On the Roof With… Molly Meyer, Joe DiNorscia, Ed Jarger, and Dave MacKenzie
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The Covid-19 Pandemic has impacted businesses in many different ways – some have thrived while others have failed. Within the green roof and wall industry, there are a wide variety of businesses. We asked four prominent Green Roof Industry leaders representing different aspects of the industry to share their thoughts about adapting to the Covid-19 Pandemic and the future of the industry:
Molly Meyer, President, Omni-Ecosystems
Joe Di Norscia, President, Skyland USA
Dave MacKenzie, President, LiveRoof Global
Ed Jarger, General Sales and Marketing Manager, American Hydrotech
LAM: How has the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic impacted your business thus far, and what measures have you taken to respond?
Molly Meyer (MM): Like most businesses, Omni Ecosystems has felt the impact of the pandemic over the last year. We were lucky to have received a PPP loan from the Small Business Administration last April, and we are incredibly grateful for those resources. We strategically coupled PPP funds with other non-employee-related budget changes to keep staff fully employed and compensated by way of cutting expenses and diversifying our revenue streams. These efforts enabled Omni to successfully make it through 2020 without reducing headcount, without furloughing any staff members, and without cutting any salaries — facts we are proud to state. The tides of both the construction and design industries fluctuated throughout the year, but while some projects were delayed, all of our teams - supply, design, construction, and stewardship - continued to work diligently throughout the pandemic.
Joe DiNorscia (JD): Overall business was affected during the early months when most metro areas were shut down which of course is where many green roof projects happen. Since that time, as things opened up, business has been for the most part back to normal. From a positive standpoint it has proven that our team can be as effective working from home then having a formal office space. This will have us rethinking (and possibly saving) whether or not formal office space is even needed.
Ed Jarger (EJ): We weathered the pandemic pretty well these last 12 months, but it wasn’t easy. A good deal of energy was spent dealing with the complications that came with it, but we’re looking toward better days ahead. We haven’t lost sight of the need to innovate and that’s where we’ve been focused.
Dave MacKenzie (DM): It’s caused us to shuffle the deck in terms of how we engage each other, customers and suppliers—more remote of course. This has put a premium on methods of communication that previously may not have been our preferred methods.
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LAM: Where do you see the greatest opportunities for growth in the green roof and/or wall industry as we emerge from the Pandemic?
JD: Besides the normal advantages of green roofs, we continue to see amenity space becoming more the norm for green roofs.
EJ: We believe the biggest opportunities in the roofing market will revolve around expanding the use of a building’s roof space. Roofs have been tasked to do more than just keep a structure watertight. Amenity decks provide value to the building owner and are sought by tenants of not just multi-family structures but at their office workplaces as well. Roofs are also seen as a viable option to conventional methods of handling stormwater retention/detention requirements that the civil engineer is tasked to address. Blue roofs and other hybrid solutions are driving innovation today and many times a vegetated roof is an integral part of that design.
DM: I think we need to capitalize on the increased sensitivity that people now have regarding biophilia—nearness to nature, air quality, and outdoor learning, food sourcing, dining, meeting spaces. We need to encourage people to have more usable space outdoors, on roofs, because that is a safe haven with more air exchanges, etc. And, living walls need more promotion as organic space dividers. And, both need to be promoted for their ability to self-source food plants.
MM: If one thing became apparent in 2020, it's that our mission to restore balance in the built world is more vital now than ever. Outdoor space has long been a popular amenity, but in the COVID-19 era, it has become even more sought after as people avoid large gatherings in public places. Private outdoor spaces like green roofs and terraces provide respite and an opportunity to experience nature while allowing neighbors and co-workers to maintain social distancing in the fresh air. There is mounting evidence that access to green space can increase concentration and decrease stress, providing positive impacts on psychological well-being and overall health, pandemic or not. As property managers and owners look ahead to a post-pandemic world, they are faced with the challenge of providing a safe and clean environment. Green infrastructure does that and provides the potential to enhance the health of its occupants and end users.
LAM: If you were leading the federal recovery effort, what areas would be priorities for you in making public investments as we try to 'build back better'?
EJ: More federal incentives that address climate change in the built environment are needed. Climate change and the resulting increase in stormwater management issues are a growing challenge. Recognizing that the roof can be part of the solution is important. Providing funding or other incentives would help us meet these challenges. We need more people to look UP, the solution is many times right in front of us…on the roof.
DM: I’d foster and promote more sustainability, more pockets and connectivity of organic spaces, renewable energy, energy savings, natural resource protections and jobs associated with establishing and maintaining these interests.
MM: To ‘build back better’ is synonymous with green infrastructure. Green infrastructure prepares us better for a climactic future that is harder to predict and equips our current population with more skills and more jobs. This investment would support more resilient and sustainable growth, and would improve the quality of people’s lives by providing sustainable solutions to systemic environmental problems and by creating more equitable access to collective green space. And these investments are accessible now – the technology, know-how, and track record exist. It’s time to implement it through good policy and smart investment.
JD: It looks as though the new administration will be more focused on environmental issues so if I was leading the charge, I would pick up on this momentum to create more common green areas within our metro communities which would hopefully translate into more opportunities for the green roof industry as a whole.
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Molly Meyer, GRP, is the Founder and CEO of Omni Ecosystems. Omni integrates science and design into working landscapes, and operates as a vertically integrated green infrastructure company. Omni invented the comprehensive approach to green roofing, which is ultra-lightweight like extensive systems and biodiverse like intensive systems. Omni, based in Chicago and working nationally in the continental US, creates green roofs and living walls among other green infrastructure through 4 verticals: supply, design, installation, maintenance - working turnkey or a la carte in partnership with other designers, installers, and maintenance companies. Omni has won five GRHC Awards of Excellence and supplied the green roof systems on all three of the first three projects certified with GRHC’s Living Architecture Performance Tool. Contact Molly Meyer on LinkedIn.
Joe DiNorscia is the President of Skyland USA. Skyland USA produces rooflite®, the highest quality green roof media, and offers a full line of lightweight, green roof soil products, meticulously engineered for a diverse range of green roof applications. With more than 20 strategically located blending locations within the Americas, the rooflite network provides unparalleled expertise in job site logistics and order fulfillment, along with vast technical knowledge and experience. Dedicated to exceptional customer service, rooflite provides a variety of packaging and delivery options, cost-effective, just-in-time logistics, and continuous monitoring of your project through completion. Contact Joe via Email.
Ed Jarger is the General Sales and Marketing Manager at American Hydrotech. American Hydrotech and Monolithic Murnane 6125 (the original rubberized asphalt waterproofing/roofing membrane) could not have achieved its iconic status over the past 50 years without an incredible amount of dedication by a team of energetic people and an unparalleled product. Over two billion square feet of MM6125 have been successfully installed worldwide in over 80 countries since 1963 in applications such as roof decks, plazas, reflecting pools and other high profile structures. Always innovating, Hydrotech’s Garden Roof Assembly has been helping our customers achieve sustainable building practices while beautifying our living environment.
Dave MacKenzie is the President, of LiveRoof Global, LLC. LiveRoof, LLC is a green roof innovator focused on optimizing every aspect of the green roof. Our mission is to improve the world by restoring the balance between green spaces and hard spaces, and we strive to do so through simplicity, versatility and long term owner value. Every aspect of our products has been developed for the biological needs of the plants as well as the aesthetic and physical needs of the architecture. LiveWall, LLC strives for the same thing, but in this case, on vertical surfaces. Growing plants on walls is harder than one might imagine; our overarching mission has been to make this simple and effective.