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Billish’s career began in the early 1970s. He worked first as an apprentice roofer with James Mansfield Roofing in Lyons, IL. By 1978, he was a foreman. He later moved to Esko & Young Roofing in Chicago, where he worked as a roofing/waterproofing estimator and project manager. Eventually, he started his own business, Crawford Roofing & Maintenance, which he sold in 2011.
Billish joined RCI on October 19, 1987, and has been an active member until his recent retirement. He was approved as an emeritus member on December 9, 2015. This prestigious status is awarded to those professionals who have been members in good standing for at least 20 years, have reached the age of 70 years, and have been recommended for such status by documented application to the secretary of RCI, Inc.
One of the original founders and a charter member of CAC-RCI in 2002, Billish has been actively involved with the chapter. He has served as its director, secretary, treasurer, vice president, president, and immediate past president.
Billish is a Registered Roof Consultant (RRC) and Registered Roof Observer (RRO) with RCI, Inc., and Construction Document Technologist (CDT) with the Construction Specifications Institute.
The Chicago Area Chapter of RCI (CAC-RCI) hosted an annual winter meeting for the 14th consecutive year on Wednesday, January 18, 2017, at “Hamburger University” on the corporate campus of McDonald’s in Oak Brook, Illinois. A record-setting attendance of 114 consultants, roofing contractors, architects, engineers, facility managers, and manufacturers participated in the one-day program. Featured were four technical presentations totaling 6.0 continuing education hours (CEHs), and three informational update presentations.
Eleven table-top exhibitors included: Carlisle Syntec, Chicago Roofing Contractors Association (CRCA), Division 7-23 Group, International Leak Detection, Insulfoam, Siplast, SJ Mallein (Firestone), Sto Corp., Tecta America, TuffWrap, and USG Securock, who all displayed their respective materials and systems. As with previous years’ programs, CAC-RCI coordinated its efforts with The Chicago Roofing Contractors Association (CRCA), which was holding its 34th Annual Trade Show at the nearby Drury Lane Conference Center over the following two days. A number of CRCA members attended the RCI program, and CAC-RCI members attended the CRCA’s Architects/Engineers/Consultants Breakfast Seminar the next morning, followed by the CRCA Trade Show.
The morning’s second topic, by Laverne Dalgleish with the Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA), was “Achieving High Performance Air Barrier Systems: Materials, Codes, Installation, and Site Quality Control.” Dalgleish first distinguished differences between air barriers and vapor retarders, a key difference being the necessity for sealed continuity with an air barrier. He then discussed seven commonly used air barrier materials, along with installation issues unique to each type, and methods of field testing and inspection of work in-progress and after completion. In conclusion, he outlined the nine components of a quality installation, as suggested by ABAA.
CRCA Executive Director Bill McHugh described the activities planned for this year’s trade show and the technical seminar topics.
The fourth presentation of the day, by James Ortega with Passive House Institute US (PHIUS), was titled “Introduction to WUFI Passive.” WUFI Passive is a software program developed by Fraunhofer IBP, PHIUS, and Owens-Corning to combine passive building energy modeling with WUFI’s well-known hygrothermal analysis capabilities. Ortega provided an overview of the software, associated outputs, and heat balance calculations. The presentation also included an overview of “passive” building, in which defined design principles are used to attain extremely energy-efficient buildings. Ortega presented a case study in which WUFI Passive software was used to design a single-family house that attained PHIUS + Certification. Whole building air leakage testing performed immediately after construction confirmed that stringent air leakage requirements were met, a key to achieving the required building performance.
After the conclusion of the afternoon’s technical sessions, President Jeff Button convened a brief CAC-RCI Annual General Meeting before turning over the president’s gavel to John Dashner. The next CAC-RCI program is scheduled for Friday, May 19 in the Oak Brook, IL area, with two technical presentations totaling 2.0 CEHs – topics to be determined. The proceedings then adjourned to the CAC Building Envelope Foundation’s Second Annual Cocktail Reception.
President: Ron Kinne Vice President: Joe Sobas Secretary: Jim Markiewicz Treasurer: Rick Bresso Professional Director: Mark Breitner Professional Director: Paul Majkowski Professional Director: Jeff Scott Professional Director: Natalie Thompson Industry Director: Sue Baumberger Industry Director: Terry Owens
Upcoming Chapter events are shown below. Mark your calendars now! 2/9 – Winter Technical Session 4/20 – Spring Technical Session 5/22 – Chapter Putting Contest sponsorship at the SMRCA golf outing 9/11 – Chapter Benefit Golf Outing 10/12 – Fall Technical Session 12/7 – Annual Banquet & Membership Meeting
Details will be sent to the membership well in advance of all scheduled events.
Volunteers are important to any organization. If you would like to help, please contact chapter President Ron Kinne at 734-591-4444 or rkinne@rtaltd.com.
In January of 2017, the Iowa Chapter of RCI, Inc. partnered with the Iowa Roofing Contractors Association (IRCA) to host an annual educational conference in Ames, IA. This is the third year that the associations have come together to provide a top-notch lineup of industry experts. The topics were not only specific to roofing and waterproofing trades, but also to anyone who is involved in design, testing, and construction as a whole. The attendees heard presentations on Department of Energy (Oak Ridge Laboratories) sponsored research, leak detection methods for roofs, wind modeling and changes to ASCE 7-2016 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, as well as updates to energy code adoption and updates within the State of Iowa. The Iowa Chapter of RCI appreciates the annual opportunity to partner with the contractors’ association. This event has proven to be a productive meeting for all members of our local building envelope community.
The Mid Atlantic Chapter (MAC) held its annual dinner meeting on January 14, 2016, at Wildfire Grill in Tysons Corner, VA. This is the same venue as last year’s event, where the food, wine, atmosphere, and attendance were all amazing! Thirty-eight members and guests were in attendance to meet the new chapter board members, thank outgoing President Steve Bentz for his dedication to the chapter, and discuss the chapter’s upcoming 2017 slate of events and educational seminars.
Michael Williams, first vice president of RCI, Inc. summarized RCI, Inc. news and the 2017 event calendar. Walter Rossiter of RCI Foundation, Inc. (RCIF) spoke about the upcoming RCIF silent auction and ongoing scholarship efforts. Michael Violette, Region I Director and Mid-Atlantic Chapter Scholarship Chair, also spoke.
2016 was an impressive year for the Mid Atlantic Chapter, which, together with its Blue Ridge Branch, hosted six educational events offering a total of 34 RCI, Inc. Continuing Education Hours. The chapter looks forward to more of the same in 2017. Their first-quarter educational seminar for 2017 will be held on March 30 in Manassas, Virginia. Venue information, speakers, and registration will be posted to the Mid Atlantic Chapter website shortly. The chapter is currently accepting submissions for presentations for this seminar and others throughout the 2017 calendar year.
For more information about these events or other chapter information, visit the Mid Atlantic Chapter website at www.rcimidatlantic.org, or contact Matt Schofield at secretary@rcimidatlantic.org, or Steven Bohlen at president@rcimidatlantic.org.
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