Watts Up? IRE Doesn't Miss a Beat
The biggest roofing
show of the year - the International Roofing Expo - got off to an auspicious
start Tuesday when the scheduled keynote speaker, NBA Hall of Famer Bill
Walton, was given doctor’s orders not to travel because of a bad back.
The biggest roofing show of the year - the International Roofing Expo - got off to an auspicious start Tuesday when the scheduled keynote speaker, NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton, was given doctor’s orders not to travel because of a bad back. But IRE organizers (Hanley Wood Exhibitions) did not miss a beat as they scrambled to put together a panel of industry superstars to provide the keynote address held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
The keynote address included: moderator Bill Good, Vice President of the National Roofing Contractors Association; Keith Rozolis, Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Planning for ABC Supply Co. Inc.; Mike Vall, President, Firestone Building Products; Bob Tafaro, President of GAF; Fred Stephan, Vice President and General Manager of Roofing Systems, Johns Manville; and Marcelino Susas, Vice President and General Manager - Americas Uni-Solar.
In a changing economy, knowledge is everything, which made Tuesday’s keynote that much more remarkable. The expert panel talked about the current state of the roofing industry, emerging technologies, economic trends, issues facing the industry, and future growth.
“We were blessed in ‘08 by Mother Nature,” said Keith Rozolis of ABC Supply.
Mike Vall from Firestone Building Products said he looked forward to new year and noted Firestone’s certified contractors indicated that going into 2009 there’s a “back log” of work, referring to contracts on the books and roofing projects ready to begin. “Plan for a challenging year,” said Bob Tafaro, President of GAF.
Tafaro commented that GAF was doing more with less, and that despite the down economy, it’s a good market to “recruit people” and to spend money on “infrastructure” needs.
“The outlook long-term is very strong,” said Fred Stephan, Vice President of Roofing Systems for Johns Manville.
When the topic at Tuesday’s keynote turned to solar initiatives, Marcelino Susas, Vice President, Americas Uni-Solar, said with the new Administration in office in Washington D.C., he sees growth in the solar market over the next eight years. Susas said he would like to see the new government put together “more incentives” for builders “to get things going.” “I think of solar as relatively new to the market,” Susas said, despite acknowledging that solar’s “been around for 30 years.”
Tafaro said it’s only a matter of few short years before there’s a significant breakthrough in solar technology like integrated photovoltaics. But Tafaro also noted the big winners in 2009 would provide the “whole system” like roof membranes and solar and warranties.
“There’s a lot more to learn” in integrating photovoltaics, Stephan told a full audience at the Mandalay Convention Center.
Bill Good, meanwhile, said he would support some of the proposed stimulus package plans backed by President Barack Obama.
“We are watching credit carefully,” Mike Vall commented about any stimulus plan.
Tafaro, who noted that the economy would not get going “until credit is flowing in a free and responsible way,” offered one final tip. “Know your costs and customers,” he said. “Buyers will be more inclined to buy quality and reliability.”
The fact is, the show must go on, as Ringling Bros. And Barnum and Bailey Circus once coined, and the IRE did not miss a beat in making the keynote a memorable experience.
The biggest roofing show of the year - the International Roofing Expo - got off to an auspicious start Tuesday when the scheduled keynote speaker, NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton, was given doctor’s orders not to travel because of a bad back. But IRE organizers (Hanley Wood Exhibitions) did not miss a beat as they scrambled to put together a panel of industry superstars to provide the keynote address held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
The keynote address included: moderator Bill Good, Vice President of the National Roofing Contractors Association; Keith Rozolis, Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing and Planning for ABC Supply Co. Inc.; Mike Vall, President, Firestone Building Products; Bob Tafaro, President of GAF; Fred Stephan, Vice President and General Manager of Roofing Systems, Johns Manville; and Marcelino Susas, Vice President and General Manager - Americas Uni-Solar.
In a changing economy, knowledge is everything, which made Tuesday’s keynote that much more remarkable. The expert panel talked about the current state of the roofing industry, emerging technologies, economic trends, issues facing the industry, and future growth.
“We were blessed in ‘08 by Mother Nature,” said Keith Rozolis of ABC Supply.
Mike Vall from Firestone Building Products said he looked forward to new year and noted Firestone’s certified contractors indicated that going into 2009 there’s a “back log” of work, referring to contracts on the books and roofing projects ready to begin. “Plan for a challenging year,” said Bob Tafaro, President of GAF.
Tafaro commented that GAF was doing more with less, and that despite the down economy, it’s a good market to “recruit people” and to spend money on “infrastructure” needs.
“The outlook long-term is very strong,” said Fred Stephan, Vice President of Roofing Systems for Johns Manville.
When the topic at Tuesday’s keynote turned to solar initiatives, Marcelino Susas, Vice President, Americas Uni-Solar, said with the new Administration in office in Washington D.C., he sees growth in the solar market over the next eight years. Susas said he would like to see the new government put together “more incentives” for builders “to get things going.” “I think of solar as relatively new to the market,” Susas said, despite acknowledging that solar’s “been around for 30 years.”
Tafaro said it’s only a matter of few short years before there’s a significant breakthrough in solar technology like integrated photovoltaics. But Tafaro also noted the big winners in 2009 would provide the “whole system” like roof membranes and solar and warranties.
“There’s a lot more to learn” in integrating photovoltaics, Stephan told a full audience at the Mandalay Convention Center.
Bill Good, meanwhile, said he would support some of the proposed stimulus package plans backed by President Barack Obama.
“We are watching credit carefully,” Mike Vall commented about any stimulus plan.
Tafaro, who noted that the economy would not get going “until credit is flowing in a free and responsible way,” offered one final tip. “Know your costs and customers,” he said. “Buyers will be more inclined to buy quality and reliability.”
The fact is, the show must go on, as Ringling Bros. And Barnum and Bailey Circus once coined, and the IRE did not miss a beat in making the keynote a memorable experience.