Composition Shingles

GAF ~ Founded in 1886, GAF Materials Corporation has grown to be North America’s largest roofing manufacturer (currently over 1.2 billion in sales) by delivering on two simple promises:

For Residential and Commercial Property owners: Helping to assure their best and safest choice in roofing

For our Distributor and Contractor partners:
Helping to build their business and avoid hassles

Their proud tradition of innovation and excellence has made them one of the most respected roofing manufacturers in the world!

Owens Corning ~ In 1935, realizing the potential growth of the glass fiber insulation market, Corning Glass, which had briefly experimented with glass fiber manufacturing in the 1920’s, approached Owens-Illinois with a proposal to join forces in the production of glass fiber.

Recognizing the benefits of Corning’s knowledge of glass formulations, Owens-Illinois agreed to the proposal, and the two companies decided to share the costs of glass fiber developments.

In 1938, experimental costs prompted Corning Glass and Owens-Illinois to consider spinning off the joint venture as a separate company.

On Nov. 1, 1938, Owens-Corning Fiberglas® Corporation was announced and by the end of 1938, the company reported sales of $2,555,000, and 632 employees. Owens Corning and the Duplate Safety Glass Company established Fiberglas® Canada in 1939, launching Owens-Corning into the international market, with each founding company owning a 50 percent share. Owens Corning would later own the entire Fiberglas® Canada Operation.

Owens Corning became publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange in 1952, with shares being distributed equally among Owens-Illinois, Corning Glass and public ownership. Over the succeeding years, both Owens-Illinois and Corning Glass would sell their shares, which would become largely owned by institutional investors.

In 1953, Owens Corning and General Motors announced the first production automobile to be made entirely of Fiberglas® reinforced plastic, the Chevrolet Corvette.

In October of 1960, the current Granville Science and Technology Center housing research and development operations for the company was completed.

On July 21, 1969, personnel began the move to the Fiberglas® Tower in Toledo, Ohio.

On Dec. 31, 1971, Owens Corning announced sales surpassing the half billion mark for the first time. Sales passed the $2 billion mark at the end of the 1970’s.

The Pink Panther, a much-loved cartoon character, entered the scene as Owens Corning’s corporate mascot on Aug. 15, 1980, to promote the sales of PINK Fiberglas® insulation.

On May 12, 1987, Owens Corning made legal history as the first company to trademark a color, in this case, PINK.

At the end of the 1980’s, Owens Corning reported sales of $3 billion, and employed 18,300 people.

Owens Corning reinvented Fiberglas® Insulation in 1994, with MIRAFLEX™ Fiber, the first new form of glass fiber in nearly 60 years.

On Jan. 2, 1996, Owens-Corning Fiberglas® Corporation changed its name to Owens Corning. The name change completed a transition begun in 1992 with the new corporate logo to reflect that Owens Corning is constantly growing in scope and technology.

Owens Corning reached sales of $5 billion by the end of 1999.

Elk ~ Since 1955, Elk has been producing fine roofing. Elk shingles are laminated so they look better, last longer and have more visual depth than ordinary shingles. Their innovative thinking and commitment to excellence have made ELK The Premium Choice of architects, builders, professional roofing contractors and discerning homeowners around the world. 

A Few Elk Firsts:

• First to adopt an improved technology for manufacturing fiberglass mat.

• First to cut, combine, bond and package laminated shingles in one continuous cycle.

• First to introduce a “mid-weight” laminated shingle Prestique II.

• First to offer a 40-year limited warranty.

• First to offer a five-year wind-resistant limited warranty.

• First to use computerized process control.

• First to develop a random-cut product design.

• First to increase product thickness to emphasize the aesthetics of depth and texture in premium fiberglass shingles.

• First to produce a hip and ridge product with a sealant designed to reduce blow-off: Seal-A-Ridge® with FLX™.

• First to offer a ridge product that folds, creating a high-profile look: Z®Ridge.

• First to provide a roof accessory paint color-matched to our shingle products.

• First to develop the High Definition® look, which uses a color gradation process to provide additional visual depth and a thicker appearance.

• First to build specialized plants totally dedicated to the production of premium laminated products.

CertainTeed ~ In 1904, George M. Brown, a young entrepreneur in East St. Louis, Illinois, started the General Roofing Manufacturing Company. A manufacturer of roofing products, it was the predecessor of today's CertainTeed Corporation. As General Roofing's reputation for quality and service grew, so did the company.

In 1988, CertainTeed became a wholly owned subsidiary of Saint-Gobain. Renowned for its expertise in glass technology, Saint-Gobain is the world's largest building materials company. Its annual sales in 1999 were approximately $24.5 billion. Today, with the full support of this industrial leader, CertainTeed's financial and technological resources are stronger than ever.

Saint-Gobain Corporation, based in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, is the holding company for the U.S.- and Canadian-based businesses of Saint-Gobain. In addition to CertainTeed, Saint-Gobain Corporation businesses include:

Saint-Gobain Corporation employs approximately 30,000 people and operates more than 200 plants throughout North America. The company’s 1999 sales totaled approximately $5.6 billion.

Today, CertainTeed is an industry leader, firmly established as one of America's most diversified building materials manufacturers. Its building products include ceiling systems, fiber cement siding; insulation, commercial and residential roofing systems, clay roof tiles, vinyl siding and accessories, vinyl windows, ventilation products, vinyl and compositefence, decking and railing, pipe products, and foundation systems.

CertainTeed's 2000 sales totaled $2.5 billion. The company has more than 45 manufacturing facilities and employs approximately 7,200 people throughout North America.

Beginnings
   TAMKO ~ In 1944, E.L. Craig began his own roofing business at the age of 69 in an old streetcar barn in Joplin, Missouri. His wife named the company “TAMKO” -- composed from the first letters of the five states they anticipated as their territory: Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma.
The long, narrow structure of the streetcar barn was ideally suited to house a roofing production line and serve as TAMKO’s first headquarters. Despite material and supply shortages created by World War II, Mr. Craig had TAMKO up and running before the year was over--and supporting the war effort in 1945.
Today TAMKO ® Roofing Products, Inc. has grown beyond its original building and territory to become a leading national manufacturer of residential and commercial roofing products, waterproofing, cements and coatings. It is still family-owned and operated with the high standards and hardworking ethic that remain reflected in their products.

The second generation of leadership
TAMKO was a young company when the mantle of leadership fell on the shoulders of the Craigs' daughter, Ethelmae, who directed TAMKO's operations during the early '50s. In 1960 her husband, Jay Humphreys, became TAMKO's president. Under his leadership, TAMKO attained national stature in the roofing industry.

Expansion and growth
Jay Humphreys' conservative management style secured TAMKO financially and led to a carefully executed expansion into new manufacturing facilities in Phillipsburg, Kansas; Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Knoxville, Tennessee; Frederick, Maryland; and Dallas, Texas. He wisely reinvested company profits to introduce new products such as Awaplan (America's first SBS-modified polyester roll roofing product) and the Heritage® series of laminated shingles. These products changed TAMKO's approach to commercial and residential roofing.

Philosophy
Mr. Craig approached business with strong personal ethics. Work hard. Do your best. Be fair and honest. Believe in those around you. Today (as it was during Mr. Craig's lifetime) this is the TAMKO work ethic. It has been passed through three generations of leadership and it's shared by everyone from the newest employee to the Chairman of the Board. It's their company's point of difference, and it is evident in every product they make.
In the years since Mr. Craig founded TAMKO, they have continually worked to do their best each day and to continuously improve their products and services. Their objective is to produce the best-quality roofing products at the lowest overall delivered cost. They strive to offer their customers the right quality--the best balance of price and performance.
In the early 1980s, Mr. Humphreys attended a seminar conducted by Dr. W. Edwards Deming. He was so impressed with Deming's concept of continual process improvement, he immediately took action to implement it at TAMKO. Today, they apply this methodology to all aspects of their business: manufacturing, shipping, sales, raw material procurement, even their billing system.

TAMKO today
Under the direction of David Humphreys, they are thriving in their third generation of family leadership. Their present success is the direct result of teamwork and the honest belief that every team member--customer, supplier and employee alike--should benefit financially by contributing to the good of the team. Looking back, this philosophy has helped them build long-lasting relationships with customers, suppliers and employees. It is this spirit that made TAMKO  the company it is today.
You can depend on TAMKO for top-quality products at competitive prices, and strong support before and after you buy. You can depend on them like family because that's what they are--a family dedicated to the roofing business.

Metal Shingles

A Roofing Revolution in the Making
MetalWorks roofing shingles represent one of the most revolutionary developments in the residential and light commercial roofing industry. This revolution grew directly out of necessity - the need to find a permanent, economical, and easy-to-install roofing system - a system that would provide long-term value while still remaining affordable.

Building a Better System Through Experience
Building a better roofing system requires a combination of experience and innovative thinking. MetalWorks' relationships with industry leaders such as CENTRIA, NexTech, and The Valspar Corporation give it unprecedented manufacturing capabilities, allowing it to take advantage of the latest technological advancements. Utilizing the research and development staffs from these industry leaders, MetalWorks products are now at the cutting edge in performance - performance exemplified in the most advanced roofing system of its kind.

The MetalWorks Galva-Strength® Process

• Carbon Steel - MetalWorks Steel Shingles begin during the cold-rolled process where the carbon steel is first manufactured.

• Annealing - After the carbon steel is formed, it goes through an annealing process where it is heated and then slowly cooled to specific tolerances for elongation, tensile strength and formability, as specified by MetalWorks.

• G-90 Galvanization - Once annealed, the steel is galvanized, using zinc and an iron-zinc-aluminum alloy-bonding layer. MetalWorks steel is galvanized on both sides for superior corrosion protection and exceptional strength, and is coated with a minimum of 0.90 ounces of zinc per square foot that is 50 percent more than industry standards!

• The Right Technology from Start to Finish - MetalWorks Steel Shingles offer exceptional performance. That's because they were developed using the latest technologies that include a Kynar 500®/Hylar 5000® paint finish. This Fluoropolymer paint system involves one of the strongest chemical bonds known. In fact, it is the same chemistry used in Teflon® non-stick cookware. The finish resists dirt and environmental aging and provides exceptional resistance to fading, chalking, cracking and airborne pollutants.