In the News

Rising to the Challenge

Signature Story: Rising to the Challenge

Featuring National Roofing Contractors Association

By Alissa Lew and Suzi Wirtz, CAE

St. Mary's Church is located at 1515 Flanders Street in Algiers, Louisiana along the west bank of New Orleans, in the 15th Ward. Home to a congregation of some 300 members. Home to three buildings: a church, community center and women's shelter. And home, as of one year ago, to the site of the costliest and one of the deadliest hurricanes in American history: Hurricane Katrina. Katrina is estimated to be responsible for $75 billion in damages and more than 1,600 deaths.

Katrina ravaged more than 90,000 square miles of the United States, an area almost as large as the United Kingdom. In all, 302,000 housing units were destroyed or damaged in the storm. New Orleans accounted for nearly half of this number recording a loss of 142,000 homes. The clean up continues today.

For years, St. Mary's community center (constructed from an old A&P supermarket) provided hot meals on Mondays primarily for senior citizens. Today it offers hot meals for senior citizens and families three times a week; it also serves as a voter registration center, community theater and gathering place for the Algiers' seniors.

"We try to provide fellowship here," says Pastor Brown of St. Mary's. "People need to tell their stories, it offers great relief."

While a variety of organizations have been active in the recovery and rebuilding process of New Orleans, one rises to the top: the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) located in Rosemont, Ill. NRCA joined the cause immediately following Katrina and has continued to aid the area ever since — through a Disaster Relief Fund as well as thousands of hours donated by members to help rebuild the area. Since, Katrina the community center has served more than 18,000 people. If not for NRCA members and the Disaster Relief Fund, the building would have been rendered useless. How it all came together is quite a story …

 

Mobilize the Membership

"Anytime a natural disaster strikes the roofing industry is a winner. We benefit from someone else's pain. It's only appropriate that we give back," says 2005-06 NRCA President Reid Ribble, Kaukauna, Wisc. NRCA's decision to participate in relief efforts following the gulf coast hurricanes originated with Ribble's compassionate desire to help those affected by natural disasters.

His first call to action was to establish the Disaster Relief Fund through the National Roofing Foundation (NRF), NRCA's nonprofit, public foundation, so that the funds could be directed faster, better and directly to those who needed it most. All it took was a phone call to the foundation president to get it started.

The remaining efforts then focused on identifying members to serve on the committee to oversee the distribution of the funds. According to William A. Good, CAE, NRCA's executive vice president, the committee members were chosen for a variety of reasons, including their geographic location (many were working in the area or expected to be), their previous service to the industry and the expectation that they'd be anxious to serve on this project.

"We had to ensure that the funds would go to the right places," said Reid. "The person raising the money should not distribute the money."

NRCA selected eight members to serve on the committee for a limited term until the fund was depleted. Upon completion of the St. Mary's project, the committee was merged into the existing Community Service Committee, tasked with distributing future disaster relief funds.

Once the fund was established, it was time to review a game plan. Before reaching out to NRCA's broad member base, Ribble decided to secure donations from each of the nine members of NRCA's executive committee. Through personal phone calls, Ribble appealed to each member and urged them to match his personal donation of $5,000.

The decision to work with the executive committee prior to appealing to NRCA's membership at-large was a key factor in the fund's success. Because the association led by example, NRCA highlighted the importance and urgency of its efforts and effectively inspired members.

Within a matter of weeks, the NRCA had collected in excess of $300,000 cash and received pledges for material donations that ultimately exceeded cash donations.

"The response was simply incredible," says Good. "One member gave us $50,000 in personal funds. Another volunteered to send a crew to the area for a month. Still another created a matching program for employees and wound up writing a check for more than $40,000. All of this happened in about a month."

The approach was so successful that countless letters from members were sent in even months after the first appeal went out. Most of them read: "I appreciate your getting this started. This is something we've needed for years."  

"It was really quite thrilling to watch it come together," says Ribble. "The roofing industry is really a very generous group of people."

 

Consider the Possibilities

When David Bruce Fryer, CEO of Fryer Roofing, Fresno, Calif. and project manager for St. Mary's Place, New Orleans, La., received a call from Ribble, he thought to himself, "Great, this is just one more thing on my plate to take care of. But you don't say no to the president!"

Fryer and Ribble went way back, having connected more than 20 years ago through their common membership in the NRCA. When asked why he chose Fryer to lead the project, Ribble noted that there were probably 50 reasons, among them was the fact that Fryer had executed roofing projects all over the world.

"I knew he was the only person in the U.S. capable of managing the project," says Ribble. "Not only did he have the technical skill and ability to pull a team together from a distance, but he had the passion and heart for the people in the region."

Adding to the apprehension to lead the project Fryer recognized the challenges it presented. Aside from managing a crew from Fresno, Fryer would have to find NRCA contractors who could operate in disaster areas. For many contractors, Algiers was too far and the terrain quarantined or impassible.

Fryer knew he needed someone who had the expertise and know-how to deal with the unique circumstance it presented so he called Brad Beldon of Beldon Roofing, an NRCA member from San Antonio who was already in the area. Beldon Roofing quickly tended to the immediate situation at St. Mary's and water tightened the existing roof so that the community center could continue operations while they waited out the weather.

"The roof was damaged by high winds, allowing water to breach the building," said Pastor Brown. "It rained for five days straight and we just kept mopping. I was so excited when the NRCA contractors came in and sealed the roof."

Several months later, Beldon Roofing returned and replaced the community center's existing roof. In addition to working with Beldon Roofing, Fryer also solicited the assistance of a local New Orleans contractor and NRCA member Zachary Ellis from Ellis Roofing Company in Kennar, La. who replaced the center's steep slope roof on the outside of the building. Three weeks later, the re-roof was complete.

During the project Fryer spent most of his time coordinating schedules and managing phone calls and emails to make sure everyone was on the same page. He managed production schedules, crew composition and made sure that the crews showed up when they were supposed to. Despite his daily involvement Fryer still felt disconnected. Then he went to St. Mary's and everything changed.

"I better understand the sacrifice that you made for this project," Fryer wrote in an e-mail to Brad Beldon and Zach Ellis, following his visit to St. Mary's. "I hope you will forgive me for any impatience or lack of understanding that I may have exhibited. You guys are heroes … I have a newfound respect for what you've done."

Fryer described the devastation as unimaginable, and shared the following with Good and Ribble in a letter:

"My heart aches. What we did was appreciated and allowed St. Mary's to stay open, feed and comfort thousands of poor people who were without the basic necessities of life. I am going home a changed person. I thought we were providing them a blessing when I, in fact, was the one who was blessed. I got down there and I saw the good it had done. I saw the people who were affected by the work, Pastor Brown and his wife, the parishioners, all of the people who were down there were appreciative and truly in need."

Today, Fryer is committed to helping the NRCA fulfill its mission, to elevate every aspect of the roofing industry, by preserving the Disaster Relief Fund and giving NRCA members the opportunity to be involved in projects like St. Mary's.

To aid in these efforts the NRCA created a video to showcase the St. Mary's project. Created by the NRCA's in-house production studio, the video seeks to bring life to, and raise awareness about the fund and the difference an organization can make with focused philanthropic efforts and committed members.

All totaled, it took a month and a half, and a budget of $7,000 to produce the video (including camera and sound crews, travel and two outside editors). The video premiered at NRCA's Board of Directors meeting on July 13 and can be viewed at www.nrca.net.

 "For years I sat back and heard about various NRCA programs, but never participated," admits Fryer. "I never participated because there was never a benefit to me. I finally saw the difference I can make."

"The St. Mary's project demonstrated what a big heart our industry has," said Good. "We asked for a lot of help from a lot of people and no one ever said no." Great things can happen when you open yourself up to the possibilities.

 

If You Don't Ask, You Don't Get

When asked why he chose to stay in Louisiana during the hurricane Pastor Brown replied, "A captain stays with his boat.  Some people in Algiers couldn't evacuate. They didn't have the means; they didn't have anywhere to go. I stayed to help those who were left behind."

The NRCA members, through the Disaster Relief fund, made repairs to St. Mary's Community Center roof totaling $75,000, a project that would have easily totaled more than $100,000 under normal conditions.

"We will never ever be able to say thanks to all of the people for all of their prayers and the supplies that they have sent," said Pastor Brown. "People need to know how grateful we are. In spite of the selfishness, coldness and indifference that exists in the world today … people do care. People can change the world."

So how do you mobilize people to answer the call? It's simple.

You ask.

Ribble understood this. He knew that he needed the support of NRCA's executive committee to move forward successfully. So he asked, and the executive committee responded.

Pastor Brown understood that surviving meant asking for help, help that would allow him to provide food, shelter and supplies for the survivors of the storm. So he asked, and people all over the world responded.

Laura Kinsey knew that St. Mary's needed a new roof. So she reached out to friends, neighbors and local business owners and the NRCA responded.

And Bruce Fryer knows that the NRCA can help more people if they can keep the Disaster Relief Fund alive. He's asking NRCA members and others to join in this effort. How will you respond?

"I've seen hope come alive. I've seen despair turn to optimism, every day gets a little better," said Pastor Brown. "We Americans rise to the occasion!"

 

Key Learnings from NRCA

Giving Feels Good —  Disaster relief is now a permanent part of the NRCA's community service philosophy.

Focus on What You do Best and Do It — Make a concept a reality by doing what you do best. Focused philanthropic efforts will allow you to achieve your goals with minor head aches. NRCA's ready made network of contractors who plan, coordinate and execute roofing projects on a daily basis made re-roofing St. Mary's the right project to tackle.

Tell Your Story and Tell It Often — Tell your story and tell it often to ensure that much needed programs like the Disaster Relief Funds are available in the event of another natural disaster. NRCA showcased its efforts by creating a video about its work at St. Mary's. The video will be shared with members and other roofing industry allies to remind people about the fund so that the NRCA can maintain funds and be prepared for future events.

Relationships Are Everything — A positive relationship between your staff and membership and between members is critical to a campaign's success. Also critical are relationships with manufacturers and distributors. In NRCA's case, these long-established relationships allowed the NRCA to collect in-kind donations to extend the reach of its efforts, said Good, who attributes the fund's success to the donations of material, time and labor.

Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance — Don't for-get the five P's. "We all have a duty to our employees, our members and our customers as well as to our industry to be prepared to handle a disaster that interferes with our daily operations," shared Bill Good. Roofing contractors who were victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita found themselves without employees, offices, materials or even their own homes. Some were prepared, allowing them to remain in business. Unfortunately, many others were not. It's important to plan for an emergency. Be proactive in helping members develop business continuity plans before the next natural disaster strikes. 

 

NRCA's Mission

To provide information and education necessary for its members to run successful businesses and to provide consumers with the best available technology and business practices.

About NRCA

Established in 1886, NRCA is one of the construction industry's oldest trade associations and the voice of professional roofing contractors worldwide. It is an association of roofing, roof deck, and waterproofing contractors; industry-related associate members, including manufacturers, distributors, architects, consultants, engineers, and city, state, and government agencies; and international members. NRCA has more than 4,600 members from all 50 states and 54 countries and is affiliated with 102 local, state, regional and international roofing contractor associations.

NRCA is an active and progressive organization of members who share a common purpose and interests. Numerous NRCA committees and specialist teams are responsible for an ongoing development of new ideas, programs and services. NRCA strives to help roofing professionals achieve competitive advantages and develops and implements programs to improve members' businesses.

NRCA contractor members range in size from companies with less than $1 million in annual sales volumes (40 percent of the current membership) to large, commercial contractors with annual sales volumes of more then $20 million. More than half perform both residential and commercial roofing work, and more than one-third have been in business for more than a quarter of a century.

The NRF

NRCA established the National Roofing Foundation (NRF), a separate but related organization, to undertake educational and research projects that support high-quality programs for roofing contractors; ensure timely and forward-thinking industry responses to major economic and technological issues; and enhance the long-term viability and attractiveness of the industry to roofing workers. The foundation also offers a student scholarship program for undergraduate students who are employees, immediate family members of employees or immediate family members of NRCA-contractor members.

A Woman in Baltimore

How did the NRCA and St. Mary's find each other? Her name is Laura Kinsey.

A native to Louisiana, Kinsey's family roots can be traced back to New Orleans in the early 1600s. In fact, her family was one of the founding families of Plaqueman's Parish, where Kinsey grew up. Today, she lives in Baltimore.

"When it hit I didn't think it would be the big one," said Kinsey. "My daughter was starting school on Monday, we were going to parties … it didn't register until Tuesday that the damage was as bad as it was."

Like the rest of world, Kinsey kept appraised of the situation through streaming newscasts on the Web, but the second hand information, along with news that the homes in Plaqueman's Parish would ultimately be bulldozed, did little to quell her concern about the situation on the ground, so she jumped on a plane.

With most of her family still in Louisiana, Kinsey stayed with her sister in Algiers. Because the electricity had been knocked out the only place to go for food and supplies was St. Mary's. That's how the St. Mary's project began.

"It was just the place where things were going on," she said. "I needed to be around live people, and wanted to be someplace where I could make a difference." Kinsey immediately joined the group of volunteers at St. Mary's distributing toilet paper, canned goods and cleaning supplies.

"The four days I was there, we served 650 people a day amidst pots, pans and trashcans because of the compromised roof. When I got back to Baltimore I couldn't get my mind off of St. Mary's," Kinsey shared. "That's when I called Pastor Brown and promised him I'd get him a roof."

"I wasn't thinking," she said when questioned about her call to Pastor Brown. "There was a palpable awareness in my heart that I needed to do something about it. It was a heart thing. Not a thinking thing."

Realizing that time was of the essence, Kinsey began calling friends, neighbors and businesses who she thought could help. That's when she connected with NRCA member Chris Coleman of Gale Associates, Inc., Weymouth, Mass., who told her about NRCA's Disaster Relief Fund. Following their discussion Kinsey quickly placed a call to NRCA and connected with NRCA's associate executive director of operations who was responsible for coordinating the Disaster Relief Fund efforts.

Upon submitting the required documentation, NRCA reviewed and responded to Kinsey's request within two weeks. "I'm so appreciative!"  Kinsey exclaimed. "From the bottom of my heart I appreciate what the NRCA did for St. Mary's and what they've done for the Gulf Coast."

Before Hurricane Katrina, Laura Kinsey felt like there was something that she was supposed to do in her life but she didn't know what it was. Since Hurricane Katrina she has lead the St. Mary's project, a household item and school supply drive and is planning a concert in the fall called "Love Letters to Louisiana," to raise money and educate people about New Orleans before Katrina.

"Since the storm I've been unafraid of making very large and seemingly unreasonable request of people," Kinsey shared. "The work is so important that any shyness, fear of rejection or overwhelm I feel is not worth paying attention to.

"There were times when we'd cook all of the food that St. Mary's had and there would be nothing left for the next day. Pastor Brown always said not to worry, that a truck would come, and it did. I learned a lot about trust from Pastor Brown."

Today the front steps, driveway and old oak tree are the only things that remain of Laura Kinsey's childhood house in Plaqueman's Parish. "I doubt there will ever be a house here again," she said. "The Federal Government won't fund the building of a levy in Plaqueman's Parish (the cost $1.7 billion) but the Oak tree gives me hope."

"Whatever I think I can do is not anywhere near as big as what I can do," Kinsey says.

About NRCA's  Disaster Relief Fund

NRCA established the Disaster Relief Fund to provide new roofs in the regions affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Those eligible to apply for aid include people who work in the roofing industry and others who own homes or buildings in need of roof system repair or replacement.

For more information about applying for disaster aid or contributing labor, money or material to the Disaster Relief Fund, contact Bennett Judson, NRF's executive director, at (847) 493-7513 or bjudson@nrca.net.

 

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