Dick Fricklas, researcher, author, journalist, and educator, died July 27 in his home in Centennial, CO, after a long illness. His roofing career started in 1957 as an R&D chemist for Johns-Manville and as a development chemist for Riegel Paper Corp. He returned to JM in 1964 and joined its roofing division, receiving a patent for a fire-rated vapor retarder. He also worked with FM Global and UL on fire-rated roof systems. In 1972, he completed his master’s degree in physical chemistry at Rutgers University. Fricklas helped JM develop and present programs for its Built-up Roofing Systems Institute (BURSI) and took over the program. In 1978, he was invited to be the first technical director of the Roofing Industry Educational Institute (RIEI). He retired from RIEI in 1996 but remained active in the industry, writing technical instruction for the Corps of Engineers and coauthoring the third and fourth editions of the Manual of Low-Slope Roof Systems. He also helped RCI with curriculum development and wrote columns for RCI Interface, RSI, and Buildings magazines. He received many awards from RCI: Lifetime Achievement Award, Fellow of RCI, William Correll Award, and Denver Chapter Lifetime Membership. Other industry awards included ASTM’s William C. Cullen, Walter C. Voss, and Honorary Member awards; CRCA’s Lifetime Achievement; NRCA’s J.A. Piper Award; IRWC’s Lifetime Achievement, Educational Foundation, and Outstanding Achievement awards; BURSI’s Outstanding Contributions award; and MRCA’s James Q. McCawley Award. Dick is survived by his wife Anita, three children, and seven grandchildren.
Joe Russo died on July 31, 2016, after a one-year battle with cancer. An RCI member since September 2001, Joe was active with the RCI Puget Sound Chapter, serving as its president in 2009. Director of Architectural Services for Malarkey Roofing Products in the Seattle area, Joe was a Registered Roof Consultant. His career started as a shingler, then hot crew, foreman, superintendent, estimator, consultant, technical manager, and sales manager. He and his wife Jackie enjoyed travel, and he managed a 2015 jaunt to Antarctica to cross off the final continent on his bucket list.
Shawn LeCrone, RRO, CD, recently joined PBK as a senior project manager in the Facility Consulting Group.
Brian Glover, RRO, is now a department manager at Pie Consulting & Engineering.
John Aleksic, RRC, RRO, CDT, is now with Unified Building Sciences, Inc.
REI Engineers, an employee-owned engineering firm with offices in NC, SC, FL and VA announces the acquisition of Hentz Engineering of Virginia Beach.
Hentz Engineering founder and President Steve Hentz, RRC, REWC, RWC, RBEC, PE, CDT, will provide leadership for this endeavor, which will continue to operate under the Hentz Engineering brand.
REI Engineers President Scott Hinesley, RRC, PE, sees this strategic partnership as, “a tremendous opportunity that joins two established firms with common philosophies to enhance the technical capability and geographic reach for providing roofing, waterproofing, and building envelope engineering and consulting services throughout the eastern United States.”
Additional information can be found at www.reiengineers.com
