Midwest Roofing Contractors Association (MRCA)

The Midwest Roofing Contractors Association (MRCA) is a regional trade association for roofing and sheet metal contractors, mainly in the central United States. It officially began in 1950 after a roofing clinic held in Topeka, Kansas, on January 12 of that year. Its first members were six firms from Kansas and three from Nebraska.

Membership was originally limited to contractors in Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and the Missouri cities along the Kansas border. It later expanded to cover a much larger part of the Midwest and beyond. Today the association lists its headquarters in Dayton, Ohio.

Technical history

MRCA began its first technical and research project in the early 1960s. In 1965 it issued its first publication, a brochure on roof drainage titled Don't Panic – Here's How to Make a Roof Drain. The brochure influenced the minimum roof slope for drainage that architects recommended, an early example of contractor associations shaping design practice on low-slope roofs.

Programs

• Conference and EXPO. MRCA holds an annual conference and trade show that moves between Midwestern cities.
• Safety. The association runs the ELITE Safety Awards program and a safety certification program.
• CERTA. MRCA created CERTA, a training program on safe use of torches when applying torch-applied roofing materials. This addresses the fire risk of open-flame roofing work.
• Awards and history. It presents the James Q. McCawley Award and maintains an online "Living History" archive.

Regional context

The Midwest has hot summers, cold winters with freeze-thaw cycles, and frequent hail and severe storms. Low-slope commercial roofs, asphalt shingles on homes and metal roofs on agricultural buildings are all common. MRCA's emphasis on drainage, safety and storm-related work reflects those conditions. Membership is voluntary and does not replace state or local licensing.