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New Roof Helps Keep Airport Tower in Control

The new roofing system will provide many years of protection from the elements.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Milwaukee County’s Lawrence J. Timmerman Airport, commonly known as Timmerman Field, provides a convenient alternative to the busy Mitchell International Airport for owners of corporate and private aircraft.

Flights into and out of the airport on Milwaukee’s northwest side are guided by air traffic controllers who work in a 5-story control tower that was built in 1959. That building remains highly functional, but its roof system was failing – exposing the structure to water-related problems. F.J.A. Christiansen Roofing was retained to replace the roof and help give the tower many more years of service.

The control tower project had a unique set of challenges, due to the airport setting. FJAC crews had to pass background checks and deal with on-site security measures, but county officials facilitated the process, noted Sean Kocherer, FJAC Project Manager for the work.

“Despite the restricted setting, accessibility was great, thanks to the fantastic job the county did to get us onsite,” Kocherer said.

Another challenge – one unique to the setting, was control of debris, Kocherer said. FJAC crews had to ensure that debris from the removal of the existing roof and any bits of insulation was completely contained to eliminate the risk of wind-blown debris affecting aircraft engines. That process included the assignment of an FJAC crewman to monitor the runway.

“There could be absolutely no debris on the runway,” Kocherer said. “Even the smallest piece of insulation could pose a problem, so we had to make sure the runway was clear of any debris.”

Another challenge was the myriad of antennas atop the tower, noted Steve Stuckey, FJAC Estimator for the project. As work progressed on the new roof, antennas had to be removed and quickly relocated to continue to support communications.

FJAC crews also had to work around access issues that restricted scaffolding and crane use.

Sheet metal work was done from a man-lift.

“Our crews had to work in a very confined area,” Kocherer said. “Fall protection was extremely challenging.”

The 4,000-square-foot roof had a modified system that had been applied over a previous built-up roof. Both were removed down to the deck and replaced with a modified bitumen roofing system with tapered insulation to support good drainage.

The work also involved decorative side panels which were raised six inches and other metalwork. FJAC’s Sheet Metal Department crafted aluminum siding panels with an insulation backing that created an attractive, smooth surface.

Airport personnel took the opportunity to replace cabling and wiring on the roof during the two-month project.

“The new roofing system will provide many years of protection from the elements, allowing continued flight traffic at this light aircraft alternative,” Stuckey said.

The airport contract also included reroofing of a Quonset hut used as an airplane hangar.

“It’s not the usual type of roofing project,” Kocherer said. The hangar had asphalt shingles on its steep areas and rolled roofing at the top. All was removed and replaced with a self-adhering single-ply membrane.

Mark Hamm served as Roofing Superintendent for the project while Jeff Keller was the Sheet Metal Superintendent.  Field Roofing Crew Manager Oscar Torres led the onsite roof replacement while Sheet Metal Foreman Paul Keller handled the metal panel and related sheet metal installations.

Airplane manufacturer Curtiss-Wright created Timmerman Field in 1929 as part of a program to develop airports throughout the country. Timmerman’s airport code of MWC is a reference to Curtiss-Wright. Milwaukee County became the owner of the 131-acre property in 1947. It now encompasses 420 acres. The airport was renamed Lawrence J. Timmerman Field in 1959, honoring Timmerman who had been a long-time chairman of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors. It hosted some of the earliest fly-ins of the Experimental Aircraft Association from 1953-58.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

FJAC Employees Support Toy Drive for Ronald McDonald House

FJA Christiansen Roofing employees coordinated a toy drive for children at the Ronald McDonald House on the Milwaukee Regional Medical Complex grounds.

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F.J.A. Christiansen employees contributed to a brighter holiday season for children at the Ronald McDonald House on the Milwaukee Regional Medical Complex grounds.

In an effort coordinated by our administrative aide, Sonia Robinson, employees donated new toys which were delivered to the Ronald McDonald House just before Christmas.

“We have an ongoing relationship with Ronald McDonald House, and have traditionally done an annual volunteer event,” Sonia noted. “It’s such a special place that I suggested we do more, and that developed into the toy drive.”

The Ronald McDonald House provides a long-term living for families of children at Children’s Wisconsin (formerly known as Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin).

FJAC’s relationship with the local Ronald McDonald House is part of the Roofing Alliance’s partnership with the national Ronald McDonald House Charities organization. Alliance members, such as FJAC and other Tecta America companies, donate roof system inspection and maintenance including 24-hour emergency leak response at the facilities.

“I was pleased to see so many toys donated,” said Sonia. “Those children and their families are going through a lot; it’s wonderful that many of our families could help their families and show our support.”

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Tecta America Acquires Commercial Roofing, Inc in Wisconsin

Plover-Based Commercial Roofing, Inc. joins Tecta in 2019

F.J.A. Christiansen Roofing Co., Inc. is pleased to welcome the addition of Commercial Roofing, Inc., of Plover, Wis., as a fellow Tecta America Company.

The roofing contractor, with a strong presence in central and northern Wisconsin, was acquired by Tecta America this past fall and will work closely with FJAC to provide Tecta’s broad range of commercial roofing services in the state.

“We’re looking forward to strengthening our business through the knowledge and resources of Tecta America,” said Shawn Herzog, who continues as president of Commercial Roofing. “That includes the ability to serve customers who desire business partners that have a nationwide reach, which Tecta America has.”

It also includes the ability to provide better benefits to employees and to enhance safety and human resources processes, noted Theresa Dobbe, Commercial Roofing’s vice president.

“The people at F.J.A. Christiansen Roofing and at Tecta America have been great to work with during the transition, and we’re looking forward to continued close cooperation that will benefit our customers and our employees,” Theresa added.

Founded in 1976, Commercial Roofing handles both re-roofing and new roofing projects.  The company will operate as Commercial Roofing, a Tecta America Company.

“We’re extremely pleased to have them on board, not only for their great capabilities but, truly, for the wonderful team Shawn and Theresa have assembled,” added FJAC President Rob McNamara.

Tecta America, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, has more than 70 locations throughout the U.S., and grew during 2019 with the addition of further operations in New Jersey and Portland, Oregon.

St. Stanislaus Church Celebrates Holiday Services Beneath Completed Dome Restorations

Church services held beneath completed St. Stanislaus dome restorations.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Restoration of the tower domes at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Milwaukee is now complete, with F.J.A. Christiansen Roofing Company recently finishing work on the west bell tower dome.

That work followed the installation of the two restored east domes, as reported on in the last two issues of The Roofers Report.

While similar to the east tower domes, the west dome is smaller, but its ornamentation is more intricate, including curved copper arches. FJAC collaborated with ornamental sheet metal fabricator Heather + Little, Ltd., on the copper elements for all three towers.

Like the east domes, the existing weather-worn cladding of the west tower dome was removed and structural repairs were made before being re-clad in copper. But unlike the east domes, all the work on the west dome had to be done atop the tower, accessed via scaffolding. That presented some challenges in fitting the fabricated pieces that, in some cases, needed adjustments. The east tower domes had been removed and restored at FJAC’s shop.

Once the dome re-cladding was complete, a new copper cross was crane-lifted to be secured atop the dome, complementing the new crosses on the east domes.

The church bell remained operational during the work, so FJAC crews had to be mindful of moving parts as the bell was peeled.

The congregation was aiming to have all the work done prior to Christmas services – a deadline that FJAC met.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Working the Night Shift

FJA Christiansen Roofing Company worked the night shift through the Associated Bank River Center (Milwaukee Center) project.

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The Associated Bank River Center, formerly known as the Milwaukee Center, is one of downtown’s most prestigious business locations. The 28-story building is part of a mixed-use complex that houses the St. Kate Hotel, the Pabst Theater, the Milwaukee Rep, and bars and restaurants. It’s billed as downtown Milwaukee’s only 5-Star office tower.

It’s also in a prime and very busy location – situated along the Milwaukee River and across the street from City Hall and the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts.

So when the time came for roof system work, logistics would be more challenging than most roofing projects. F.J.A. Christiansen Roofing was awarded the contract for the work, which involved the replacement of roof systems on corner balconies and plaza decks on two other floors of the tower.

While FJAC is accustomed to access challenges relating to the staging of cranes and equipment at job sites, the Milwaukee Center project also had unusual balcony access issues, noted Sean Kocherer, FJAC project manager. Access to the corner balconies for crews and materials was through office windows – and only during off-hours when office tenants were not at work.

“We’re used to getting started early in the morning and working through the day,” Kocherer said. “But for this project, we couldn’t show up until after 5 p.m. So we had a 5:30 p.m. to midnight shift, then another shift from midnight to 8 a.m.” Thus, lighting was required.

Once on the job site, Milwaukee Center security personnel escorted FJAC crews up elevators to the balcony levels on the 21st and 25th floors, and to the 15th and 17th floors for work on plaza decks. Nothing could be stored on-site, so materials had to be brought and removed each day. And the offices had to be clean, which prompted FJAC to purchase small, residential-type vacuum cleaners. “Come each morning, the offices had to look like we were never there” noted Don Walter, FJAC Vice President.

Work on the office tower also involved masonry and plumbing contractors, so communication and coordination with those trades were essential, Walter added.

Fall protection was a major issue. In lieu of the typical tie-off method of protection, temporary guard rails were built on the eight balcony areas being worked on.

To protect a large galleria skylight, netting was installed to catch any ballast rock that might have fallen during the roof work.

For the balconies, the original plans were to apply a new system over the existing ones, but when materials were tested, adhesion was not satisfactory, so a complete tear-off was called for.

The balconies had an inverted roof membrane assembly, in which the insulation is placed over the membrane instead of under it. That existing American Hydrotech system had performed well, so the method was followed for the new roof. The inverted assembly helps maintain the integrity of the membrane by protecting it from UV rays and temperature extremes.

Each L-shaped balcony is less than 300 square feet, so only two or three crewmen could be on a balcony at one time.

An inverted roof membrane assembly also was used on the plaza deck off the 15 floor, but since that deck is used by office workers, pavers were placed atop the roofing materials. For the 17th-floor plaza deck, which is not accessible to office workers, a modified bitumen system was applied.  Leading our efforts were Service Crew Manager Don Wohlfeil, Carl Pawling, and Production Crew Manager Angel Torres with Mark Hamm as Roofing Superintendent.

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Mark Gaulin is Awarded the Roofing Industry’s Highest Honor

J.A. Piper Award received by Mark Gaulin.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]NRCA named Mark Gaulin, founder of MAGCO Inc., Jessup, Md., and founding member of Tecta America Corp., Rosemont, Ill., recipient of its 73rd annual J.A. Piper Award at the association’s 133rd Annual Convention held Feb. 2-6 in Dallas. Presented each year at NRCA’s annual convention, the J.A. Piper Award, the roofing industry’s most prestigious honor, recognizes roofing professionals who have devoted constant, outstanding service to the association and roofing industry.

In 1993, Gaulin was elected to NRCA’s board of directors and served three terms, including two terms as vice president from 1998-2000 and 2003-05. He served as NRCA senior vice president from 2005-06 and NRCA president from 2006-07. He also served on various NRCA committees, including chairing the Architectural Sheet Metal, Internet/Electronics Communications, and NRCA Retirement committees. In addition, he served as president of the Associated Roofing Contractors of Maryland in the early 1990s.

Gaulin began his roofing career in 1978 as a laborer with Barra Inc., a German manufacturer of single-ply roofing materials, then became a minority partner with SCF Decks in Nazareth, Pa. In 1987, he decided to start his own business, MAGCO, in Jessup. In 1993, he founded Metal-Fab Manufacturing, a producer of architectural metal roofing and accessories.

In 2000, Gaulin was a key leader in the consolidation and formation of Tecta America, one of the largest commercial roofing contractors in the U.S. He served as COO from 2007-10 and interim CEO from 2013-14. When building a new complex that included MAGCO’s headquarters, his desire to improve the project and better use the site by employing green roof attributes prompted the Tecta Green initiative. He currently serves on the board of directors for Tecta America, which boasts 76 locations with 3,500 employees.

“I am truly flattered and honored to be recognized by my peers and the industry with this award, and I am proud to be a part of this great industry,” Gaulin said as he accepted the award.

First presented in 1948, the J.A. Piper Award is named for former NRCA President Joseph A. Piper, whose extraordinary efforts kept the association alive during the Great Depression.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

 

Dave Reginelli Promoted to Tecta President and Marc Benson hired as Senior Vice President, Finance and Accounting

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Tecta America is excited to announce the promotion of Dave Reginelli, CFO, to the additional position of President, effective immediately and hiring of Marc Benson as Senior Vice President, Finance and Accounting.

These changes are due to Tecta’s growth in the past number of years and are expected to support the Company’s continued growth plans as well as part of our long-term planning.

“Dave joined the Company in 2010 and has been a leader in our training and development programs for senior operating leaders as well as Operating Presidents. Dave has been critical to helping the rest of the senior management team manage the business, driving strong acquisition growth and seamlessly leading the Company’s financial organization through multiple ownership transitions while staying true to our core business model,” said Mark Santacrose, CEO of Tecta America.

In addition to Dave’s promotion, we are excited to bring on Marc Benson as Senior Vice President, Finance and Accounting. Marc previously spent six years at Moelis & Company in New York, most recently as a Vice President in their Industrial and Services group, representing many industrial service businesses similar in size and scope to Tecta.

Prior to Moelis, Marc spent five years with the US Coast Guard as the Commanding Officer of a Coast Guard cutter in the Gulf of Mexico with the rank of Lieutenant. Marc attended Columbia Business School on the Pat Tillman Military Scholarship.

Marc will join Tecta on January 27, 2020. Please join us in congratulating Dave on his well-deserved promotion as well as welcoming Marc to the Company.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Tecta America Acquires Wooster Roofing in Akron, OH

Tecta America, the national leader in commercial roofing, announces the recent acquisition of Akron, OH based Wooster Roofing & Construction.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Tecta America, the national leader in commercial roofing, announces the recent acquisition of Akron, OH based Wooster Roofing & Construction.

“We are very excited to welcome Wooster Roofing to the Tecta family. We believe in Gary Nusbaum and the Wooster Roofing team and know we are gaining strong talent, and that we share the same values of providing our customers with great service,” said Mark Santacrose, Tecta’s CEO.

Wooster Roofing & Construction has been in business for over 99 years, and they have a reputation for exceptional service, integrity, and quality in the Northeastern Ohio area.

The current owner is Gary Nusbaum, and he will stay on as Vice President of Operations.  The location will be known as JB Roofing, a Tecta America Company, LLC (formerly known as Wooster Roofing) and will merge with Tecta’s other JB Roofing operations, located in Tiffin and Worthington. All 3 Ohio locations will be under the leadership of Rylee Miller, JB’s President based in Tiffin.

“I am thrilled that we are completing this transaction with Tecta,” said Gary Nusbaum, owner of Wooster Roofing. “Tecta’s reputation for treating its employees well and providing great value to its customers was significant to me in the selection of a buyer. Their commitment to our workforce was clear from the outset and I am confident that our operation will be a great addition to Tecta’s organization.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Joseph Lancaster to be Named Operating Unit President of Metalcrafts, a Tecta America Company

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We are pleased to announce that Joseph Lancaster will take over as the Operating Unit President (OUP) of Metalcrafts in Savannah, Georgia, effective January 1, 2020. Joseph has 35 years of roofing industry experience and has been with Metalcrafts since 1984. Joseph has done it all – including field production and management, estimating, and project management. He has been promoted from his prior position as Operations Manager.

Joseph is a graduate of NRCA’s FEI Class 4 (2011), as well as completion of various Tecta training programs including BLT and Leadership.

Joseph has also been involved with NRCA in several capacities, having served on the NRCA Board of Directors and ongoing involvement with various technical committees since 2014. Joseph is currently Chairman of the Manual Update committee.

Joseph will be taking over the position from Allen Lancaster, a long-time president of Metalcrafts. Allen will continue working for Metalcrafts/Tecta as a VP and will assist Joseph’s transition into his new role as well as providing assistance and training across Tecta.

“I would like to thank Allen for his past efforts since our acquisition of Metalcrafts, and also congratulate Joseph on his promotion to President. Joseph has been an outstanding operations manager and is well-suited for this new leadership role. I know he will do a great job” said Jeff McMenamy, COO of Tecta America.

“We are excited for the future of Metalcrafts under Joseph’s leadership, along with the rest of the Metalcrafts team. We also want to thank Allen for all of his work to date and positioning Metalcrafts for a bright future,” said Mark F. Santacrose, CEO and President of Tecta America.

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