Extending building life starts with education and training

By Emma Peterosn. 

Why owner education, contractor training and proactive planning are just as important as the materials themselves when it comes to extending the life of a structure. 

As markets and budgets stay tight, finding affordable ways to extend the lifespan of a building has become the biggest priority for many property managers and facility owners. To learn how partnering with the right manufacturer is key to delivering durable, worry-free structures, we hosted Rick Johnson of Tremco CPG for an episode of Roofing Road Trips®. 

When it comes to extending the lifespan of a structure, education and training are key. Rick explained, “Owner education is important. A lot of people defer maintenance, but deferred maintenance can be one of the worst things for a structure. The longer things get deferred, the bigger the challenge it is when you actually get around to restoring the structure, and the more expensive it gets.” He continued, “The other big thing is training. Contractors need to have the knowledge and expertise to pick the right products and install them correctly in order for a maintenance plan to succeed.”  

And for both of these factors, owner education and contractor training, Tremco is ready to help. On the owner education front, Tremco’s team can organize meetings to help contractors explain the importance of this maintenance. Rick shared: 

We can arrange meetings with the owner, the engineers and the contractors to discuss the unique challenges of the project and build a plan for how the structure is going to be restored and maintained... And not only is this good to get the project started, it’s also a really good way to build an expectation with the owner so that they understand what’s going on and what needs to happen to succeed. 

As for the contractor training aspect, the Tremco team works to provide all the training that a crew needs to succeed. Rick elaborated, “We have training facilities across North America. And the whole reason is that we want to train contractors so that they have project success and we as a product manufacturer have less issues after installation.” He went on, “I say all the time, ‘If we're meeting after the job is complete, we're all losing money. Let's talk about it before it's done and make sure everybody's trained up so we can have a quality installation which leads to a great project and a happy owner.’” 

In these ways, Tremco showcases how working with the right manufacturer is about more than just products; it’s about maximizing building performance, reducing long-term costs and creating more successful projects. 

Listen to the whole episode or Watch the recording on YouTube to learn more!