Atlas Roofing Corporation announced it plans to build a new shingle manufacturing facility in Clinton, Iowa, a town of around 25,000 people situated on the banks of the Mississippi River 40 miles north of Davenport.

The plant, which Atlas said plans to break ground later this year, represents a $200 million investment in the town, according to a news release by the company, with construction taking around two years, according to a report in the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal.

Atlas representatives say the facility represents “the next phase of a vision to empower its people to create solutions and products with purpose,” and will create additional shingle capacity in a geographically strategic location to best serve its customers.

“We are thrilled to announce that we will be working together with the great people of Clinton, Iowa, to continue our growth in the steep-slope roofing category,” Ken Farrish, president of Atlas Roofing Corporation, said in a statement. “Clinton will help us meet customer demand with this investment in capacity in the Midwest, but we are equally excited to bring more than 100 new full-time jobs to the region.”

Plans for the design of the 440,000-square-foot plant include a focus on safety, quality and innovation, the Atlas statement read, in part. The plant will be located in the Lincolnway Industrial Rail & Air Park, buoyed by a $750,000 forgivable loan awarded by the Iowa Economic Development Authority.

“Safety and quality are the core of our mission at Atlas,” said Brad Parten, vice president of operations, “as it ensures that the needs of both our employees and our customers are central to our planning and decision-making processes.”

The company says the state-of-the-art plant will allow it to address the growing demand for Atlas’ Core4 Technology shingles, designed for high-impact weather events. Additionally, the plant will produce several of Atlas’ accessory underlayments and other proprietary roof system components, including its shingles featuring 3M Scotchgard Protector.

“Atlas is committed to bolstering our capacity to support our customer base across the country and this investment in Clinton meets that commitment head on,” said Stanley Bastek, vice president of sales and marketing for the Atlas Shingles and Underlayment Division. “This new manufacturing facility will result in service level improvements that increase access to Atlas shingles and system components across the country.”

This announcement follows the building product manufacturer’s celebrating 40 years in the asphalt roofing industry. Atlanta-based Atlas Roofing, a privately held concern, opened its first asphalt shingle manufacturing facility in 1982.

Photo courtesy of the Iowa Economic Development Corporation

Roofing Corp of America, an Atlanta-based portfolio of roofing contractors throughout the United States, recently announced the acquisition of Front Range Roofing Systems, LLC to its repository, marking the holding company’s first foray into the mountain west area of the country.

In a news release by RCA, the acquisition of Greeley, Colo.-based FRRS, a commercial and industrial roofing contractor founded in 1987, gives the holding company entrée to the Colorado and Southern Wyoming markets, with its reroofing demands due to the area’s frequent extreme weather events.

RCA described FRRS as an expert concern in all aspects of the commercial roofing industry, from roof maintenance, repair, tenant finishes, reroofing, roof restoration, and new construction roofing. Aside from being experienced in installing and repairing low-slope roofing systems, the company has a comprehensive in-house sheet metal fabrication and installation capability.

The holding company said FRRS’ ownership group would remain to helm the concern, and FRRS would retain its name and brand, operating as a stand-alone entity within RCA.

“We are very excited to be joining the growing Roofing Corp of America family,” said Michael Trotter, an FRRS principal. “From our first meeting with RCA, we felt that they understood and valued what we have built, and the ability to partner with them and continue to grow our brand alongside was exciting.”

RCA and its private equity benefactor, Soundcore Capital Partners, have acquired nearly 10 roofing contractor companies since 2020. Randy Korach, CEO of Roofing Corp of America, expressed optimism about bringing FRRS into the fold.

“We are excited to welcome Front Range Roofing Systems to RCA; the company has a well-earned reputation as leading commercial roofing contractors in the mountain west,” Korach said. “The Front Range Roofing Systems acquisition is evidence that Roofing Corp of America [continues] to realize our vision as the Home for America’s Premier Roofing Contractors.”

Beacon Building Products announced the opening of two greenfield locations that will serve residential and commercial roofing contractors in Texas and Mississippi.

The new Texas branch is located in Longview, Texas, which will service the east Texas market supporting Gregg County customers.

“We are pleased to expand Beacon’s footprint in this growing corridor where Interstate 20 and U.S. highways 80 and 259 converge,” said Peter Lippert, Beacon’s regional vice president, Texas.

This is Beacon’s fourth new branch nationwide. In addition to this location, Beacon announced that it has opened a greenfield location in Gulfport, Miss. The Gulfport location services Gulfport, Biloxi and surrounding metropolitan area customers.

“This new branch is stocked with leading brands of residential and commercial roofing and complementary products, including Beacon’s own TRI-BUILT^® products," said Lynn France, Beacon’s regional vice president, Southeast.

In addition to the new locations, Beacon reminded its customers who are on the go that they can use the Beacon PRO+ mobile app to save time and track deliveries.

The Gulfport location is Beacon’s fifth greenfield opening in 2023. The company anticipates at least 15 by the end of the year. In a statement, the roofing distributor said expanding its ability to serve customers through opening greenfield locations in growing areas is an "example of the significant progress Beacon has made toward achieving growth above market and excellence in customer experience as laid out in our Ambition 2025 strategy."

Commercial and residential building products manufacturer Georgia-Pacific announces the third installment of a four-part video series, “Four Dimensions of Durability in Roofing,” which demonstrates the value and key benefits of choosing a gypsum coverboard to help protect against fire, wind, puncture, and hail.

The third video will focus on puncture and foot traffic; videos concentrating on fire and wind were released previously.

In a survey conducted by Ducker Worldwide, roofing consultants ranked puncture as a top threat to the lifespan of a commercial roof. Three primary sources of puncture in the roof industry exist; they are: puncture from roof installation/maintenance/assorted foot traffic; hail; and flying debris from severe weather. The Georgia-Pacific puncture video includes a “heat map” feature indicating hot spots and high-risk areas on a commercial roof that can allow unchecked moisture to spread throughout a roof assembly and breach the building.

According to a news release from Georgia-Pacific, when integrated into the roof assembly, a gypsum coverboard acts as a rigid substrate to help protect the roof assembly from membrane damage, punctures, and water intrusion, while simultaneously warding off insulation damage. This concept is highlighted in the puncture video through three side-by-side tests comparing an assembly without a coverboard, an assembly with an HD ISO coverboard, and an assembly with DensDeck® Prime roofboard and how each withstands a slow-speed puncture test, a dynamic puncture test, and a screwdriver test.

Referencing testing methods and results, the “Four Dimensions of Durability in Roofing” series illustrates the advantages of adding a gypsum roof board to the roof assembly. Georgia-Pacific says once completed, the entire video series will provide cross-referenced information between the elements. The final video, scheduled for summer 2023, will round out the series with a focus on hail.

The free videos are accessible on Georgia-Pacific's YouTube page.

The U.S. Department of Labor announced on May 1, 2023, that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has begun a National Emphasis Program to prevent falls, the leading cause of fatal workplace injuries and the most-cited violation the agency confronts within the construction industry.

The emphasis program will focus on reducing fall-related injuries and fatalities for people working at heights in all industries, the department said in a news release. The targeted enforcement program is based on historical Bureau of Labor Statistics data and OSHA enforcement history.

Data shows that of the 5,190 fatal workplace injuries in 2021, 680 were associated with falls from elevations, about 13% of all deaths, according to Labor Department statistics.

“This national emphasis program aligns all of OSHA’s fall protection resources to combat one of the most preventable and significant causes of workplace fatalities,” said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker. “We’re launching this program in concert with the 10th annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction and the industry’s Safety Week. Working together, OSHA and employers in all industries can make lasting changes to improve worker safety and save lives.”

The program establishes guidance for locating and inspecting fall hazards and allows OSHA compliance safety and health officers to open inspections whenever they observe someone working at heights. An outreach component of the program will focus on educating employers about effective ways to keep their workers safe. If a compliance officer determines an inspection is not necessary after entering a worksite and observing work activities, they will provide outreach on fall protection and leave the site.