b're s ident \' sArticle What aDifference 10 Years Can Make The year was 1988.The year is 1998. Bob Dalsin, the MRCA presi We are in the midst of theyears whilelingthe larger mostdea with dentthatyear,wasconcernedprofound change in theofmanufa inoura .It historycturersreamaterialreleabout escalatingshort modern business yet two thingsseems we are increasingly ages.with isocyanu remain con O sourcesgated to speaking withkeepParticularlystant:utside"gate rate andphenolic foaminsula in our industrytinue to be crit e " in our dealings with thcon rs em. tions, which along with increasingical of controversial articles weWe have also noticed the emerp hadroofingcontractorsprint in Midwest Roofer, and roof gence of national buying groups rices caught in the middle. T hading contractorsarestillbeingpurchasingservicesinlarge hey tswhole segment hard contrac in place and mate caught in the middle.blocks for aof an rials notpurchased.I have justed reading anindustry, su as hospitals. If this yetfinish ch The MRCA foundation had justexcellent a icle on Roofing Con continues,usingthebanking rtg its first annual scholarshiptractor "roll-ups,"itten by Billindustry as an example,llll ivenwr wi smato at at Kansas State Uni Good, executive vice president oftoium size regionallo l studen med andcaversity.the National Roofing Contractorsroofing contractorscaught in be TheConstructionLaborAssociation. Bill\'slethe middleagain?Will we be artic generally ResearchCouncilreportedthatfocused on background informa competingforanincreasingly construction industryingtion onroll-ups, or investmentsmallershare of the avai able bargain theI in the first half of 1988 yieldedgroups, which purchase aroofing m inarea? num arketour average first year wage and bene ber of roofing contractors con The one thing that seems sure solfit increases of 21cents per hour,idating them in a singlein all of this is that being afing corporaterooor 0.8 percent.umbrella. Bill\'sarticlecarriedcontr will remain ary actorve chalIn the August 1988 issue of thesuggestionscontractors wholengingu tion intonext forocc pa the Midwest Roofer, in athemay wish toinvolved. Hecentury. letter tobecome editor, Werner Gumpertz, an engi coveredboththerisks and the neerinthefirmofS onopportunities. impsGumpertz andHager,wroteanOur thou processes are on a ght article defending ASTM againstdifferent pa of the subject. With rt what he feltcritical articlesthe consolidation of business in were publishedin prior issues of thethe United States has come a con-publication by the MRCA pres solidation in corporate decisionident and the chairmanmakers that are located increasof the T and/,ingly in larger urban areas. We echnical ResearchComm 1:x{presume that apart of ~it- ,good tee."\'f-\\the rationaleroll-u is forps eIthestrengthof -111111!!!:iiiiiilllll\'{~- n ional mar ing, at ket~and the advantage of having - to ~the abilityat 1/ least bid on all ofanowners ~ ~~,;-: facilities wher-sI /evertheyare /located.Wehave noticed this to some extentin thepast few byJohnDrew ,MRCAP r es i dent ilils'