Category: Trends in Commercial Roofing (Page 2 of 3)

About CEI

August 8, 2018 / Joaynna Cook

CEI Group has earned a reputation as one of the country’s most progressive roofing firms. They pioneered single ply roofs in the late 70’s and 80’s, were one of the first roofing companies to maintain their own sheet metal shop, and today, they are leading the way in green roofing projects, sheet metal, and composite wall panel projects.

As a union-shop, CEI is also known for their trade craftsmanship. Some of the lost art and techniques for working on architecturally-challenging or historical elements have been preserved and passed down from veteran roofing pros.

CEI customers appreciate the company’s disciplined project management, communication during the project, and ability to consistently meet challenging deadlines.

“We take the stress and uncertainty out of your toughest roofing challenges.” Eric Cook, President, CEI Group

Founded: 1969

Focus: Challenging Commercial Roofing Projects

Specialties: University & Historical Roofs, Slate Roofs, Multi-Level/Multi-Roof System Projects, International Government Work

Services: Leak Hunting & Repair, Extended Roof-Life Service Agreements, Coatings, Waterproofing

CEI Insight: Stretch and Flex Program

June 13, 2018 / Joaynna Cook

Workplace stretching programs are on the rise and a new hot topic for the construction industry. Roofers and other construction employees are often subjected to routine movements, heavy lifting, and strenuous body positions. This daily wear and tear can leave employees with pain and discomfort. After years of being in the industry, this can result in soreness and injury. A 2018 goal for CEI was to craft and implement a Stretch and Flex Program for our employees. Our program was recently launched, checking that goal off of our list!

Benefits of Stretching

Flexibility
Promotes Strong, Health Muscles
Improves Joint Range of Motion
Improves Performance in Physical Activities

Most of the benefits of stretching come from developing better flexibility. Being flexible and having long and lean muscles can result in prevention of injury and can reduce pain. Athletes do it all the time, they focus on muscle groups specific to the sport to stretch and strengthen the ones that are actively used. Our workers do just as much as most athletes, they bend, lift, climb carry and so much more. Why shouldn’t they have the same routine of stretching? The answer is that they should! Stretching before doing physical work can only help.

CEI’s Daily Stretching Routine

As a new add-on to our safety program, all field and service crews are required to perform a daily stretching routine every morning before getting on the job. This is to length and strength there muscles before getting to the physically demanding part of their day. Most of the crews enjoy it and believe they feel better after doing it. Each morning on the job, the foreman host a huddle with the crew. In this huddle, they talk about the day’s event and go through there checklist together. Before this program, they would head onto the roof after that was complete. Now that this has been put in place the foreman leads the stretching session with the entire crew. Every day he goes through the same stretching checklist and signs-off that the crew participated in the Stretch and Flex program. Since this has gone into place, office staff have also taken to doing the stretches. They believe that it helps them stay loose and not get sore from sitting or working on a computer all day. It also allows them to break up there day and add some movement.

CEI’s Stretch and Flex Program-

Neck stretch
Quad Stretch
Calf Stretch
Inner Thigh/Groin Stretch
Chest Pull
Forearm and Wrist Stretch
Shoulder Stretch
Lower Back Stretch

Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-importance-of-stretching

#NATIONALROOFINGWEEK: Picking a Professional Roofing Contractor

June 8, 2018 / Joaynna Cook

National Roofing Week is coming to a close today! CEI wanted to close out the week with a blog post on the main topic of the week, which is to stress the value of a professional roofer for any project.

CEI is a member of the NRCA. This gives us access to leading industry education, safety information, and programs to keep our company serving at high-quality standards. The NRCA is one of the construction industry’s most respected trade associations and the voice of roofing professional. They are a large source of information for CEI and we are proud to be a member. CEI is a lead company in the commercial roofing industry in the mid-west. Yet, the NRCA has a focus on both the commercial and residential roofing industry’s. It is important to search out a quality roofing contractor, no matter what your project is so that it gets done right the first time. Often times our blog post are more suited for a building owner looking for information but when it comes to selecting a contractor the guidelines can be followed by both home and building owners.

NRCA has consumer-focused resources. Their main source is a blog that is focused on helping consumers be educated on there roof and roofing contractors (everyoneneedsaroof.com). Through their resources, they touch on a hand-full of things to look for in a roofing contractor. To help spread awareness, CEI has compiled the resources for customers on the Roofer Madness Blog. As a company, we want to provide customers with the quality resources to help them make their contractor selection. The following list of qualifications that your roofing contractor should have according to the NRCA’s consumer advisory bulletin.

Permanent place of business
Knowledge of roofing systems
Affiliated with an industry organization
- Ex: NRCA or any other local, state or national organization
Committed to education
Insured and committed to safety
Licensed and bonded
Financial Stability
Application expertise
Insist on a written proposal
Warranties
Completed projects list
References
Provisions for on-site supervision
Professional maintenance program

The video below was created by the NRCA to help explain these points. You can also read more from the NRCA here or visit http://www.everybodyneedsaroof.com/

#NATIONALROOFINGWEEK- Employee Training

June 5, 2018 / Joaynna Cook

Happy National Roofing Week to everyone! Yesterday we kicked off with a wonderful employee appreciation day! All of the CEI team had got pizza or breakfast delivered to them as a token of our appreciation. It was a great start to an exciting week.

Every day this week has a theme or focus to be talked about. Today’s (Tuesday) focus is on Employee Training!

A key part of being a quality roofing professional is ensuring that all members of your team are properly trained. CEI focuses its training efforts in two major areas; safety training and job skills training.

Safety Training

CEI started a bigger push on safety about 7 years ago.

“We had a couple of tough safety years before that and there was also a big push from our Consumers to step up safety. It had always been something we did, but we started to make it something we live everyday.” -Kristine Cook Lindsey, Vice President

CEI always met safety regulations but after those couple of years, they decided it was going to be one of their main goals to excel in safety. They posted a large board that read “Days since an accident”. The goal was to publish what was happening in regards to safety and make everyone responsible for safety on the job.

Joe Fulton- CEI Safety Director

In 2011, they added a full-time Safety Director to there team. He was tasked with keeping up with regulations and revamping the training program.

Jacob Rosiek- CEI Safety Manager

CEI safety standards started to grow and in 2016 they added another full-time position to the Safety Department, a Safety Manager.

In 2017, CEI was awarded the NERI safety excellence award for there efforts. Today, CEI’s safety training looks like this.

Monthly Foreman Safety Committee Meetings- To review how the company is doing and identify where and how to improve. Critical feedback from the field participation is key in these meetings.
Six Company Wide Safety Meetings- Every other month there is a different focus presented by our Safety Director or we bring in guest speakers to keep safety in the minds of the Foremen.
Weekly Toolbox Talks- These also focus on important safety issues but are run by the Foremen to stimulate discussion on safety and provide training opportunities for our crews.
Daily Hazard Identification Checklists
All Foremen are required to be 30hr OSHA Certified
All other workers are encouraged to be at least 10hr OSHA Certified
CEI’s insurance group also has its own Safety Requirements that CEI is annually audited on.

Job Skills Training

The other focus area for training is skills training. CEI as a union contractor is supportive of apprenticeship programs that serve to develop skilled professional Roofing and Architectural Sheet Metal Journeymen. Some of the ways that CEI supports skills development are-

Manufacturer Training- CEI is certified in almost every type of roofing system. CEI sees this as a way to open doors for new and interesting projects. We want to know how to do it all so we can take on any project start to finish.
Local 70 Union Block Training- CEI helps support their local union by participating in block training programs. They often help with the Crane and Lift classes.
Employ apprentices- To provide critical field training experience

#NATIONALROOFINGWEEK: What is National Roofing Week?

May 17, 2018 / Joaynna Cook

To raise awareness of the significance of roofs to every home and business, stress the value of professional roofing contractors, and promote the good deeds of the industry, CEI Michigan, LLC will recognize National Roofing Week taking place June 3-9.

Organized by the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), National Roofing Week is a reminder that the roof is one of the most important components of every structure. It is the first line of defense against natural elements, such as rain, snow or wind, yet it is often taken for granted until it falls into disrepair.

National Roofing Week enables roofing professionals to engage in their communities and inform the public about the essential role roofs and professional roofing contractors play in every community, as well as the importance about making informed decisions about maintaining or replacing any roof system.

NRCA has planned a social media campaign for all of its members to be involved in. CEI will be participating in the weeks worth of posts to help engage its customers. This week will involve a series of blog post that will give details into how CEI keeps a quality reputation in the commercial roofing industry. It will also give the company a chance to reach out and help the community through charity acts, recognize their staff, provide important information to their customers about roof maintenance and most importantly have some fun taking pictures of the celebration.

To see all the action follow CEI on Facebook, Twitter or Blog.

Additional information about National Roofing Week can be found at www.nrca.net/National-Roofing-Week.

Tax Cuts on Re-Roofing Projects!

April 6, 2018 / Joaynna Cook

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act approved by Congress in December 2017 expands the definition of qualified real property eligible for full expensing under Section 179 of the tax code to include improvements to nonresidential roofs. Following is more information about Section 179 and the provision to add nonresidential roofs as qualifying property as of Jan. 1, 2018. This information will help you determine if your company is eligible for this preferential tax treatment of improvements to your nonresidential roof.

Section 179

Section 179 allows taxpayers to immediately expense the cost of qualifying property rather than recovering such costs over multiple years through depreciation. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act significantly expands the expensing limits under Section 179, with the maximum amount a business may expense now set at $1 million and the phase-out threshold increasing to $2.5 million. These new limits are effective for qualifying property placed in service in taxable years beginning after Dec. 31, 2017, and the amounts will be indexed for inflation starting in 2019.

Addition of Roofs as Qualifying Property

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act expands the definition of qualified real property eligible for Section 179. As of Jan. 1, 2018, qualifying a property for Section 179 includes “improvements to nonresidential real property placed in service after the date such property was first placed in service: roofs; heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning property; fire protection and alarm systems; and security systems.”

Given these changes to Section 179 by the new tax law, qualifying taxpayers may now elect to fully expense the cost of any improvements to nonresidential roofs beginning in 2018 and in future years. Essentially, any improvements to nonresidential roofs, including full reroofs of existing buildings, may now be expensed in the year of purchase by any taxpayer eligible to deduct expenses under Section 179.

Please contact us (or contact your tax professional) if you have questions regarding how your company can take advantage of this more favorable tax treatment for improvements to nonresidential roofs in 2018.

More Information From NRCA

Project Spotlight: Saline Recreation Center

March 30, 2018 / Joaynna Cook

CEI completed a re-roof and wall panel project this past year at Saline Recreation Center. The project consisted of a flat roof job with EPDM and metal wall panels. The wall panels are definitely the highlight of the job as the cover about half of the building. The panels were made of a blue insulated metal and were crafted in-house at CEI’s sheet metal shop.

The Saline Rec Center is a host to amazing facilities for the people in the area. CEI was happy to provide a quality roof and wall panels to help keep the facility up to standard.

The Insight: New Website?

March 23, 2018 / Joaynna Cook

Everyone knows the importance of having a website for any business. Big or small, business around the world have turned to the internet to promote themselves to a larger audience than ever before. To some, it almost seems that if you do not have a website your business does not exist. The technology world is moving and it is moving fast. Having no website means missing opportunities to reach a whole different customer base. Yet, there is another unspoken rule of businesses on the web; It involves the quality of your website.

According to an online Forbes article,

“This said, if you have a bad website it is better to have no website. While no website equals missed opportunities, a bad website can actually be worse since it literally makes your business look bad.”

Over the years, the world wide web has advanced and sometimes faster than businesses that are not technology centered can keep up. It is a whole full-time job just to keep up with internet marketing.

Trying to keep up with the ever-changing web, CEI is launching a new website design! The complete redesign and update will allow for all current and new CEI customers to be able to navigate and see our work or services with ease. CEI would love for you to check out this brand new addition to there online marketing re-vamp at

ceigroupllc.com

As well as, follow CEI on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube

The Insight: CEI’s 2018 Motto

March 5, 2018 / Joaynna Cook

In the past couple of years, CEI has started the year off with an annual kick-off meeting. Every year there has been a theme or motto that the company has carried throughout the year. 2018’s meeting is still in the works and is scheduled for April 15th but the theme is picked.

This years theme is Everything Counts!

It is broad and is most literally about everything but it is important and a great theme to kick of the year. 2016 and 2017 we some of CEI’s best years and looking forward, they are striving for even better. When it comes down to it, growing a business can be all about the details. It is important to pay attention to everything to achieve excellence.

The theme is inspired and loosely based on a book called Everything Counts! by Gary Ryan Blaire. Blaire has worked to help clients reach their goals and be more successful in many areas. His book provides a golden rule to excellence.

His rule is-

“Everything Counts! Everything you say; every thought you entertain; and everything you do has direction, which serves as an advance or a retreat in respect to your pursuit of excellence. Everything, regardless of size or intent, has bottom-line consequences; therefore, everything counts!”

The book goes into many small detailed aspects to define “everything”, the managers and partners at CEI have narrowed it down to there best 4 aspects to discuss with their teams; Quality Counts, Every Customer Counts, Every Detail Counts and Failure Counts.

Project Spotlight: Ford Fairlane Town Center

February 5, 2018 / Joaynna Cook

The Fairlane Town Center is a located in Dearborn, MI. The former mall has been converted to office spaces for Ford Motor Company while they begin work on their 10-year project for two large campus headquarters. The Fairlane building was in need of small renovations of canopies over multiple entrances. CEI bid the Fairlane project in 2017 and have been working hard at it since.

A smaller project in size, it involves work only on a few entrance canopies. Each canopy involves interior and exterior composite wall panels with a small section of TPO roof on the top. The project is a big one for CEI because it is the first project that CEI is crafting there own composite panels. Over the course of 2017, CEI has been piecing together a composite panel shop. This adds a huge new division to CEI existing sheet metal shop. Ford Fairlane is the putting this new shop to work and the results are fantastic.

Benefits of Stretching

CEI’s Daily Stretching Routine

Safety Training

Job Skills Training

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