Susquehanna Bancshares Discovers Promising Savings Program On The Roof

For any company providing financial advice and investment services, it’s important to demonstrate financial smarts whenever possible to both customers and shareholders. So when Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc. of Lititz, PA found that a Republic Powdered Metals roof coating system could save them hundreds of thousands of dollars on a weathered EPDM roof and extend its life for another 12 years, the company was impressed.

After 18 years, the roof of the renovated 19th century mill, now the headquarters for regional financial services company Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc., had been repaired several times within 24 months.

“The owners were looking for options,” said Steve Ballentine, who had recently joined the sales/technical staff of Gooding, Simpson & Mackes, Inc. (GSM) of Ephrata, PA, the roofing contractor chosen to work on numerous Susquehanna roofing projects in the south central Pennsylvania area.

Ballentine met with Nathaniel Baum, facility help desk supervisor at Susquehanna Bancshares’ headquarters, to discuss those options after walking the roof—not your typical commercial flat EPDM surface. A portion of the building’s roof is flat, but most of its 60,000 square foot roof is made up of a series of steeply sloped sections that abut vertical window walls in a saw tooth design. Each section is approximately 20' deep by 80' long, with a 30 degree to 45 degree slope.

“The roof had leaked, and the repairs had to do with open seams and open flashing joints,” Ballentine said. “We evaluated the roof and determined that the main roof needed maintenance, but we didn’t think it needed replacement because the overall condition of the roof was in good shape.”

“We walked the roof and talked about every option we had,” Baum said. “We talked about life expectancy versus extended life and the cost of coating versus a complete tear off.”

Ballentine recommended a coating system. “We felt that a roof coating was a good fit and the best solution.” He provided costs for roof restoration with Republic’s Geogard system, a monolithic, highly reflective white urethane coating, as well as ballpark costs for replacement.
“We chose Geogard because it’s a urethane based system,” Ballentine said. “It’s good for areas where minimal ponding may occur and where slopes connect with flat areas. And we know Republic is an established company with a good reputation. I’ve dealt with Republic for seven years; I introduced GSM to Republic systems when I joined the company.”

After weighing the options, Baum said, Susquehanna decided to go with a Republic roof restoration system—the company’s first use of roof coatings. “One thing our management team liked about roof restoration was the huge difference in the cost,” Baum said. “It was approximately one third the cost of a complete roof replacement. We’re talking significant savings.”

After an infrared roof scan to detect any areas of wet roof insulation that would need to be replaced, GSM submitted a list of remedial repairs to complete before the roof coating system was applied–items pulled directly from Republic’s thorough pre-installation process specifications. Employees would be working inside throughout the project, so GSM reviewed the potential for routine noise and odor issues ahead of time.

The project was implemented in two phases and completed in the spring of 2007. “Now the roof is perpetually maintainable,” Ballentine said.

“The project went pretty smoothly,” Baum said. “Because it’s a coating and not a tear off, noise was not much of a problem. It’s a lot less invasive.” As for odor, Ballentine and Baum said they received few comments. On warmer days of the project the crews would routinely shut down the rooftop ac/ventilation units near where they were working.

However, both Baum and Ballentine said many occupants did notice that the highly reflective white Geogard surface was affecting the interior space, providing an unexpected and welcome benefit. “Because of the sawtooth design of the roof,” Ballentine said, “the white membrane reflected so much light into the interior that it really brightened up the inside of the building.”

Baum explains how Susquehanna is using that outcome to make the building even more energy efficient. “We’re getting more sunlight inside, so we don’t need to have as many lights on, and we’re having a complete lighting upgrade done with automatic light level sensors. So, as we get ample natural light inside, the automatic system will detect the light coming in and shut off lights accordingly.”

Baum also is confident that the white reflective membrane will have an impact on heating/cooling costs, even though changes in the number and configuration of employees inside make it impossible to calculate at this point. On a hot day during the installation, crews took thermal readings using an infrared thermometer. The reading for the white, coated surface was 105 degrees. The black, uncoated surface registered 145 degrees–a 40 degree difference.

“The white surface reflects the heat back into the atmosphere instead of absorbing the heat into the building where we have to cool it,” Baum said. “Considering that we now have a lot more people drawing power, we know this white roof coating is helping to keep our energy costs lower than they would have been without it.”

Ballentine and Baum also agreed that roof restoration’s intrinsically earth friendly nature is especially important for the company and the communities it serves. As Susquehanna works toward developing greener buildings and processes, he said, the company is embracing the earth friendly benefits of roof restoration for numerous facilities, a decision that will keep hundreds of thousands of tons of roofing material out of landfills for years to come.

All in all, Ballentine said, the project continues to be a win-win for Susquehanna Bancshares in every way. “Between the elimination of the leakage problem, the long term roofing needs contained, and the additional light in the building, they’re happy on all fronts.”

In light of this project’s very positive outcome–both in immediate savings and those projected long term with reduced maintenance and energy costs–Baum and his superiors are looking at coatings for other projects as they develop capital maintenance budgets for other facilities.

Supplier Takes Safety Seriously

Next to the slow economy, the cost and availability of workers compensation and general liability insurance continue to be the roofing contractor’s biggest problems, according to a recent survey of steep and low slope roofing installers. Accidents cost money and increase contractors’ insurance modification factors, making it more difficult and expensive to find coverage. This is one reason why most roofing manufacturers emphasize safety in their application literature and in their production facilities.

For nearly 20 years, the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association (ARMA) has recognized workplace safety through its prestigious Accident Prevention Contest. Almost 40 roof manufacturing facilities improved their “safety index” from last year. Among the top 11 winners this year, seven facilities are run by GAF Materials Corporation, including the top two winners, according to ARMA’s recently released results for 2007. GAF’s Fontana, CA, facility also managed to repeat its performance from 2006 and held onto its number one ranking again this year.

Dick Nowak, Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer at GAF says the company takes safety seriously, “Every single manufacturing facility in the GAF organization puts safety as its number one priority, and the ARMA results acknowledge their efforts.” Regarding the entire organization, Nowak added, “GAF has made a commitment to follow sound safety procedures throughout the entire workforce, and we hope to continue to be at the top of ARMA’s list each and every year.”

ARMA measures its results based on labor hours worked per year, with GAF winning the President’s Awards in Group A and Group B. (The Group A category represents more than 300,000 labor hours worked, with Group B facilities reporting 200,000-300,000 labor hours in 2007.) GAF’s Fontana and Savannah, GA plants—and two facilities run by other manufacturers—achieved a perfect ARMA index score for 2007, which is based on no lost and restricted workdays and no reportable Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) incidents.

“GAF’s commitment to safety extends far beyond educating its plant personnel and also includes the entire GAF organization nationwide. In fact, company managers are required to begin each company meeting with a safety message which could, for example, address a safety concern or reiterate a safety practice,” stated Jan Jerger-Stevens, Senior Vice President, Human Resources at GAF. “This shows employees, contractors and visitors that the company truly is serious about safety in the workplace.”

Tensile Roof Held Strong

When a tornado touched down in Atlanta, GA this past March, the Georgia Dome escaped major damage. Part of this was due to the presence of a tensile roofing system on the facility.

Inspections revealed that the Georgia Dome survived relatively unscathed after undergoing what Carl Atkins, general manager there, called a "focused Herculean team effort" by Birdair Inc., the specialty roofing contractor for lightweight long-span roofing systems and other tensile structures that that constructed the original roof on the Georgia Dome. Birdair's PTFE fiberglass fabric membrane envelops the structure.

During a Southeastern Conference (SEC) basketball game on the night of Friday, March 14, the Georgia Dome felt the effects of the 100-plus mph winds that struck Atlanta. The scoreboard swayed from the force exerted on the building, but none of the fans inside were injured. Designed to be flexible, the fabric roof rippled and bellowed with the wind but sustained only minor damage.

The storm, initially classified as a thunderstorm with winds in excess of 60 mph, was later upgraded. "The storm that hit Atlanta was a tornado," said AccuWeather's Ed Adams, manager of forensic services. "Its classification as an EF2 tornado means that winds in excess of 100 mph swept through the region."

CNN, which itself sustained heavy damage at its Atlanta headquarters, reported that The National Weather Service's Peachtree City office rated the storm an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, meaning it packed top winds of 135 miles per hour. Both the Georgia's governor and Atlanta's mayor declared the city in a state of emergency.

Upon inspection of the Georgia Dome after the event, Birdair officials noted that, on the west side of the building, a diamond panel, a small sub-panel, and some cabling needed replacement. "The remainder of the roof is in very good condition, as we've established this through a thorough inspection of the membranes and attachments," said Dave Ricci, director of customer service and warranty at Birdair, Inc. "All involved at the Dome are very impressed with its performance. Buildings and other facilities around the dome suffered far greater damage, and the two panels that were damaged on the Georgia Dome were in the direct path of the tornado."

The game, being played with 18,000 people in attendance, was briefly delayed when the tornado struck at 9:40 p.m. The Washington Post later quoted SEC associate commissioner Charles Bloom as saying there were no injuries inside the arena among the fans, players and media attending the game between Alabama and Mississippi State. Within an hour the building was reported to be structurally sound and the teams finished the game. (Still, following the weather event, all events at Georgia Dome were cancelled for that weekend to ensure the safety and security of occupants.)

The Georgia Dome did not get hit directly, as tests indicate that the tornado itself passed about 100 yards north of the Georgia Dome. However, "the structure was definitely affected by the 100 mph winds," says Adams, general manager.

The tornado is the first to strike downtown Atlanta on record.