The Truth Part 2

I will reveal all about the “fight” I have been having with this Public Corporation. This has been devastating to me personally and to my family. The business I started 30 years ago was destroyed. This standing seam roof supplier had been selling me this particular roof for more than a decade. In fact I first bought and installed this roof in 1986. I have bought more than a million sf of this standing seam. In the year ending June 2008 it was in excess of 500,000 sf. This is the only Standing Seam Roof I installed on every Self Storage Building I designed and sold. I personally installed over  one million sf of this roof. I am not a salesman, I was a working contractor.

Many Metal Building suppliers knocked on my office door and tried to get my business but I remained loyal to this one manufacture. This manufacture permits other manufactures to make this roof and sell it under their respective trade names. The roof I purchased was a Structural Standing Seam Roof specified to meet ASTM E 1514 recommenced slope of 1/4:12. I am not an engineer but every detail of my buildings had a design structural engineer and all building were designed to pass local building codes. In 30 years I sold and built buildings in most every state in the country and in Canada. This supplier always knew where these roofs were going as I had conversations with their plant sales manager, inside sales manager and out side sales manager almost on a daily basis. This roof was sold to me and every one else in the country since 1983 as a hydrostatic roof or water tight.

Imagine my shock when suddenly in 2011 this public company publicly stated that this roof was never a hydrostatic roof and was only a water shedding roof or hydro kinetic. This public company also stated that it does not “follow” MBMA Roof System Manual, FEMA definition of Water tight and water shedding roofs, not even the National Roofing Contractors standards.

I live in Oklahoma and as fate would have it the original IAS test lab is till in business in Tulsa Oklahoma and the main developer of the roof is still in business ( has many roof patents) and lives in Edmond Oklahoma. Also one of the original “investors” in developing this roof is one of the most respected men in the history of the Metal Building Industry. I have spoke in great length many times with these men and have had this conversations authenticated by other individuals. This roof was developed to compete with the Butler MR 24 which is hydrostatic. One of the individual told me he built a tank and submerged the panel in water and that the roof was hydrostatic. Why would you spend enormous amounts of money to develop a roof to compete with Butler MR 24 and it not also be a hydrostatic roof ?

Now for the best or should I say worst. The President and corporate officer of this division of the Public Corporation said that his roof needs no sealant in the side laps to work or pass any test. Now that is contrary to the International Building Code and the ICC. Also even their own manual.

I ran the ASTM tests found in their manual under qualifications and specifications. I had an IAS independent test lab perform the tests. This roof failed every test.

I contacted this Public Company’s independent engineer. He emailed me that 1/4:12 is hydrostatic and anyone who says it isn’t is insane and that he uses ASTM 2140 ( industry standard) when he is hired to test low sloped roofs.

I was destroyed by this company because I was “TOLD” that if I did not use my influence and make my customers put “Tape” on all the side laps then this Public Corporation would destroy me and put me out of business. That is the only words that turned out to be true. No one can stand alone against a Billion Dollar Corporation owned by a 20 Billion Dollar Private Equity Wall Street Firm. These type of entities buy the “truth” with very expensive law firms. The truly sad part is this was not about business. It was personal because I dared to defy the President of this division. I know it was personal because in September of 2008 I went to this law firm and met with the president and vice president of this Public Company along with their lead attorney, their general counsel, their attorney from Tulsa Oklahoma. With me was my son and business attorney. I told the President of this division of the Public Corporation how to fix the problem and it wouldn’t cost anything. This man wanted to put a team together to investigate the problem. I agreed, my team would be my son, and two men who I trusted. One man was a former plant manager of this company and the other was a 50 year veteran of the industry who would rather punch you than lie to you. His job for over 50 years was trouble shooting problems for Metal Building Companies and Roofing. I knew I was listening to BS when their vice president told me the reason the roofs were leaking was we used an industrial grade screw gun to install the S-5 wind clamps and that was wrong. He said we were to use only a torque wrench. He said the panel was crimped. He should probably read the instruction manual.The manual says to use an industrial grade screw gun and S-5 provides the attachment for the screw gun. As I said at the beginning I am not a salesman I am or was a working contractor and installer. I may be an OKIE but I know BS when I hear it.