Posts From February, 2019

Solar Confidence in Commercial Construction

How One Oregon Contractor Lowered Operating Costs & Elevated Design with CertainTeed’s Solstice® Shingle
Solar Confidence in Commercial Construction
Written by: Andrew Wickham, the Senior Director of Solar Products at CertainTeed, where he leads the development of innovative solar roofing and energy solutions for residential and commercial applications. Project: New office building, Sarmiento’s Roofing, Oregon | Building Type: New-construction commercial office (~11,000 sq. ft.) | Solar / Roofing Contractor: Sarmiento’s Roofing, LLC |Solution Provider: CertainTeed The Project In 2024, Sarmiento’s Roofing, LLC completed a brand-new, 11,000-square-foot, wood-frame office, showroom and shop in Salem, Oregon. For owner Santiago Sarmiento, the roof was more than a building component, it was a proving ground. As a roofing and solar contractor, he wanted his own facility to showcase where the industry is heading: integrated solar roofing that looks like a traditional roof, protects like a premium roofing system, and delivers real energy savings. A major motivator came from Oregon’s rapidly changing energy landscape.... read more
 

The Flashing Yellow Arrow

Ongoing education is essential for keeping up with what's going on in your industry, and not getting stuck at that blinking light.
The Flashing Yellow Arrow
Back in 2013 I was working on a project in Tucson, Arizona. One day as I was driving around town, I got into a left turn lane on a green light and waited for an opening. To my surprise, the light went from green to a flashing yellow arrow - something I had never seen before. Cars were honking behind me and I just sat there while the light turned red. If you’re judging me right now, go ahead. To my defense, I grew up on an island that had ZERO stop lights and only a handful of stop signs. I later discovered that the Federal Highway Administration had passed some type of ordinance in 2009 “authorizing the use of flashing yellow arrows nationwide.” And just so you know, there are areas in SW Louisiana that JUST made the switch in late 2018. Later that same day while reflecting on that incident, I knew I should have instinctively known what to do on that flashing yellow light. But it also made me think...driving is something I did almost every single day but I hadn’t studied or read ... read more