I spent the last two-day’s on a roof. This in itself should not be newsworthy - after all I am a roof consultant. There was a time when I spent most of my day on the roof, either conducting quality assurance inspections or performing forensic investigations.

I spent the last two-day’s on a roof. This in itself should not be newsworthy - after all I am a roof consultant. There was a time when I spent most of my day on the roof, either conducting quality assurance inspections or performing forensic investigations. As my managerial duties have evolved in the past 10 years I find I spend more time in the lab, office or on a plane than I do on the roof.

My days have become filled with procuring materials for testing, reviewing accounts payables and accounts receivables and writing checks to fix broken-down field trucks. When I first started my consulting firm in 1991 I was a businessman in a technical business. Somewhere along the line I became a technical person in business and today … well sometimes it seems I just write checks.

The past two days I remembered why I started the business. We are managing the repair of an old coal tar roof on a Midwestern automotive plant that will be closed in the next two years. Two icons from the 20th century - coal tar and automotive plants - are facing their demise in the 21st century. The plant had received bids in excess of $20 million to replace the roof. The repairs, which include deck replacement, are being completed for under $2 million.

We have found a way to extend the life of coal tar with fiberglass felt systems that typically failed within 7 to 10 years of application. I wrote extensively about this problem in the late 90s and won my clients some money along the way. The great thing about this is that the same people that said these systems were not problems in the 90s are now saying they can’t be fixed. So I am back in the ring to take another swing.

If you come across any leaking CT/FG systems and owners that are short on cash, give me a call. I can help you fix it.