The economy may be on the upswing, but it was clear at Saturday?s North Central Florida Home Show in Gainesville that whatever additional cash people may have in their pockets, they don?t want to spend it on heating and cooling their homes.

Vendors selling energy-saving materials from reflective insulation to solar panels were popular stops at the show ?

?Energy saving is No. 1. Our house is 2,600 square feet with two different A/C units. We want to reduce the electric bills, which are $600 a month in the summer,? said Gainesville?s Mark Menjivar. ?I?ve always been hip to new things that come out. I?ve done the math ? if I get a loan for solar panels, I?m replacing the high cost of energy with what I?ll be spending on the loan, but after two or three years paying off that loan, I?m paying zero for energy.?

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20120310/ARTICLES/120319975

A roof leak can be downright scary.

Scarier still, however, is the consequential damage, the downtime, the slip-and-fall hazard, and gulp the bill youll ultimately get to fix everything if you let an obvious problem with your commercial roof go untreated for too long.

Timely intervention with roof matters is always the way to go. Spend a little today on a modest repair and save the much larger costs of a catastrophic situation down the road.

If you detect any of these common roofing anomalies, contact your roofing service provider right away and have the situation addressed.

• Ponding water
• Large amounts of debris

• Vegetation
• Gravel displacement

• Ballast system problems
• Ridging

• Unsecured membrane
• EPDM Button Punctures
• Slipped Flashings

Addressing issues in a timely manner help extend the life of your roof, minimize repair costs and lessen the headaches you experience as a facility manager.

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Much like the typical homeowner, the owners at ASAP ROOFING can often feel like salesman are a dime a dozen. Especially when throwing out catchy sales pitches that more often than not turn the customer off, salesman can seem evasive, pushy and unreliable ? all the characteristics that often lead to disgruntled customers.

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Wanting to change that image, not just for the company but also for the salesmen themselves, ASAP ROOFING from its inception has focused on building good moral character, teaching rapport building skills, fostering social intelligence, and even practicing these skills in mock customer interactions.

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A typical day at ASAP ROOFING starts with a 2 hour training session reviewing the works of authors such as Daniel Pink, Dan Ariely, Martin Seligman, Shawn Achor, and Daniel Goleman ? all top researchers in their fields of psychology, behavioral economics, and positive psychology. So why would the owners of a roofing company want to review the work of psychologists?

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According to Igor Kublitskiy, one of the three company owners, ?When we teach our sales people to achieve what they thought was not possible in our roofing company, it pervades to all areas of their lives, which just makes them even better at sales.? It?s easy to see then the benefit this sort of learning environment would have for both an employee and an employer, and Kublitskiy relates that, ?Since we?ve been using this approach in our company, our sales have increased by 60%, but even more telling is our contract retention rate. When customers are happy, and feel they are treated well, they don?t cancel deals, it?s just that simple.?

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And the effect seems to be paying off. ASAP ROOFING, a Denver based national roofing company has enjoyed tremendous success in the last few years, quickly opening offices in both Indianapolis and Dallas. However, the success has not just been in numbers. ASAP ROOFING has one of the highest customer satisfaction ratings, and at this point, a waiting list for sales people.

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Igor shares that future employees now come in saying that they heard about ASAP ROOFING?s approach and want to be part of the cutting edge approach. And cutting edge it is. The next step is to develop online training classes, videos and webinars.

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Written by Nick Dorotik

nick@asaproofing.com

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For more information about ASAP ROOFING, visit http://asaproofing.com/

Industry Loss

We mourn the loss of Jacobus ?Jack? Bus who passed away earlier this week. Jack was the founder of what is now known as ATAS International, a major manufacturer of commercial and residential metal roof and wall panels.

Having immigrated here from the Netherlands, Jack had a fascinating life story. The business he started in 1963 went on to become a predominant industry force.

And throughout it all, nothing was more apparent to anyone than Jack?s love for his family.

Our hearts and prayers go out to that family who mourns his loss at this time.

I sent a message to Hans Peter Koennecke asking if I could display pictures from his Master Roofer?saSchoolaheld in Cologne, Germany.a A group of skilled craftsmen gather and produce slate art which is incredible due to the detail and time involved.

More pictures are found on Hans? Facebook page which I?ve linked above.a Other teachers of the school include Uwe Bierbaum and Puma Kater. I apologize ahead of time for the titles that I?m giving the most literal meanings to.

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City Goat by Mattias Krings

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Journeymen by Michael Heise

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Sailing by Gina Ixkes

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Paraglider by Markus Vitt

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Parrots by Fadi Bichtawi

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Motorcycle by Michael Fleiger

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Coat of Arms by Stefan Crespodiez

Eagle by Ben Cloth

Magic Emblem by Michael Krause

Coat of Armsaby Sascha Schildgen

Buddhaaby Sascha Schildgen

The Full Collection