From 1977 to 2025 and from RCI to IIBEC

By Emma Peterson.

Learn how the consulting sector of the industry has grown and changed over the years.

While at the 2025 International Institute of Building Envelope Consultants (IIBEC) Convention, The Coffee Shops™ hosted a soundstage! Sponsored by IB Roof Systems, we invited dozens of professionals to chat with us about the newest technologies and developments in the industry. One such interview was with Joe Sorrentino, who in addition to being one our CoatingsCoffeeShop influencers is the Florida regional account manager for Sherwin Williams.  

Joe is a staple in the roofing and construction worlds, having worked at Owens Corning as a commercial sales representative in 1977. Along his path to his role today, he has held positions at companies such as Firestone Building Products, ABC Supply and SIKA. In his conversation with Heidi J. Ellsworth, the duo spoke about what has changed in the industry, especially related to the building consulting sector, over the years.  

If you know a little about the history of IIBEC, it was originally started as the Roof Consultants Institute (RCI) in 1983. It became IIBEC in 2019 to expand its purpose, membership and services. Joe shared a bit about watching that transition, saying, “I think that the big difference within the IIBEC community as opposed to the RCI community is the focus. In the late 1970s when RCI started, the country was making residential homes tight, meaning energy efficient. Now, in the 21st century, we are working on making commercial buildings tight, and that's really where the group here is focusing on.”

Another key change that has occurred in the last few decades is the idea of looking at buildings as holistic entities. Joe elaborated, “I see a holistic approach within the group and the group has grown. Just look at the credentials and the certifications that they have today versus when they started back in the 1980s.” Even simply at the 2025 IIBEC convention, we saw the growth in the consulting sector, with numbers like 1,500-1,600 attendees. Joe explained that all of this growth and shifts in perspective are incredibly helpful for the industry. He shared, “The diversity of all the programs that are made available in today's network, conference, podcasts and all that fun stuff makes it a lot easier for folks who have a problem on their building to get it fixed.”

Watch the full interview to learn more about the building envelope consulting sector!