percent increase in commercial walls, and a 20. 7 percent
increase in institutional walls,
according to a 2010 study by
FMI Corp. of Raleigh, N.C.
“The real measure of suc-
cess for me is when you see
that metal roofing, or metal
wall cladding, has been adapted
as a part of a recognition fac-
tor,” Peterson says. “Cabella’s
green metal roof — it’s a distinctive
feature that’s difficult to obtain with
asphalt shingle. And it brings sustain-
ability, life-cycle results and adds to
corporate identity, like IHOP’s blue metal
roofing.”
Last year, MCA gained seven members, even
amid news of the dues restructuring.
“Professionally, we’re competitors,” Irwin says. “But I
have gained a lot of personal relationships through MCA. We
go on motorcycling trips, hockey trips… We never talk busi-
ness, unless it’s something that’s advantageous to the indus-
try.”
MCA staff is evaluating whether and how to start a blog on
which member companies can alternate sharing insights from
the marketplace.
The presentations made at heavy-hitter meetings are going
to be made into online learning opportunities so that building
owners, or whoever is interested, don’t have to wait on a formal MCA gathering to start gathering information.
“We’ve learned from this that there are times we’ve communicated about our successes, and other times we’ve been
quiet. We have to make sure our members know exactly
what’s going on,” Ristau says.
“Was it a thought, pulling back? Yes. But marketing is a
long-term commitment,” Bus adds. “People are engaged and
heavily involved now. I don’t ever want TMI to lose its focus.”
Engle agrees: “We’re in a ship with all oars going in the
same direction at the same time now.”
The Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Ill., sports a no-nonsense patina of a hospital roof.
More than 37,000 square feet of gray galvalume metal
covers the roof of the church, whose design has won multiple
awards.
“I must say that, while I have always been enamored with
the opportunities that metal presents in the process of design
because of its inherent durability and its malleable nature,
there is always the sense that all products and materials have
limitations,” McHenry says. “The way we were able to use
metal on the compound curves of this roof while maintaining
the weatherproof barrier suggests that the limitations in what
metal can do are, as yet, beyond the limits of our imagina-
tion.”
Verrastro’s firm used metal panels to blend with the stone
of a 1935-era elementary school, successfully adding longev-
ity to a community treasure. Metal panels have been used
inside schools, too, as shower partitions or cafeteria dividers.
“It is fun to design with metal,” Verrastro says. “The
world is our oyster in terms of shape and color and size. It
can almost be like LEGOs, how you can plug pieces in and
put things together creatively.”
Central Los Angeles High School No. 9, a school focused
on the visual and performing arts, is an example of an ambi-
tious use of metal, reflecting the creativity of the campus
with buildings that look like sculptures.
“With most schools, it’s hard to tell if you are coming to
a high school or a post office,” says Alcoa’s Peterson. “The
Metal Initiative is making people aware of the opportunity to
do something different.”
Susan Besze Wallace is a freelance writer and author living in Northern
Virginia, and may be reached at
susan.wallace@live.com.
Lessons
What does success look like to those captaining and investing in The Metal Initiative? For some, it’s getting a call from
someone met in a heavy-hitter meeting: new business.
The statistics encourage as well: During the past five years
a 17 percent increase in the use of metal in commercial roofing, a 25. 7 percent increase in institutional roofing, a 22. 7
THE OCTOBER 2011 SIGNATURE STORY features the Eastern Association for
the Surgery of Trauma, founded 25 years ago with a very specific audience
in mind: the younger trauma surgeon. Being volunteer-managed for many
years, in 2007 EAST leadership decided to hire its first full-time, centrally
located, trained association professional to continue leading this young, ambitious group in the right direction. EAST is a 501 (c)( 6) organization with one
full-time staff person and nearly 1,300 members. For more information, visit
www.east.org.
