December 2009
BONE DRY ROOFING WELCOMES ABBIE LAWLER

Bone Dry Roofing Company is proud to announce that Abbie Lawler has joined their Athens home office team as Accounting Manager. Mrs. Lawler lives in Maysville Georgia with her husband J.T. Lawler. She is a member of the Maysville Baptist Church and enjoys painting murals with oils as her medium of choice. Abbie has 19 years of accounting experience and she once owned and operated her own small business, The Common Road Bakery. She will be a valuable member of the already strong Bone Dry Roofing administration.

December 2009
BONE DRY REACHING OUT TO A FRIEND IN NEED

On November 29th of this year, Bone Dry Roofing’s co-owner, Travis Webb, received a heart breaking phone call from the wife of former colleague and long time friend, Mark Bryant. Mark’s wife Jennifer, shaken and crying proceeded to explain to Travis that she and their newly blended family were in Macon at the Medical Center of Central Georgia. Mark had fallen from his 18 foot deer stand earlier that day. The outcome looked extremely grim and she had no idea what to do. Because Mark had recently left Bone Dry Roofing and started his own business, his health insurance had yet to gone into effect.

Earlier this year, long time love birds, Mark and Jennifer Bryant were married on Saturday, May 9th at the State Botanical Gardens Day Chapel. As many young couples do, they had been engaged and were planning the wedding of their dreams for quite some time. However, their planning was a bit different from most couples. Only a few months before the nuptials, Jennifer’s niece and nephew, suddenly became a huge factor in their wedding plans. Her 11 year old niece, Angel and her 13 year old brother, Bennie lost their mother and only parent unexpectedly. Fiancées, Mark and Jennifer, stepped right up to the plate. Though only in their early twenties, insisted they assume guardianship of the orphaned children and raise them as their own. So before they were even married they were instantly transformed into a quaint family of four. Both Angel and Bennie had such a tremendous loss in their lives but began flourishing as soon as they were settled with their aunt and uncle.

It was Bennie that witnessed the unfortunate accident in the woods that day in Eatonton Georgia. He and Mark were deer hunting together and was standing at the bottom of the stand when Mark’s pant leg was snagged causing him to fall head first to the ground. Mark recalls lying on the ground and hearing Bennie’s screams for help. At that moment, he knew he had to remain calm for his son’s sake and he also knew that he had broken his neck. Mark instructed Bennie to reach into his pocket for his cell phone. Bennie did just as his new father had asked and called Jennifer’s uncle for help. The authorities were contacted and Mark was taken to the nearest hospital equipped for this sort of accident.

Once at the hospital, the doctors gave Jennifer all the information they could. Many falls like this result in total paralysis or even death but they would need to do surgery before they could make any further predictions. He was stabilized and scheduled for surgery the next day. Throughout the night, Mark was kept heavily sedated and he had thousands of people praying for him. He underwent a 5 ½ hour surgery on both the front and back of his neck. The majority of the damage was inflicted to the 6th and 7th vertebrate with one of those having to be completely reconstructed from a bone graph from his hip. The other was fitted with plates and screws and they were able to stabilize his neck. As the doctors came from the operating room, they reported that there was damage to the spinal cord, but the degree of the damage was still unknown. They began slowly bringing him out of anesthesia and planned to watch how he progressed.

With the holidays fast approaching and the undeniable need to help in anyway, both BDR owners, Travis Webb and Chad Collins, decided to start a fund to help ease the financial burden of what was to be.

Mark is a very proud young man and would be devastated knowing that his accident could affect the kid’s Christmas negatively or that his new bride would worry about medical bills over the gas bill. The thought that he would never walk or move again simply never entered his mind. He was only thinking of his family and with upmost determination began moving his fingers and toes just hours after the surgery. As updates came in from Jennifer, the team of Bone Dry heard he had sat in a chair then later had walked 100 feet with help from a medical crew. Less than two weeks later Mark was at home being cared for by Jennifer and is expected to make a full recovery.

We all here at Bone Dry Roofing Company adore Mark Bryant and his family. We realize how very blessed we are to have Mark as a friend and among all of us during this year’s Christmas. We cannot change that this happened to our dear friend but we have wanted to do anything in our individual power to help ease the inconvenience it has caused. Mark is young and strong and he has a close and happy family. God has blessed him over and over. The medical bills are enormous and he will require his wife’s assistance around the clock for many months ahead. A collaboration of good friends and many prayers have led us to start the Mark Bryant Assistance Fund through Wachovia Bank in Athens Georgia in hopes that God will continue to bless the Bryant Family.

If you or someone you know is interested in helping the Mark, Jennifer, Bennie and Angel you may make a donation check payable to the Mark Bryant Assistance Fund. The donations can be mailed to the Athens branch of Bone Dry Roofing Company or can be deposited into the Wachovia account (number #1010259356620) at your local bank branch.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and May God Bless you in everything you do!

November 2009
BONE DRY ROOFING RESTORES HISTORY

Bone Dry Roofing Company has been selected to perform the roof replacement on the Jackson County Courthouse renovation project. The existing roofing materials will be removed down to the original roof deck and a new Terne metal roof system manufactured by Follansbee Steel will be installed to restore the roof ‘s integrity that it once had at resurrection in 1869. Many of the neoclassical details on the roof and clock tower will be restored to their original condition based on old photographs and historically accurate records. The Jackson County Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places 19 years ago, on September 18, 1980. Bone Dry completed the historical renovation of the Henry County Courthouse in 2007, which was a similar project in scope. The Henry County Courthouse is the third oldest courthouse in the state of Georgia, built in 1897 and restored in 1980. The Henry County Courthouse was inducted to the National Register of Historic Places later that same year. In order for a facility to be registered with the National Register of Historic Places the buildings must meet a strict criterion. The structures must embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period and method of construction which Bone Dry Roofing Company is taking great strides to uphold while installing the new roof. The project is expected to reach completion by early next year.

November 2009
BONE DRY ROOFING ANNOUNCES WEBB JOINS THE BOARD OF R.S.M.C.A.

Travis Webb, co-owner of Bone Dry Roofing Company has been elected to a four year term with the RSMCA (Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association) of Georgia. Webb was elected to this position by other roofing contractors and associate members throughout the state and will serve as president of the association in year 4 of his term. The Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association of Georgia was established in 1950 to serve the needs of the roofing industry by providing information on products, installation techniques, government regulations, building and energy codes and other topics of importance. The Association has worked to encourage professionalism in all aspects of the trade. Bone Dry Roofing Company is extremely proud to announce Travis’s affiliation and contribution to the organization.

October 2009
COLLINS SET SAIL ON U.S.S. SEQUOIA PRESIDENTIAL YACHT

Chad Collins, co-owner of Bone Dry Roofing Company recently began his second year of a three year term on the executive board of directors for the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA). Collins just returned from Washington DC and the Fall Committee meetings with the NRCA. During his stay in our nation’s capitol, Collins and wife, Sabrina, were among 45 guests who spent an evening dining aboard the Presidential Yacht, U.S.S. Sequoia.

The event is a fundraiser for ROOFPAC, and the Yacht is laden with history. U.S.S. Sequoia is currently in private ownership after having been sold at auction under the Carter administration in 1977 as a symbolic cutback. The buyer paid $270,000 for the yacht on July 1, 1977. In November 2004, the US Congress voted and passed a bill to appropriate $2 million to repurchase the Sequoia but in 2006 the purchase was vetoed in another bill and so the U.S.S. Sequoia remains in private hands today.

The Sequoia Presidential Yacht is a fully restored, 104-foot, 1925 Trumpy-designed yacht that has served more than nine Presidents. It is thus not a surprise that Congress designated the Sequoia a National Historic Landmark. This is perhaps the most important piece of Americana in private hands, and it may be the most famous vessel in America. The Sequoia was the scene of some of America’s most historic events. It was used during the Harding administration to enforce Prohibition; Herbert Hoover promoted his use of the Sequoia during the Depression in a misguided effort to elevate the spirit of a starving public; FDR and Eisenhower planned D-day; Truman decided to drop the bomb on Hiroshima and later conducted the world’s first nuclear arms control summit; Eisenhower entertained Korean War veterans; Kennedy celebrated his 46th birthday; Nixon negotiated the first arms control treaty with the Soviet Union, and later decided to resign; Gerald Ford conducted cabinet meetings on board; President Ronald W. Reagan met all the nation’s 50 Governors at the Sequoia’s gangplank in Richmond, Virginia.

ROOFPAC, the federally registered political action committee (PAC) of NRCA, is dedicated to supporting pro-business candidates for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

September 2009
BONE DRY ROOFING WORKING WITH UGA

Bone Dry Roofing Company has recently been selected to perform the roofing installation for two major projects at the University of Georgia- The Butts Mehre Expansion project with general contractor Brasfield and Gorrie and the new Residence Hall at East Campus Village with Juneau Construction. Both projects are underway and will be completed in 2010. The expansion of the Butts Mehre building will include new indoor training facilities, a weight room, as well as additional administrative offices and a large multi-purpose area. Opening in the fall of 2010, the East Campus residence will offer non-first year and undergraduate student rooms with both single and double occupancy. The new building will be the first residential hall on UGA’s campus to provide a set of standards for environmentally sustainable construction and maintenance, thus will be granted LEED certification. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System defines the hall as one that will be a healthier living environment and an energy efficient structure built with strategies that save money and impact on the environment.

July 2009
BONE DRY ROOFING WORKING WITH UGA

Athens based commercial roofing contractor, Bone Dry Roofing Company, was recently awarded two roof projects at the University of Georgia. The Ramsey Center roof replacement project and The College of Veterinary Medicine-Small Animal roof replacement will both begin in the next few weeks. Bone Dry is currently performing roofing services for the Phase I Renovation of the Fine Arts Building on campus as well. These projects add to a long list of successful projects that Bone Dry Roofing has performed for The Board of Regents in recent years, including the roof replacement of: Connor Hall, Joe Brown Hall, Marine Science, and College of Veterinary Medicine main building among others. The current roof replacement projects will run through the summer months and into early fall.

Owner’s Message

2007 saw a special project come to fruition for Bone Dry Roofing Company.  The Sparrow’s Nest Mission Church is a local ministry that serves the Athens community through a variety of outreach ministries.  Sparrow’s Nest is a non-profit, Christ centered ministry that seeks to change lives through the power of God and nurturing relationships.  By creatively meeting the needs of the at-risk population, they build trust, which is the doorway to hope and transformation.     

The Sparrow’s Nest operates out of the old Piedmont College building on Prince Avenue.  Over the past several months, it became apparent that the existing roof system(s) had deteriorated past the point of repair and would need to be replaced.  The financial hurdle of having to pay for over 8000 square feet of roof replacement was too much for the organization to overcome.  Through a series of conversations and prayerful requests, Bone Dry Roofing Company was able to replace the roof on the facility at no cost to the ministry.  With the help of the local Marine Corps detachment office, who volunteered labor services for removal of the old roof system, a new, ballasted EPDM roof system was installed.

Local businesses Georgia Ground Cover and Allied Waste Services also made significant contributions to the project by providing the roof ballast and disposal services at no cost to the owner.  Their willingness to participate in such a meaningful way allowed this project to be possible.

Allowing the organization to focus on its ministry rather than be side-tracked by the cost of such a large-scale project was important to our company. If just one person is impacted eternally by the outreach provided by the Sparrow’s Nest, then our contribution was worthwhile.  We are grateful for the opportunity to work with people like Ken Daniel, Earl Delmarter, Lt. Col. Seth Hathaway, and everyone who participated in this project. 

In addition, Bone Dry Roofing Company is in the process of setting up a not-for-profit organization called Roof Top Ministries.  This organization will be used to provide similar services for individuals and organizations whose focus is on outreach ministry and who are unable to afford roof related expenses.