Four Seasons Energy Efficient Roofing wins 2025 Sustainability Award

By Emma Peterson. 

A Duro-Last roofing system delivers performance and sustainability for this key community organization in Minnesota.  

Just minutes outside of Saint Paul, Minnesota and alongside the banks of Vadnais Lake sits a vibrant community called Vadnais Heights. The city was founded in 1974 out of the White Bear Township. At that time, it was a small, agricultural community. Today, it is a thriving suburban community that spans 8.2 square miles, is home to around 13,000 people and countless businesses and organizations – including Merrick Inc. 

Founded in 1964, Merrick Inc. is an agency that focuses on helping “empower adults with disabilities through vocational and social opportunities, and to guide them toward realizing their goals and dreams.” They do this through a variety of services, including life enrichment activities, social events, leadership activities and a work service program in Vadnais Heights. The Merrick team are also staunch supporters of environmental stewardship. They model sustainability in action with a large solar array, geothermal HVAC and an extensive plastic recycling program. Overall, Merrick believes in doing the best for their community, whether that’s in their support programs or caring for the environment around Vadnais Heights.  

So, when Merrick's 20-year-old, 59,600 square-foot roof started failing, it was not only critical to get it back into working order quickly, but key to creating something that was an extension of the organization's mission and values. As Mike Greenbaum, executive director of Merrick, explained, “Merrick is a place where people come to work, contribute and feel valued. It was important to make sure the facility reflects that commitment and continues to serve our mission for decades to come.” 

The roof system that ended up fitting the bill was a Duro-Last 50 mil white membrane with custom curbs and stacks. It was installed by the team at Four Seasons Energy Efficient Roofing, who were actually the same contractor that installed the previous roof back in 2008! Nick Moen, CEO of Four Seasons, shared his story about coming back to work with Merrick again:  

We installed the first roof back in 2008, a 40 mil Duro-Last system that performed exceptionally well. When Merrick reached out to replace it, we knew it was an opportunity to upgrade the system for even greater longevity and efficiency. 

The first step to the project was to coordinate with Duro-Last's Recycle Your Roof program to deal with the 11,760 pounds of existing roof membrane that had to be removed. Brett Franz, a Duro-Last sales rep, spoke about how this program was perfect for the project, sharing, “Merrick’s entire operation is built around recycling and responsible use of resources, from how they manage materials inside the building to how they care for the building itself. This was the perfect project for the program.” 

Once the old roof was removed, the Four Seasons team installed insulation and began mechanically fastening a new 50 mil white membrane on the roof! Not only will this durable membrane provide protection for the facilities below it, but it also benefits the overall energy efficiency of the system. As Nick explained, “That white surface helps reflect heat and optimize the solar array’s output.”  

Once the installation was complete (which was no small feat as each of the 650 solar pedestal penetrations across the roof had to be individually flashed using custom curbs and stacks), ROOF-TRAK III walkway pads were placed to make it easier and safer to inspect and maintain the solar system.  

Despite the complexity of the penetrations and a tight summer timeline, the project was completed in just six weeks, thanks to careful sequencing and coordination between Four Seasons and Merrick’s facilities team. It was a challenging installation, but a rewarding one. Not only can the Four Seasons team walk away proud of protecting a key community organization and helping them focus on their mission, but they also took home Duro-Last's 2025 Sustainability Award!  

Check out the award-winning project!