Wisconsin Roofing Contractors Association

P.O. Box 833 ● Germantown, WI 53022

phone: 888/782-6815 ● fax: 888/287-4116 ● info@wrcaonline.org

Another Great Golf Outing! It was plenty hot for our golf outing this year, but that didn't keep the group from having a lot of fun! Our best-performing foursome, with a score of minus 14, was the foursome of Justin Lemirande, Rich Lemirande, Randy Christiansen and Todd Kolb. Our "Average Joe" foursome, with a minus 4, was Chris Busalacchi, Bob Fedder, Clay Van Gomple, and Andy Weisensel. Flag event winners were Alan Jerzal, Nate Hobbs (2), Mike Hirsch (2), Todd Kolb, Bob Fedder, and Randy Christiansen. The top prize in our 50/50 raffle was $400.00 and we are thankful to Aon, Rick Leitel, and Hunter Panels for some great prizes to enhance the 50/50 drawing. Best of all, we had not one, but TWO holes-in-one! Congratulations to Marc Laurent (left) and to Nate Hobbs (right) on this accomplishment! All in all, it was another great day of golf and camaraderie and we invite you to mark your calendar for next year's event - tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, July 16 at Scenic View in Slinger.

Many Thanks To Our Golf Outing Sponsors!

ACH Foam Technologies Aon Blackstone Metal Works Blindauer Sheet Metal Carlson Racine Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc. Dawes Rigging and Crane Rental Diversified Roofing Solutions F.J.A. Christiansen Roofing Co., Inc. GenFlex Giuffre Bros. Cranes, Inc. Gulfeagle/WeatherTek HNI Risk Services Hunter Panels Johns Manville Langer Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc. Mid-States Asphalt Milwaukee Insulation Nations Roof North, LLC Northern Metal & Roofing Pro Fastening Systems, Inc. Roofers Mart of Wisconsin Runnion Equipment Company RWH Roofing Equipment Inc Spec Products/Firestone Building Products Spec Products/Firestone Metal Products Spec Products/Firestone Roofing Products Velcheck & Finger

New Law Affects Roofing Contractors Promoted by the insurance industry, 2013 Assembly Bill 81 was signed into law by Governor Scott Walker on July 8. The new law affects contracts between roofers and residential customers. WRCA provided input on the bill throughout the legislative process - testifying for information at a public hearing held in May. While not opposed to the intent of the legislation, WRCA provided input into the practical application of the new law and was able to secure several amendments that made the bill less burdensome for roofing contractors. According to the Legislative Council, the new law, which takes effect on January 1, 2014, does the following:

2013 Wisconsin Act 24 relates to contracting with residential contractors. The Act creates specific trade practice requirements that apply to a contract to repair or replace a roof system, or to perform any other exterior repair, replacement, construction, or reconstruction for a single-family or two-unit residential property.

First, the Act prohibits a contractor from promising to pay or rebate all, or any portion, of a property insurance deductible as an incentive to enter into a written or oral contract for exterior repair.

Second, the Act specifies that a customer who has entered into a written contract for exterior repair has a right to cancel the contract within three days after the customer has received notice from the insurer that a claim for the work has been denied in whole or in part. A contractor must return all money paid, including fees, within 10 days of receiving a cancellation, but is entitled to compensation for authorized emergency services. The Act provides certain format, language, and timing requirements for the contractor’s notice to the customer of the right to cancel. Included in the requirements, the Act specifies that before entering into any contract for exterior repair, a customer must indicate whether, to the best of the customer’s knowledge, the work is related to an insurance claim.

Third, the Act prohibits a contractor from representing a customer, or negotiating on behalf of a customer, regarding an insurance claim for the work. The Act specifies, however, that with the customer’s express consent, a contractor may discuss the damage to the customer’s property, or the estimate or any options for the repair work, with the insurer’s representative.

Under the Act, the penalty for violating these requirements is a forfeiture between $500 and $1,000, for each violation.

The new law will be discussed at greater length at the September Membership Meeting.

WRCA Members Host Event For Congressman Ribble A group of representatives from the roofing industry gather on June 20 at the Wisconsin Club in Milwaukee to show their support for Congressman Reid Ribble. Ribble has been a frequent presenter at WRCA meetings, providing a close-up view of Washington politics. Congressman Ribble was fresh from a series of House votes and gave valuable insights about the proposed legislation and other items making political headlines. The event was more of a "fireside chat" than a speech, and attendees were able to ask countless questions. Afterwards, participants marveled at this rare opportunity to speak so frankly with someone in elected office. Congressman Ribble thanked the group for their support, sent his regards to the industry, and expressed his appreciation for being able to reconnect with old friends and with the people of Wisconsin.

WRCA Begins Upgrade/Update Process For Website We have started the process of rebuilding our website. The old site hasn't been updated for a while because it is built in a software program that is no longer supported. The new site, which should be completed soon, is built in WordPress and will provide several features we were unable to provide in the past. We'll make an announcement once the site goes live!

Sporting Clays Event

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

11:30 a.m. Reception/Lunch 12:30 p.m. Program 2:00 p.m. Sporting Clays 4:00 p.m. Reception/Appetizers 5:00 p.m. Program, Raffles, Prizes

$25.00 per person for Lunch/Program $75.00 per person for Sporting Clays & Reception (Heavy Appetizers)

****************

Not familiar with Sporting Clays? Shooters walk or ride along a designated path from station to station.

Each station uses clay targets to simulate a bird. A round consists of 100 targets spread over 10-12 shooting stations.

Please bring your own gun, shells, eye and ear protection. Shells and ear protection are available for purchase and guns are available for rental

($20) at Milford Hills.

Milford Hills W5670 French Road

Johnson Creek, WI 53038 920-699-2249

milfordhills@milfordhills.com

Click here for Directions/Map

Calendar of Events

The schedule of programs and events for the balance of the year is complete. Be sure to mark your calendar for the following programs/events: September 25 Membership Meeting/Sporting Clays Milford Hills (Johnson Creek) October 23-25 MRCA Convention Donald Stevens Convention Center (Rosemont, IL) November TBA TBA TBA (Fox Valley) December 7 Christmas Party Grand Geneva Resort (Lake Geneva) December 11 Annual Meeting M.J. Stevens (Slinger/Hartford) February 24-28 NRCA Convention Mandalay Bay Hotel (Las Vegas, NV)

Board Changes Unfortunately, we had two Directors step down during the first few months of 2013. Many thanks to Todd Orvedahl and to Troy Ribble for their service to the WRCA and the industry and well wishes for the future. Directors agreed to leave one position vacant - that of Past President Orvedahl - and to appoint Dan Knickelbein of Langer Roofing to serve the balance of Mr. Ribble's term. As we make the turn into the last half of the year, now is the time to consider whether you might be interested in serving on the WRCA Board of Directors in 2014. If you would like to know more, please contact President Pat Finger or Executive Director Jeff Beiriger.

NRCA is no longer supporting the "direct-link" program for purchases made from the NRCA bookstore. In the past, NRCA had offered to pay a dividend to affiliates like WRCA when bookstore purchases were made as a result of a link from our website. As an alternate, NRCA will be supporting a "promo code" program as an alternative, The new program doesn't provide a benefit for the chapter, but it does allow members to receive a 20 percent discount on bookstore purchases by using a discount code when checking out.

The discount code for WRCA members is: WRCA 20. If you have any questions about the program or how to use the discount, please contact the WRCA office.

OSHA News OSHA is looking at a new rule to deal with isocyanates. Among other things, isocyanates can be found in roofing insulation, so the regulations will almost certainly affect the industry. New HazCom rules go in effect at the end of the year. Don't forget, OSHA's revised standards for Cranes and Derricks in Construction will be fully effective on November 8, 2014.

Government Relations Report

Health Care Mandate Delayed - The White House delayed for one year a requirement that businesses provide health insurance to employees. The requirement was part of the Affordable Care Act and was scheduled to go into effect January 1, 2014. The provision, commonly known as the "employer mandate," calls for businesses with 50 or more workers to provide insurance to workers or pay a $2,000.00 fine per employee. Barring further delays, the provision will now take effect beginning January 2015.

State Budget - The state budget was signed into law on June 30 and includes several provisions affecting contractors....

The most controversial and costly provision is one that will increase the tax rate for unemployment insurance. The construction industry has withdrawn $552 million more than it paid in during the period from 2008 to 2011. Rather than continue subsidies for the industry, the budget includes a rate increase that could equal as much as $300 per employee in construction-related businesses.

The rate increase is far less than was necessary to fully close the revenue/expense gap explained legislators and was the minimum necessary to work down a debt to the federal government that resulted in assessments this year and next. It is hoped that an assessment can be avoided in 2015. The Building Contractor Registration (BCR) program has been eliminated. Enacted four years ago, the BCR program required contractors to register with the Department of Safety & Professional Services every four years and pay a registration fee of $115.00. While lower than in previous years, the State will continue to invest in buildings and repairs around the state. Deeper cuts to the state building program were recommended by the Committee on Joint Finance, but the Governor vetoed the additional $250 million in cuts. A provision to allow contractors to make tax exempt purchases of materials on behalf of tax exempt and government entities was not included in the budget. Because it has a negative fiscal note (lost tax revenue), it will not likely be enacted into law during this session. The state will look into the possible merger of the Department of Safety & Professional Services and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. If that happens, the code, licensing, and inspection/enforcement aspects of the construction industry will be part of the new agency. Other Legislation - Legislation to affect reconcile the state and federal prevailing wage laws has been introduced. Effectively, the legislation would defer to federal Davis-Bacon law whenever federal money is involved. This contrasts with current law, when both the state and federal laws must be complied with. Legislation requiring a uniform commercial building code continues to be considered.

By The Numbers According to the Solar Foundation (as reported in Professional Roofing), the U.S. solar industry is expected to continue to see gains in employment - possibly more than 20 percent - in the coming year. U.S. market share of global installations remains somewhat low at just 11 percent, but it is increasing as a result of double-digit increases in residential and commercial installations in the U.S.

Congratulations Congratulations to Mark Graham, NRCA's Associate Executive Director of Technical Services. Graham, a frequent speaker at WRCA events, was honored with the James Q. McCawley Award, presented to an individual in recognition of their devotion to the roofing industry.

Congratulations to Kulp's of Stratford, who was featured earlier this year in a Professional Roofing article on a unique project at the Howard Young Medical Center in Woodruff.

Quotable I talk to people who are musicians, and they go, Oh this is hell. And I go, Are you kidding me? You never put tar paper on a roof, did ya? - Chris Isaak The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.

- John F. Kennedy It took me seventeen years to get three thousand hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course. - Hank Aaron

WRCA Christmas Party Saturday, December 7, 2013

6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Grand Geneva Resort Lake Geneva, WI

The Grand Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva (www.grandgeneva.com) is a AAA Four Diamond resort located southwest of Milwaukee. The resort, designed and built in a style inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright, includes three restaurants, a pool, a fitness centers, a spa, indoor tennis facilities, a ski hill and even a water park for the kids. Best of all, the resort will be in full holiday splendor (Christmas Activities) and so will the nearby City of Lake Geneva, which features dozens of unique shops and restaurants.

Make your reservations today by calling (800) 558-3417.

The WRCA room block is guaranteed through November 7 and the hotel will almost certainly sell out. Rooms are reserved for Friday (12/6) and Saturday (12/7). Mention “Wisconsin Roofing Contractors Association (WRCA)” to get our preferred rate of $129.00 per night.

Before the event, we encourage you to gather at the Lobby Lounge, but there are plenty of places in Lake Geneva to meet as well. After the event, we recommend Evolve, a night club featuring a live DJ from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. and the Embers Terrace, an area featuring an outdoor fireplace - the perfect area for an after-dinner drink and a cigar! For those looking for something quieter, the Lobby Lounge features live music until 11:30 p.m.

Registration, sponsorship, and door prize information sent in October!

WRCA Board of Directors

President Pat Finger Velcheck & Finger Pewaukee 1st VP Rick Leitel Carlson Racine Roofing Racine 2nd VP Justin Lemirande Northern Metal & Roofing Green Bay Treasurer Dan Knickelbein Langer Roofing Milwaukee Past President Vacant Associate Nathan Hobbs Advisor Gulfeagle/WeatherTek Pewaukee Executive Jeffrey J. Beiriger, CAE Director Association/Management Services Menasha More Information For more information about any of the articles in this newsletter, or if there is any way that we can be of service to you, please be sure to contact our office at:

WRCA P.O. Box 833

Germantown, Wisconsin 53022 Toll Free - (888) 782-6815

Fax - (888) 287-4116

Website - www.wrcaonline.org

Email - info@wrcaonline.org

jeff@assocmgmtservices.com jane@assocmgmtservices.com