The Coffee Shops welcome RICOWI Inc.

The Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues, Inc. is a nonprofit focused on addressing and identifying technical issues related to wind damage on roofing.  

The Coffee Shops, the award-winning online communities where the industries meet for technologies, safety, information and education for the construction trades of roofing, metal, coatings, are pleased to welcome the The Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues (RICOWI) Inc. into their community. 

RICOWI was founded in the 1990s and focuses on providing non-biased research related to how roofing systems perform during and after harsh weather events such as wind, hail and fire. Through the application of this research, this nonprofit promotes the development and refinement of industry standards that benefit both consumers and industry professionals. Overall, they are working to overcome a lack of communication within the roofing industry surrounding what weather-related problems exist, what can be done to mitigate the damage of these events and how the information needed to do this can be shared throughout the building community. They are assisted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, their banner organization. 

Currently, their mission is visible in its main program that RICOWI is currently implementing, the Storm Investigation Program (SIP). The purpose of this program is to investigate the performance of roofs after hurricane and hailstorm events. From there, RICOWI’s team works to factually describe the research and report the results formally.  

RICOWI is committed to using this data to identify places where building codes and roof designs can be improved. Further, they aim to use reports and multimedia presentations that will help educate the industry and public about what causes both steep- and low-slope roofs to perform or fail in severe hailstorms or windstorms. 

The Coffee Shops are proud to welcome the RICOWI Inc.!