Single Ply Roofing Industry continues to lead

By Heidi J. Ellsworth.

SPRI kicks off 2024 with a successful business meeting. 

RoofersCoffeeShop® was honored to be a part of the 2024 Single Ply Roofing Industry (SPRI) Annual Meeting. It was an impressive display of roofing technical expertise, industry information, informative speakers and amazing networking. SPRI is a collection of commercial roofing industry experts dedicated to providing an open forum for discussion, education and innovation. They provide ongoing resources and expertise for contractors, architects and building owners. 

As one of the leading roofing associations dedicated to technical support they are focused on codes and standards, regulations and new technologies around commercial single ply roofing. The association is made up of all the major single ply, accessory and raw material manufacturers along with architects, consultants, testing firms, distribution and sales representatives. 

Key technical issues were discussed on the first day of the conference including ongoing updates for codes and standards that are affecting single ply roofing along with code initiatives from the SPRI group. The discussion of PVC and the EPA’s investigation was reviewed and a newly created white paper on PVC will help educate government officials understand the difference in plastics and how PVC in construction is a durable plastic that has long life and resiliency. 

SPRI’s Directory of Roof Assemblies (DORA) initiative was also discussed with the task teams sharing updates about the intuit directory of single ply roofing systems and accessories. The inclusion of fire and impact information was a great conversation and 2024 initiative for the DORA site. SPRI continues to expand the database to provide a one stop solution for contractors, consultants and the design community. 

A highlight of the event was the Wish for Wheels event sponsored by Johns Manville. This incredible non-profit association out of Denver, Colorado, brought unassembled bikes to the SPRI meeting to be assembled as a team building and philanthropic event for SPRI members. Through a number of team building events including being blindfolded while assembling bikes, the group assembled over 30 bikes that went to a local community center and given to second grade students. It was a great event. 

With speakers like David Pogue of CBS Sunday morning speaking on AI, Deb Mazol of NRCA with a DC update, Kermit Baker the AIA Chief Economist and Kyle Thomas immediate past Chairman of the NRCA with a state of the roofing industry, the conference delivered important information for all of the businesses in attendance. The overall message from all the speakers was a positive outlook for 2024 with challenges during an election year.   

The best part was the networking and friendships that were apparent throughout the meetings. Scott Carpenter of Anchor Products and the new SPRI president noted, “This is our favorite meeting of the year. The people who are a part of SPRI are the best in the roofing industry. They give back in a way that matches their passion for providing the highest quality roofing products and installations.”