Welcome to the dedicated page for the Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA).

July/August 2011, Volume 34 Number 4

Western Roofing Expo 2011 Recap
Roofing Professionals Converge in Reno, Nevada for 37th Annual WSRCA Convention
by Marc Dodson

If it’s June, it must be time for the Western Roofing Expo! The Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA) staged their 37th annual convention and tradeshow, Western Roofing Expo, in Reno, Nevada, June 5- 8, 2011. The event experienced a great turnout with an enthusiastic attitude from both exhibitors and attendees. While the attendance figures didn’t quite match the totals from the previous year in Las Vegas, the numbers were up from two years ago, the last time the event was held in Reno.
The Peppermill Casino & Resort was the site of this year’s extravaganza. According to the WSRCA, about 1,700 convention-goers converged for Western Roofing Expo 2011. Roofing professionals from throughout the West were on hand to experience the three days of seminars, golf and sporting clays, exhibits, demonstrations, and industry camaraderie.
Tradeshow The tradeshow featured with 130 companies staffing 223 booths. The Expo highlighted local, regional, and national companies displaying their latest products and services, many available only in the Western market. The vast majority of the exhibitors we talked to were very pleased with the turnout and the convention. Many noted that while the attendance figures weren’t as high as last year, the Reno venue brought a different group of people to the show, new customers they hadn’t met previously.
Christian Madsen, then president of the WSRCA, along with his family were on hand to cut the obligatory ribbon to open the show. Once open, the show remained a bustling center of activity until the final closing hours. The Davis Memorial Foundation raffle took place during the final hour of the trade show. The foundation is the charitable arm of the WSRCA and awards scholarships to deserving students each year. The grand prizewinner of the raffle was Ann Harris of Roofline Supply, who walked away with the 2011 Mercedes-Benz C300.

Seminars Seminars this year were designed to keep the Western roofing professional on the cutting edge of technology and at the same time, help him create new business opportunities. Seminars included: What’s Cool in 2011 for Steep and Low Slope Roofing Systems; Effective Productivity & Time Management – Find an Extra Hour Per Day; The Art of Slate Roofing for the 21st Century; Rooftop PV: Opportunities & Risks for Roofing Contractors; Roofing Contractors’ Proposal, Warranties and Contracts… Scary Stuff; Sprayed Foam Roofing – What Makes this Roof System So Popular in a Down Economy; Metal Roofing in Northern Climates: The Facts and the Phobias; Growing Profits Through Technology; and TPO 10th-Year Report and New TPO Repair & Maintenance Guidelines. The Exhibitor Showcase Seminars returned this year by popular demand.
Without a doubt, the most popular seminar was the TPO 10th-Year Report, which played to a packed house. Initiated over ten years ago, the WSRCA set up four test roofs around the West using the same four different brands of TPO at each site. Various reports have been delivered by the WSRCA over the years, and this seminar was the culmination of the finings. The complete TPO report is printed elsewhere in this issue.

Plant Tours The Reno area is home to several roofing material manufacturing plants, and the WSRCA took advantage of that fact. Tours were arranged for the plants of Johns Manville, Polyglass, and RMAX. Busses left the Peppermill in the early morning hours to take attendees directly to the facilities. We opted for the Johns Manville polyisocyanurate foam insulation plant tour. The plant supplies polyiso foam insulation to the Western States and Western Canada. The plant is also one of only ten manufacturing facilities in Nevada to earn the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) certification and is a VPP Star site.

Annual Luncheon The Annual Luncheon took a different turn this year featuring “The Passing Zone.” Jon Wee and Owen Morse talked about teamwork and working together. The comedy duo demonstrated, through the use of juggling everything from fire batons to chain saws, how trust, exciting stunts, and their own safety is in the hands of their partner.

Awards Recognizing those that have gone above and beyond the call of duty has become a tradition with the WSRCA. At the Legislative Luncheon, WSRCA president Christian Madsen honored Darrin Douglas, Lowe Roofing, White City, South Dakota, as Board Member of the Year for his efforts on behalf of the association. Congratulations Darin!

Scholarship Fund Raisers The Davis Memorial Foundation again hosted two fund-raising sporting tournaments prior to the convention. On Sunday, June 5, the golf tournament was held at the Lakeridge Golf Course. The Sporting Clays Tournament was held concurrently at the Sage Hill Clays Sports Club.
A silent and not-so-silent auction, with auctioneer extraordinaire Bill Baley, was held during the President’s Reception. The auction netted the foundation several thousand dollars. Additionally, the raffle for the Mercedes-Benz C300 also raised funds for the foundation. The Davis Memorial Foundation awarded scholarships this year to: Julianna Calegari, Heidi Cung, Brent Robinson, and Karina Muro.

New Officers The newly elected officers this year are as follows: president, Travis Nelson, Brown Roofing, The Dalles, Oregon; senior vice president, Bill Baley, CI Services, Mission Viejo, Calif.; vice presidents Bruce Hunter-Dushel, BD Roofing, Tacoma, Wash.; Mike Tory, Tory’s Roofing, Pearl City, Hawaii; Dennis Ryan, Waterproofing Associates, Mountain View, Calif.; Pete Schmautz, Star Roofing, Phoenix, Ariz.; and immediate former president, Christian Madsen, Madsen Roof Co., Sacramento, Calif.
In his opening address to the gathering, president Nelson thanked everyone for their support and promised that the association would continue to be a leader in industry education and information dissemination. Next year the WSRCA will hold its 38th annual convention and trade show in Las Vegas, Nevada, June 24-26, 2012, at the Paris Hotel & Casino. For more information, contact the WSRCA at (800) 725-0333.