For a little over a decade, the Metal Roofing Alliance (MRA) has successfully promoted residential metal roofing to consumers and contractors. The MRA has created a market that didn’t exist ten years ago and has educated homeowners and contractors about the many benefits of residential metal roofing. The program has generated hundreds of thousands of consumer leads for contractor follow-up. In fact, the MRA’s consistent national marketing program is one of the few that is actually creating demand for steel.
The Metal Roofing Alliance is a great source for effective and efficient support for your business, and can provide you the tools you need to be successful. MRA offers free webinars to provide additional information to contractors. For example, the "MRA 101" webinar covers the benefits of being a member contractor with the MRA and how you can take advantage of these services.
We encourage all contractors to participate - whether you’re a long-time member in need of a refresher, someone who has been debating membership, or are brand-new and looking to find out how the MRA can help your metal roofing business. For information, or to register for an upcoming webinar, please email Rebecca at Rebecca@MetalRoofing.com, or call 410-534-6900. According to a 2008 study performed by McGraw-Hill Construction and Analytics, metal roofing now represents 11 percent of the re-roofing market. When MRA began its national marketing campaign in 1998, metal only comprised four percent of the market. The survey findings also projected that residential metal roofing demand would increase to 1.4 million squares for new construction in 2009 and 13.4 million squares for repair and remodeling. The opportunity is vast.
"We've all seen declining home values, and when a consumer is faced with the need to reroof their home, it makes sense to go with the roof that adds value and other benefits to the home,” states Todd Miller, president of Classic Products and a founding member of the MRA. "The MRA has done a terrific job of promoting the concept of 'Investment grade roofing.' Consumers understand the value of investing in a long-term solution."
For the past decade, the MRA has focused on the replacement market, not new construction. We’ve always recognized that the potential for growth would come from existing homes. As a result, our integrated marketing efforts have targeted homeowners who are re-roofing their homes. Roofing is a need, not a want. Good economy or bad, when a homeowner has a leaking roof, it needs to be addressed.
"Without question, the MRA program has been a huge success and all indicators point to continued growth in the re-roof market," stated Bill Hippard, President of the MRA. "Because the real estate market is soft right now, many homeowners have been forced to put off selling their homes. When a homeowner makes the decision to stay, renovation and improvement projects take center stage. A homeowner can wait to update a kitchen; they can’t put off replacing a damaged or leaking roof."
Tom Black, Executive Director of the Metal Roofing Alliance answers frequently asked questions about the use of metal roofing in residential applications.
