savings.

The Spirit of Small Business Award was presented by the Pacific Coast Business Times at the publication's luncheon Aug. 6 in Santa Barbara before about 300 leaders from throughout the region.

"This award is a phenomenal accomplishment for GreatWay Roofing for many reasons, probably starting with the fact it's difficult to associate green principles with roofing," said Rod Menzel, founder and chief executive officer of GreatWay Roofing, based in Moorpark. "It's easy to envision tar odors and construction debris. But early on we believed in utilizing cool roof technology, made it a significant part of our marketing plan, and spent the energy needed to explain the virtues."

"We congratulate GreatWay Roofing for their role in supporting sustainable building practices," stated the award's presenting sponsor, Southern California Gas Company. "Through energy efficiency, we can enhance the environment and the economy by conserving natural resources."

GreatWay Roofing was honored in large part for a focus on providing energy-efficient roofing options to the market it serves. The "green" roofing options offer customers long-term savings on energy costs through cool roofing systems, by reflecting away solar heat, thus reducing interior air conditioning costs and improving workforce productivity by simply keeping them cooler.

Additionally, the cool roof system is renewable because it can be applied over existing structures unlike other roof systems. The old roof systems do not have to be discarded and hauled to landfills.

"The cool roof system saves our customers money while at the same time saving valuable resources for all of us," Menzel said. More than 120 nominations were submitted from Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties for nine categories for the newspaper's seventh annual awards event that was launched after a casual conversation with a former federal Small Business Administration district director.

The nominations were judged based on each company's record as an existing business, its history of creating jobs and consistent growth, and its contribution to the community.

In eight years GreatWay Roofing has installed about 200 energy-efficient roofs, with about 90 percent of those on commercial buildings. In the past year the company applied an energy-efficient cool roof system to 189,000 square feet of roof space on four new buildings in Oxnard for Sunbelt Enterprises; and donated new roofs complete with installation for Moorpark Little League and the Moorpark Food Pantry, both nonprofit organizations in need.

Founded in 1999 in Ventura County, GreatWay Roofing also serves the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys. Previously GreatWay Roofing was called Great American Roofing until an extensive re-branding process resulted in a new name and logo last year. The company offers "green" and energy-saving materials such as "Cool Roof" technology for commercial buildings; a 12-point commercial roof maintenance program; and free no-obligation commercial roof inspections.

GreatWay Roofing today employs 20 people. Information: (800) 473-2876 or www.greatwayroofing.com.

Source: Ventura County Star

GreatWay Roofing, a commercial and residential roofing company serving Ventura County and the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys, announces that founder Rod Menzel has been selected for a presentation on the company's rebranding success for the 5th annual Best of Success national roofing industry conference.

Menzel is scheduled to make the presentation at the national conference scheduled for Sept. 20 to 22 in Nashville, Tenn.

Until 2008 his company was known as Great American Roofing. At that point, after nearly a decade in business and regardless of a terrible economic climate, Menzel visited successful roofing companies in the Seattle area and ultimately invested in research to re-brand and re-name his company.

The result was a new name, logo and a re-focus on the company's strengths: customer experience and satisfaction.

"We realized property owners can expect Nordstrom-like service in roofing, and that will be something I can explain to other contractors from around the nation at this premier conference," Menzel said.

"The process resulted in a new official company tag line, 'Expect a great experience,' which is something all our customers see so we have to deliver," Menzel said.

Founded in 1999 in Ventura County, GreatWay Roofing's commitment to customer service allowed it to grow to also serve the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys. The company offers a lifetime workmanship warranty on roofs it installs; more "green" and energy-saving materials such as "cool roof" technology for commercial buildings; a 12-point commercial roof maintenance program; and free no-obligation commercial roof inspections.

GreatWay Roofing employs 20 people and is based in Moorpark. For more information call (800) 473-2876, or visit www.greatwayroofing.com.

The Best of Success conference will feature 20 speakers from roofing contractors, weatherproofing and restoration companies, law firms, trade associations and host Roofing Contractor magazine, touching upon topics including crisis management, sales and marketing strategies, safety procedures and business management.

Source: Ventura County Star

In Southern California each fall, to some extent we expect wildfires. This year what was surprising was how early they arrived. Santa Ana wind-fueled October fires are typical; but firestorms in mid-September make you wonder.

It indicates that what firefighters call “fuel” has been lacking moisture for a very long time.

The same goes for the roof of your home or business. This year what is particularly alarming is that national weather experts say a heavy rain season is upon us.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that El Niño arrived in the United States in July. El Niño is a climate phenomenon that influences global weather, by periodically — every two to five years — warming tropical Pacific Ocean waters. It can trigger severe winter storms in California.

In the previously parched Southland, it may sound like a welcome relief. But it’s the previous years of severe dryness followed by intense rains that can cause big, big problems above us.

We currently have a potential recipe for roofing disasters: three years of drought conditions, followed by seasonal Santa Ana gusts, pounded home with an El Niño winter.

It may seem counterintuitive to think of dry roofs having difficulty with too much water. The problem arises from the extended length of exposure to the sun and heat.

Roofing materials are designed with built-in waterproofing agents that over time, if devoid of moisture, will slowly lose the ability to deflect water. Consider the water sealant you apply to a wooden deck. Does a single coat last forever?

Retail water sealants and roofing material waterproofing agents are not the same, of course. But the fact is, roofs atop our homes and businesses have been very, very dry for about three years now.

Dump an extraordinary amount of water on top in a very short amount of time — which could occur in an El Niño rainstorm — and you likely will see leaks.

It’s a good time to have your roof inspected. Even if just for routine preventive maintenance — check gutters for debris, look for loose shingles or cracking, etc. — fall 2009 is the worst time to procrastinate for a roof health checkup.

One final word of caution. Fewer roofing contractors exist today than even a year ago, because of economic conditions.

Should you do nothing this fall, and indeed leaks occur this rain season, it may be a challenge getting a timely response.

It might be a sound investment to have a roofing professional take a look at your roof now, not only to see if it is prepared for the coming rains but to also establish a relationship for emergencies.

It’s always nice to have a number, name and face handy for the worst possible scenario.

— Rod Menzel is president and founder of Moorpark-based GreatWay Roofing, which serves Ventura County and the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.