Update by TRI President and Technical Director, Rick Olson
The TRI Alliance fiscal year begins in July and we are excited to announce new industry initiatives for 2022-2023. During our May board meeting we discussed new programs and focus for the TRI Alliance in the upcoming year.
TRI Alliance Board Updates
We continue to bring diversity of views to TRI board meetings. The TRI Alliance Board is pleased to announce that our contractor advisory members for 2022-2024 (2 year appointment) will be Mr. Chris Rakos, Colonial Roofing in Florida, representing our Eastern Contractor Advisory Committee, and Mr. Mark Schouten, Diversified Roofing in Arizona, representing our Western Contractor Advisory Committee. Both of these individuals are returning to the board and bring a unique and valued perspective of the roofing contractors’ insight into the challenges facing our market.
New Initiatives in 2022-2023
So, what are some of these new initiatives we will be looking into in 2022-2023? There is no question that the continued weather climate patterns are creating significant stress on the insurance industry to cover claims that arise from natural disasters. Florida, due to hurricane events, has been the hardest hit and is now the most controversial for how and what will be covered by insurance providers moving forward.
The TRI Alliance in collaboration with our industry partners are looking into ways to help identify repair versus full replacement options when appropriate for our tile products. We are working with insurance providers to help identify up-to-date cost parameters that include greater flexibility for both products and repair procedures.
New 7th Edition Florida Manual Coming Soon
For Florida, we are updating our Industry based Florida FRSA/TRI Installation Guide to meet the requirements of the new ASCE-7-22 wind codes. We will be issuing the 7th Edition of the FRSA/TRI Florida High Wind Guide in the next few months to reflect all the new code requirements that will take effect December 31, 2023.
Energy Efficiency and Tile Roofing
Energy Efficiency is another hot topic that has interesting challenges for a roofing envelope. The focus on “heat island” reduction will drive many new national and regional code changes in the coming year. The decision drivers for new homeowners are including discussions on energy reduction for their homes. As the TRI Alliance we are positioning our industry to provide greater education on the energy reduction benefits of our concrete and clay roof tiles, including tile’s ability to provide thermal mass and above sheathing ventilation, in addition to the “cool roof” color products in all markets. Concrete and Clay roof tiles have a significant benefit over alternative products and that has increased the demand for tile each year. Read more about the TRI Alliance Tile Roofing Heat Transfer Study.
Government Relations Partners
Our Government Relations Committee will provide a stronger collaborative presence in Washington DC, via our Lobbyist Craig Brightup and our Government Relations Committee. We will continue to battle significant challenges for the roofing industry related to immigration, regulatory (OSHA) and supply chain issues. Our industry-based coalition continues to expand our partners to include builders, roofing contractors, suppliers and consultants that face the same or similar challenges.
Technical Committee Initiatives
Our Technical Committee will be working on research surrounding energy, carbon reduction and improved resiliency that will help increase the life cycle performance of our roofing tile systems compared to other materials such as asphalt shingles and metal. In addition, the current code cycles are underway and our technical team is evaluating and commenting on various topics to help improve the roofing envelope practices for all roof systems.
Membership Committee Outreach
Our TRI Membership Committee has seen a significant increase in our non-producer members in 2021-2022 as we have expanded our efforts in the Government Relation and Technical initiatives that affect these members daily. We will continue our focused outreach during 2022-2023 to benefit and expand our collaborative voice and industry partners in both our marketing and government relations initiatives.
We welcome all new members and ask you to reach out to us at info@tileroofing.org to join, or to gain additional information on any of our TRI Alliance programs.