b'Contractor/ManufacturerAD&D CoverageContinued. Relationships - "What if?"from Page 1 by Fred Petersen, MRCA Director Ms. Becky Chrisco One of the many highlights at the 1990 MRCAAlexander & Alexander Benefit Services ConventionSan Antonio, Texas, was the secondP. 0. Box 13647 inKansas City, MO64199 phase of the MRCA sponsored Braxton Survey compiled by Deloitte & Touche.Pleaserememberthatthesecompleted The 1990 Roofing Industry Survey dealt primarilyapplications must be remitted no later than with the contractor/manufacturer relationship, whatApril26,1991sothatthenecessary it is right now, and what future possibilities forprocessing can be done.If you have any change in this relationship could be.questions concerning your current coverage or the plan, please call Becky Chrisco at Some ofor "degrees of816-391-1225. the optionsrelationships", as Deloitte & Touche put it, range from a limitedThis extremely valuable, low cost, group degreeofrelationship(example=thefoodratedAccidentalDeathand processing/canningindustry)toaverticallyFred Petersen, MRCA Director integrateddegreeof relationship(example=oilDismembermentInsuranceavailableto companies).Accordingto the survey,thecurrentroofingcontractor/manufacturerMRCAmembersandtheirfamilies relationship falls into the authorized degree which is much closer to the limited degree thanwarrants consideration duringthisopen the vertically integrated degree.enrollment period. Is this bad? Is this good? I think the answerboth questions is a resoundingdepends".The best we can be to"it There are some tough questions we should ask ourselves, both as contractors and as manufacturers.Continued. from Page 1 As a contractor, are you willing to align yourself with one insulation manufacturer, onecan do something about, and that I can put manufacturereach single ply system, and one roll goods manufacturer? Are you willing ofcreative, productive energy into. to sacrifice somethe competitive pricing you have benefited from in the past? Are you of willingt9accept the fact that you will notjobsthe specified be able to bid somebecauseThese challenges seem to be about change, manufacturer is one you chose not to align with?Are you willing to trust your chosenabout growing.This means making some manufacturers with confidential information about your business, both externally anddifficult decisions that often affect people\'s internally?lives.It is not easy to balance what is best for the business froma rational, logical As a manufacturer, are you willing to havetwo orthree approved contractors in a major justperspective with concerns for people.I market area instead1220? Are oforyou willing to sponsor real training seminars and sendlike discovering that the difficult decisions technical people to a jobsite for a week atifAre you willing to a timenecessary?reducewhich I am forced to make to meet these some of your manufacturing capacity and very possibly increase your technical andchallenges usuallytum out tobegood support staff?Are you willing to accept total legal and financial responsibility of adecisions both for the company andfor guaranteedroof fromdayone,no matter whosefaultit is,the contractor\'sor thepeople.I used to want things to stay the tosame. Now I\'m manufacturer\'s? Are you willingtrust chosen contractors with confidential information enjoying that my business about your business, both internal and external?and my life are changing.I\'m seeing how things are not soas much black and white Onother hand, as a contractor wouldn\'t it be helpful to know that on mostyou thejobsthey are tinged with all sorts of colors that would be competing with two orofor 15?And those two or three contractors instead10maketheminterestingandchallenging three contractors would have similar ideas and values in terms of professionalism andprofessionally and personally." commitment to the roofing industry that you have? Some positives from a manufacturer\'s standpoint would include the virtual elimination of price erosion and the trimming downapproved contractors. More time and money couldAttention of be spent on training and helping the remaining approved contractors than on worryingMRCA Members about losing the order for a penny a square.Also, with fewer and more intensely trained contractors, the long-term liability of the manufacturer will go down and, conversely, theIfyouhavenotrenewedyour thatmembership by paying your 1991 MRCA owners\' perceived value of the roofing systems, and therefore the manufacturer of roofing systems, will rise.membership dues, this is the lastMidwest Is anythis possible? Do you as a contractorreally wantget closer to the manufacturer,you will receive until payment is Roofer oftoreceived in the MRCA and do you as a manufacturer really wantget closer to the contractor? I certainly don\'toffice. to have the answer, but I think that we all need to look awfully hardour current situations at and maybe ask ourselves that famous question "What if?" Page3'