Working with the weather

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn how the industry is creating both reactive and proactive plans for extreme weather events. 

Extreme weather events have become more common over the years, from the fire season in the west to hailstorms and extreme winds across the country. To talk about how the roofing industry is adapting and responding to these changing conditions, Greg Hudson of Georgia-Pacific Building Products visited with Heidi J. Ellsworth in an episode of Roofing Road Trips®. 

Greg got his start in the construction world in 1997, but it wasn’t until the mid-2000s that he jumped into the roofing side of things. Today, he has worked for more than 18 years at Georgia-Pacific and is their Director of Commercial Dens Sales. During his tenure, he has noticed the industry shifting in response to the changing weather events. Greg explained, “We're designing and building differently due to extreme weather and the increased severity and the increased impact of these storms on commercial buildings.”  

This response is two-fold, both reactive and proactive. The reactive work is more often in the field, and involves day-to-day issues. Whereas the proactive work is more focused on planning and looking down the road. He described it as “thinking about regulations around these weather impacts, insurance and impacts on the workforce.” Greg made sure to emphasize that the key to doing this proactive work successfully is having the right people in the room. He elaborated, “As an industry, whether it's from a manufacturer, distributor, contractor or designer, we're not there yet but we're on this journey together. The best minds are asking, “What are the costs associated with it? And what type of resiliency do I need from extreme water? What type of energy performance do I need from this roof system and how long is it going to last? And so you see those things and they're improving.” 

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about how the industry is responding to extreme weather events.