CertainTeed, a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, is investing $118.8 million to expand its roofing shingle manufacturing facility in Oxford, N.C.

The company will add 225,000 square feet of manufacturing space to its existing shingle manufacturing plant, enhancing its ability to serve customers in a time of unprecedented demand. A performance-based grant of $125,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help with the expansion.

“This historic investment, made possible with support from the state of North Carolina, will create new jobs and allow our company to support our customers with more of the industry-leading roofing materials that our team has been making in Granville County since 1978,” said Mark Rayfield, president and CEO of Saint-Gobain North America and CertainTeed. “We thank the community for their continued support, and we look forward to many more years of state-of-the-art manufacturing in Oxford.”

CertainTeed produces a portfolio of exterior and interior building products that includes roofing materials, siding, fence, decking, railings, trim, insulation, gypsum wallboard, and ceilings.

“Global brands can operate anywhere in the world, but they continue to choose North Carolina for its workforce,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. “CertainTeed’s commitment to our state highlights the importance of a well-prepared workforce to meet industry demands. As the manufacturing industry advances, we are committed to advancing our workforce training systems to prepare North Carolinians to help companies meet those demands.”

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said the expansion will add 37 new jobs in Granville County.

“CertainTeed’s expansion is a great indicator of North Carolina’s manufacturing economy,” said Cooper. “Aside from accolades for being the best place to do business, companies in our state know the advantages of operating here, including our dedicated, well trained workforce and our great quality of life.”

Although wages will vary for each position, the average annual salary for the new positions is $66,930, exceeding Granville County’s overall average annual wage of $45,096. The new jobs have the potential to create an annual payroll impact of more than $2.4 million.

CINCINNATI — STACK Construction Technologies, creators of an industry-leading, cloud-based preconstruction platform, announced its partnership with CentiMark to connect business systems and enable easier access to critical data. As one of the largest commercial roofing contractors, smooth transfer of data across all departments is crucial for CentiMark’s continued success, and STACK is now a key element, connecting preconstruction to the rest of their workflow.

“From a CIO’s perspective, what makes STACK stand out to me is the open architecture,” said Greg Wilson, senior vice president and chief information officer at CentiMark. “At an organization of our size, STACK is not a standalone software, but a part of the business process. STACK’s application programming interfaces, which allow us to integrate other systems into STACK, are unique. One of the really exciting things about STACK is that we go from being rigid and inflexible to being able to quickly respond to customers.”

Phil Ogilby, founder and CEO of STACK, said the focus of his team has always been on the needs of the subcontractor and the importance of data.

“There are no other preconstruction platforms in existence today specifically for subcontractors, and most of those that are on the market are desktop-based and leave teams siloed," said Ogilby. "For large organizations like CentiMark, that’s not an option for business in today’s world. We’re thrilled to be able to offer STACK’s open API to help streamline the CentiMark workflow in a way that no other preconstruction solutions can.”

With 95 offices and over 3,500 employees across North America, it’s essential that the CentiMark team be able to collaborate and work efficiently together from any location. Feature functionality and user experience were decisive factors in the selection of STACK. But it’s not only STACK’s ease of use that won the team over. Wilson emphasizes the value of connectivity and integration, and the seamless flow of data into and out of various systems – including STACK – for successful business operations.

"As CentiMark brings its preconstruction data in line with other powerful business tools, they’ll be ahead of the curve and able to make informed decisions to increase both profitability and customer satisfaction,” Ogilby said. “We’re excited to welcome CentiMark into the STACK family and to contribute to their continued growth and success.”

BELOIT, Wis. — Jeremy Grunewald has been promoted to national product manager at Mule-Hide Products Co. Inc.

In his new role, Grunewald has nationwide responsibility for the company’s portfolio of commercial roofing products, including single-ply membranes, insulation, fasteners, modified bitumen, roof coatings, sealants, adhesives, accessories and underlayments. He also spearheads the development and implementation of strategic opportunities for new and existing markets, products and systems.

Grunewald joined Mule-Hide Products in July 2021 as product category manager - liquid-applied systems. Prior to that, he was a district sales manager with Tropical Roofing Products.

Grunewald is a Registered Roof Observer through the International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC), is a ProCertified Trainer through the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), and holds NRCA ProCertification for Training.

Actively involved in the roofing industry, he is on the board of directors of the Roof Coatings Manufacturers Association (RCMA) and is a member of ASTM International’s Committee D08 on Roofing and Waterproofing.

“Since joining Mule-Hide last year, Jeremy has helped us take significant steps to strengthen our position as a leader in roof coating systems and pursue new opportunities to become an even more valuable resource to contractors, property managers, specifiers and our distributor partners,” said Mule-Hide Products Co. Managing Director Dan Williams. “We are excited to have him now bring his leadership, technical expertise and industry knowledge to our entire product portfolio.”

CHICAGO — SunStyle^® is entering the solar shingle market with an official expansion of its operations to customers in the United States.

Unlike conventional solar panels, SunStyle's solar shingles provide an edge-to-edge, full-coverage solar roof that is not only strong and leak-proof, but integrates with any architectural style and can potentially pay for itself with the power it generates.

The company's distinctive Swiss-engineered solar roofing shingles have been installed on hundreds of projects in Europe, including residences, churches, schools, businesses, government and industrial sites. In the U.S., SunStyle's "dragonscale" tiles can be seen on Google's new campus in Mountain View, Calif., and are being installed on commercial and residential projects around the country.

SunStyle's UL/IEC-certified solar roof shingles are made with monocrystalline PERC solar cells to maximize the efficiency of the roof. The solar shingles are more durable than most standard roofing materials, even in harsh weather conditions. SunStyle's solar tiles meet both the industry standards for solar modules as well as the standards required by building and construction codes, including achieving the highest possible ratings for hail (FM 4473 Class 4), fire (UL 790 Class A), and wind resistance (ASTM D3161 Class F).

"We are encouraging greater adoption of solar energy by taking solar beyond functional and making it beautiful," said Gene Rosendale, CEO of SunStyle. "As Americans continue to embrace solar at a rapid rate, we believe it is the perfect time to make our solar roof available to the U.S. market."

Rosendale said the company is working with architects, builders, solar installers, and roofing companies to build a network of residential and commercial installation partners across the country.

"SunStyle's highest priority is responsiveness and customer service in support of its installation partners and individual property owners to ensure installation excellence and long-term satisfaction," Rosendale said.

The Castagra Roofing Scholarship Program is now open for applications for its second year. The scholarship supports individuals pursuing a career in roofing or similar fields.

Scholarship recipients will receive a $1,000 award. The awards are not renewable, but applicants can reapply each year so long as they meet the eligibility requirements.

Applicants to the Castagra Roofing Scholarship Program must be:

• Pursuing a post-secondary education in college or vocational programs in roofing or a similar field. Similar fields must be applicable to the building industry (construction, waterproofing, etc.)
• Passionate about innovation and/or sustainability
• An American or Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Castagra Products Inc. employees and their family members are ineligible

Applications must include a 500 to 1,000 word essay detailing their educational and career goal objectives, and how they plan to contribute to the roofing industry. Special consideration is given to applicants who are passionate about innovation and/or sustainability.

The winner of the 2021 scholarship was Sarah Dalby, an architectural engineering student at the University of Texas. She is pursuing her degree to learn about structural methods and materials in order to design a sustainable solution to help the homeless. She is researching 3D printing technology and how it can be expanded in order to 3D-print houses with organic materials.

The deadline to apply for the program is Aug. 29. Recipients will be selected on Sept. 1. For more information and to apply, visit castagra.com/SCHOLARSHIP.