Northern Virginia Roofing was not prepared to tackle a job that required replacing 40,000 square feet of roofing by itself.  John and Kimberly Francis, working with the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), identified roofing material manufacturers and roofing contractors across the country that would be willing to help. The industry’s response was heartening.

Protective Roofing Products Ltd., a Canadian family-owned guardrail manufacturer, offered a $20,000 discount on the guardrails for the job and flew staff to Washington, D.C., to make sure the guardrails were installed properly.

The Home Depot responded by donating all the lumber for the sheathing—a value approaching $100,000.

Warrior Roofing Manufacturing Inc., Tuscaloosa, Ala., donated the underlayment.

Evergreen Slate Co. LLC, Granville, N.Y., offered a significant discount on all the slate.

The Copper Development Association arranged for a substantial amount of copper sheet to be provided.

Follansbee Steel, Follansbee, W. Va., agreed to donate the terne-coated stainless steel.

W.R. Grace & Co., Cambridge, Mass., donated the Ice and Water Shield and sent employees to the job site to help with installation problems.

Many other domestic material manufacturers and contractors either donated their products and labor or provided deep discounts. NRCA members stepped up to volunteer their labor, especially for carpentry and slate work. Volunteers came pouring in from across the country and around the world. Many members of NRCA who could not spare laborers made financial contributions.