Page 33 - Green Builder May-June 2018 Issue

CREDIT: MCELROY METAL Seeing is believing. Today’s

metal roofs are stronger, longer
lasting, more natural looking
and greener than ever—facts
that MRA members constantly
share with their customers.

ROLE MODELS Metal masters help the industry get its message out

FTER 55 YEARS in the metal roofing business, McElroy Metal
(www.mcelroymetal.com) has developed quite a name for itself.
The third-generation, family-owned manufacturer of metal
A roofing and siding components has 12 manufacturing facilities,
22 Service Center and 44 Metal Mart locations nationwide, and is known
for its adherence to a longtime golden rule: Treat customers the same way
McElroy likes to be treated by its suppliers.
While the company was successful in transferring that customer service
mantra to the marketplace, it noticed that the same could not be said of CREDIT: LAUREN KUBIAK/FLICKR
metal roofing overall. “Residential metal roofing offers so many benefits
to homeowners,” says Ken Gieseke, McElroy Metal’s vice president of
marketing. “But that message was not being received in the marketplace
via the marketing efforts of individual companies.” Work in progress. Isaiah Industries President Todd Miller shows
A similar story is told by Piqua, Ohio-based metal roofing manufacturer National Resource Defense Council staffers how his company’s
Isaiah Industries (www.isaiahindustries.com). “Isaiah has always felt that efficient metal roofing is manufactured.
the benefits and story of residential metal roofing are larger than any opportunity to pool resources to educate the marketplace about the
individual manufacturer,” says Isaiah Industries President Todd Miller. benefits of metal roofing with a unified voice and message,” Gieseke says.
“Therefore, to really help consumers understand the transition from Miller says the effort has worked. Metal roofing’s market share has risen
traditional roofing to metal roofing, we needed to band together as an steadily over the past half century. Miller doesn’t see that changing anytime
industry and go to the public with a common voice and common effort.” soon. “There is something that changes when you work cooperatively with
Both companies helped found the Metal Roofing Alliance—now known others to focus on increasing market share,” he says. “As the old saying
as the MRA—as a way for those in the industry to exchange ideas, discuss goes, a rising tide raises all ships. By working with other members of the
technology and examine code-related matters. “The MRA represented an MRA, we can create that rising tide.”

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