By Emma Peterson.
Tornado Alley is a nickname for the center of tornado activity in the United States, extending from West Texas through Oklahoma, Kansas and most of Nebraska. Anadarko, Oklahoma, which sits 50 miles southwest of the state’s capital, Oklahoma City, is just along the edge of said Tornado Alley, meaning that Lighty Roofing and Construction had to be thinking about durability and wind uplift when working on Greentech Center.
The importance of building a tornado-durable building was further emphasized by the state of the roof the Lighty team was replacing. The roof had been badly damaged in a previous tornado and storm and had developed major leaks, rusted seams and failed fasteners among other issues. Jerry Kennedy, the CEO of Delaware Nation Industries (DNI) who own the facility, explained:
Our tenant’s inventory was at risk, and restoring the roof quickly was essential to getting their business back on track. We needed a roofing system we could trust to perform in Oklahoma’s extreme weather conditions, and Duro-Last delivered exactly that.
How exactly did Duro-Last deliver that? The Lighty team used Duro-Last’s custom-fabricated 50 mil white membrane as the core of their metal retrofit solution for the Greentech Center. By doing this, they were able to deliver maximum security against wind uplift and unmatched durability that met modern performance requirements.
Further, the custom fabrication of the system allowed the Lighty team to incorporate a stunning homage to the Delaware Nation in the form of a 100-foot-tall, 68-foot-wide turtle. Don Lighty, owner of Lighty Roofing, explained, “There are three clans within the Delaware Nation — Wolf, Turkey and Turtle. This facility represents the Turtle Clan, so it felt fitting to weave that identity directly into the design.”
Now complete, the mechanically fastened Duro-Last roof system not only performed flawlessly through weather events and storms but has also been recognized as the 2025 Duro-Last Custom-Fabrication Project Award winner. Jerry reflected, “Reliability and durability were our top priorities. The combination of Duro-Last and Lighty Construction gave us both. We couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.”
Learn more about Duro-Last® in their Coffee Shop Directory or visit duro-last.com.
Emma is the senior content developer at The Coffee Shops and AskARoofer™. When she's not working or overthinking everything a little bit, she enjoys watching movies with friends, attending concerts and trying to cook new recipes.
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