President’s Message

I'm late, the truck needs gas, I just got off the phone with someone who wants something yesterday that won’t arrive until next week, some kid just cut me off and I spilled my coffee all over the truck!

Sometimes, we get so caught up in the fires of the moment that we forget how much we have to be grateful for.  If you can smile through a day like this and be grateful that you have a truck and money to put gas in the tank, have a phone to answer and a customer calling, and can afford to replace that cup of coffee you just spilled, it’s going to be a good day.

No matter what goes wrong, your day is going to be what you make it.  Some people have a gift for gratefulness, they seem to stay positive no matter what the world hands them.  The fact of the matter is that there is always something to be grateful for. 

"I once was distraught because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet." -Unknown

Doesn’t that just say it all?  I am a lucky man.  I am in good health; I have a good business, a nice home, good friends and a wonderful family, and I have the time to do the things I enjoy.  Thanksgiving is a good time to take stock. Hearing the little ones call me “Grandpa” is the moment when I am truly grateful.

When we wake up in the morning and don’t have to dig for breakfast in a trash can, we are lucky.  When we fall asleep at night in a warm bed with a roof over our heads, we are lucky.  We have so much to be grateful for.  Even when it seems that there is nothing to be grateful for, we are lucky. 

Those people who can live in gratitude all the time are the luckiest of all, because no matter how much you have, or don’t have, when you spend your time being grateful for what you do have, instead of being angry about what you don’t have, life is more enjoyable.

So I am determined to stay focused on the positive and I challenge you to do the same.  Focus on what's good in your life, not what's bad.

Let’s both have a great day.

Learn to be Flexible

By Max Ker

Perhaps the most relentless enemy of achievement, personal growth and success is inflexibility.

A friend sent me "The Top Ten Strategies for Dealing with a Dead Horse," which I think is hilarious:

1. Buy a stronger whip.
2. Change riders.
3. Appoint a committee to study the horse.
4. Appoint a team to revive the horse.
5. Send out a memo declaring the horse isn't really dead.
6. Hire and expensive consultant to find " the real problem."
7. Harness several dead horses together for increased speed and efficiency.
8. Rewrite the standard definition of a live horse.
9. Declare the horse to be better, faster and cheaper when dead.
10. Promote the horse to a supervisory position.

I bet you've seen just about every one of these "solutions" enacted in your workplace. But there's really only one effective way to deal with that problem: when your horse is dead, for goodness' sake, dismount and get rid of the horse. You don't have to love change to be successful, but you need to be willing to accept it.

RR Roofing in the Community:  RR Roofing, Proud Sponsors of "Team MakeStrong"

When Nathan Grocholski asked Ron if RR  Roofing would support his paddling team in their first Moloka‘i to Waikiki Race, it was hard to say no.  His spirit and enthusiasm were magnetic and RR Roofing wanted to be a part of their success.

When we asked them how the race went, this is the report we got back:

"The 41 mile stretch between Hale O Lono Harbor on Moloka‘i and Duke Kahanamoku Beach in Waikiki proved to be a grueling one.  With non-ideal conditions in the Kaiwi Channel, teams struggled during this year’s 57th annual Moloka’i Hoe Outrigger Canoe Race.  Team Makestrong of Kai Opua, sponsored by RR Roofing finished a strong 46th place with a time of 5 hours and 58 minutes out of a record 112 boats.  The crew comprised mostly of novice paddlers, was under the coaching of Jerome Kanuha.  They had an amazing start going neck and neck with some of the world’s top crews including a team from New Zealand and a koa canoe from the legendary Lanikai Canoe Club. The race was not only a tremendous accomplishment for this novice crew but it also made memories that will last a lifetime."

Way to go Team Makestrong.

Survey... Survey... Survey

Certified Management invited RR Roofing to sponsor and speak at their Resident Manager’s meeting in October.

There were about 40 RMs in attendance from all of the condominium projects managed by Certified.  It was a great opportunity for us to educate the resident managers about roofs and remind them that the roof is one of those "out of sight, out of mind" items that goes unnoticed until it starts leaking.  In staying proactive and for budgeting purposes, it is better to have a planned maintenance program that keeps you aware of the condition of the roof, rather than having to react to unforeseen emergencies.  By regularly surveying the roof for areas where seals are no longer water tight, or for drains that are not working properly, or where vents and skylights have been damaged, it will help find problem areas before they leak and cause more damage.

At the conclusion of our presentation at the Resident Manager’s meeting, we offered free surveys for all of the buildings. By the time we walked out of the meeting we had a list of nearly 100 buildings to survey. 

We scheduled all of the surveys within the following two weeks and provided reports back to them shortly after.  When all was said and done, most of the repairs on the buildings were minor and we will be able to get the roofs in tip top shape (forgive the pun) pretty easily.

Now, the resident managers and the property managers have information they need to do their job better, and we are ready to assist should they need us.

According to Tammy Segawa of Certified Management, "R & R Roofing provided a wonderful presentation on many Associations greatest expenditure which is the cost to repair and maintain roofing. Many of the RMs were happy with the quick response and free survey that R & R Roofing offers. Thank you for your time and participation at Certified Management quarterly resident managers luncheon."

Thanks to Certified Management for partnering with us to protect the buildings they manage.

A Christmas Advertising Story

By Liz Heiman Zagorodney

Is a New Roof on Your Christmas List this year?  Call RR Roofing today and have your new roof ready for Santa.

Christmas is a great time to market, or is it?  I guess that depends on what you are marketing and how.  Starting some time in October the ads for children’s toys seemed to take over the airways. Target and Walmart Circulars look like a wish list for Santa.  Just about now, the latest and greatest electronic games are released.  Yes, that’s good marketing and the timing is right.  Retailers count on Christmas to provide a substantial part of, if not majority of their sales for the year.

Hawaii is teeming with visitors, so the visitor industry is hard at work enticing guests to spend money with them.  For them, these few months are critical.

What if you are not in retail or hospitality?  Look at your customer and decide.  If it is a slow time for you customers, it might be a good time to get to know them.  If it’s a busy time, and they don’t need your product now, wait until they have time.

For RR Roofing, since people don’t usually give each other new roofs for Christmas, it probably isn’t the best time for a hard-hitting advertising campaign.  On the other hand, we think Christmas Cheer is a really good thing.  So don’t be surprised if we stop by to say "Ho Ho Ho."

Does Your Roof Qualify You for a Tax Credit?

Americans spend billions of dollars annually air-conditioning our homes and place of business.  Not only are we utilizing scarce resources, we are also throwing money out the window.  What would you say if I told you that updating your roof you could help save resources and save on your electric bill?  How you ask? Consider installing an energy efficient roof the next time you need an upgrade.

On February 17, 2009, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law.  This bill significantly affected the energy efficient tax credits and opened it up to all Energy Star labeled metal and asphalt roofs.

Energy Star qualified roof products reflect more of the sun’s rays, lowering the temperature and decreasing the amount of heat transferred into a building.  Thus, Energy Star qualified roof products can help reduce the amount of air conditioning needed in your home or buildings. 

So what roofs qualify?

• Metal roofs with appropriate pigmented coatings
• Asphalt roofs with appropriate cooling granules

Roofs must meet Energy Star requirements to be eligible for the tax credit for roofs. 

The tax credit has recently been raised to 30% of the cost of roofing materials or up to $1,500 in 2009 and 2010.  Installation and labor costs are not eligible for the 30% tax credit.

Landmark Solaris products by CertainTeed, available in Hawaii, are an example of an energy efficient product that meets the criteria set out in the law. 

For more information about this and other energy efficient roofing products, give us a call at 895-0057 or go to www.energystar.com.

The tax credit received and the amount of money saved on your electricity bill could offset the cost of upgrades for your home improvement.