Shawn Stanley & Jason Stanley - The First Documented Carbon-Neutral Roofing Membrane - PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of an live interview with  Shawn Stanley and Jason Stanley of IB Roof Systems. You can read the interview below,  listen to the podcast. 

Speaker 1:
Welcome to Roofing Road Trips with Heidi. Explore the roofing industry through the eyes of a long term professional within the trade. Listen for insights, interviews, and exciting news in the roofing industry today.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Hello and welcome to another Roofing Road Trips from Roofers Coffee Shop. This is Heidi Ellsworth, and I am I'm road tripping today down south to Texas, to the headquarters, well actually not just the headquarters of IB Roof, which I'm very excited about. But, also just a little bit over the mountain too, with Shawn Stanley, who's here in Oregon and Jason Stanley, who's down in Texas. And they are both the leadership of IB Roof. We are going to talk about something very cool today. We are going to talk about the carbon neutral calculator. Yes, you heard me right. Carbon neutral in roofing. This is amazing. And these gentlemen have made it all happen. So Jason, John, welcome to roofing road trips.

Shawn Stanley:
Thank you. Thanks for having us.

Jason Stanley:
Thank you, Heidi. We're happy to be here.

Heidi Ellsworth:
I have to tell you, I've been watching you guys for a long time. Always we have on Roofers Coffee Shop, one of our favorite pictures is the Stanley brothers coating a roof way back in the day. I think it was like in the 70s maybe. It's one of our favorite pictures. So if you all are listening, you can check out our photo gallery and find them. But Jason Stanley, CEO and President of IB Roof, and Shawn Stanley, who's in charge working on marketing, social media, the carbon neutral calculator, all kinds of great things. I would love for you guys to first, before we get into the whole calculator, I would love for you to tell the story of IB Roof, and also introduce yourselves. So I'm going to start with you, Jason, a quick introduction and kind of your spin on the story, and then we'll hear what your brother has to say.

Jason Stanley:
Awesome. Well again, thank you Heidi, for hosting this Roofers Coffee Shop, you are an incredible talent and a testament to all the powerful women in this roofing industry that make things happen on a day to day basis. So thank you for having us.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Thank you.

Jason Stanley:
To give you a little bit of background. IB Roof Systems is a second generation family owned PVC roofing manufacturer. We did get our start back in coatings back in the mid seventies, and then transitioned to PVC in 1978. So we have been at the forefront of this kind of evolution in single ply's and not only single ply's in general, but PVC specifically. I think one of the things that really came about that drove this home was in Eugene, Oregon, one of my neighbors had built a new medical clinic and the mayor of Eugene came out and gave an award for a PVC-free building. And they were celebrating the fact that the project included no PVC in the construction. And we thought, well, what a shame. We're missing the story on all the wonderful benefits of PVC. And I think as we went down this journey almost 15 or more years ago, we started to unpack that PVC is likely the most environmentally friendly roofing product in the industry today. And through Shawn's efforts over the last year, we've now been able to demonstrate that it is. So it's been a wonderful journey and we're certainly happy be to share our insights and discoveries along the way about what makes IB PVC so incredibly environmentally friendly and also carbon neutral.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. Wow. Shawn, I'd love for you to introduce yourself again too. And then talk a little bit about both IB Roof and that history, but also then how that's led to where all the work you've done on this calculator.

Shawn Stanley:
All right. Well, thank you. And again, for me, thank you for having us. Growing up in a family business is unique. That's what we knew. That was our life. And roofing, since we could get up on a roof legally, that's what we did. So we've learned from the ground up. I was on a roofing crew, I don't know how many years I was. I was the gopher, just getting all the stuff set up and getting people tools, to where I was on a regular crew, to being a foreman of a crew, to estimating and then marketing for our company IB Roof Systems. So we've really grown up from the bottom up in the roofing industry.

Shawn Stanley:
And in the early 2000s, there was a lot of talk about reflective roofing and how important it was. Department of Energy came out with some things about how important roof space was and to get them reflective. But, later on the organizations that manufacture darker color proofs said, "Well, wait a minute, in the wintertime, you want a dark roof because it will help heat up a home. And so you have less heating costs." And so that kind of confused the message. And so everything kind of died down about reflective roofing and sustainability in that realm, until the Department Of Energy came out and said, "Wait a minute, if there's snow in the Northern climates, it doesn't matter what color your roof is. It's you got a white roof collective roof. And with the sun being lower in the horizon, there's not as intense UV rays in the wintertime anyway, to help heat up a roof or a home." And so they found that in the summertime, the peak energy demand greatly outweighs any heating penalty that you would have in the Northern climate.

Shawn Stanley:
So, not only is reflective roofing great in the lower part of the United States, but in every climate, it is profitable and energy saving. So, that led us to believe, well, let's kind of resurrect this and see how much energy our membrane will save in all these different climates in all these states. So the Department Of Energy had this study done, and they had 243 cities across the United States. So we used those data points and all the studies they did on those to come up with how much energy savings we would have in those cities. And from there, we thought, this is fantastic. But when we got our environmental product declaration, we saw that and said, "I wonder if we took the embedded greenhouse gas emissions that are embedded into our product, and we know the energy savings. I wonder if we could put those together and come up when our membrane would become carbon neutral."

Shawn Stanley:
So, using that study from Department Of Energy, electrical intensity grids from the Environmental Protection Agency, our environmental product declaration and environmental consultants here in Eugene, to verify our formulas, we were able to combine everything to our carbon calculator, where it is. And what we found was amazing. So in the Southern climates, let's say Phoenix, Arizona, that's a very hot area. We found that our white membrane will become carbon neutral in less than four months.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow. Wow.

Shawn Stanley:
And, in the Northwest, where we have hydroelectric power, which is very inexpensive and clean energy, it's different there because it would take longer for our membrane to become carbon neutral in those areas. So it may take like four years. But within the warranted lifetime, even with our thinnest membrane, which is 15 years, that's still, you would have in the Northwest, you would have 11 years of avoided carbon emissions or carbon negativity for the life of that roof. So, we've got incredible feedback on how owners of roofing buildings and corporations that have new buildings that want sustainable materials, it's been incredible of, "I could own a roof that would become carbon neutral. That's incredible." And that's what they're looking for. They're looking for, what can they do, what can they own that will help them do their part.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. I think this is so important. And I think the roofing industry over the last, at least last 30 years, that I've been involved, sometimes tends to run from this. They run from the environmentals. They kind of go, "Oh, we just don't want to talk about that." But you guys are like running right into it. You're taking it head on, which is so unique and awesome. As you're looking at this, how are you going to put that out there? I guess I'm really curious because I've been on your calculator. It's easy. It makes so much sense. So what are some of your thoughts, Shawn, on just getting this in front of building owners? And you already kind of told us a little bit about what they're saying.

Shawn Stanley:
Well, podcasts such as this is a first start. This morning I had an initial interview with a business magazine that's focusing on sustainability. They want to do an interview. So podcast interviews, advertising in social media, and things like Roofers Coffee Shop, that's I think how we're going to start. But then when we have trade shows and other things where we're able to speak in front of people, Jason has spoke in front of board of directors for IBEC. He's going to be on the board of the National Roofing Contract Association. Well, we'll be able to have an audience that we'll be able to start explaining how wonderful and how sustainable PVC membrane is.

Shawn Stanley:
And not just that it's reflective and saves energy, but how to go to business smarter. How to go to business in a way that's going to be more environmental and friendly and reduce carbon emissions. And that's kind of what we're looking at. Not just, I have a reflective membrane and therefore I'm going to be carbon neutral. And it involves everything about the whole business model, how you go to market, how you ship, how you distribute, it's all encompassing.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Well, and I have to say, and I'm sure everybody listening to this has seen this, but the culture of IB Roof is so strong around quality, quality contractors, philanthropy, and now this environmental, which has been there all long, but now you're really talking about it. Jason, you've been bringing a lot of this to the forefront in the industry. Tell us a little bit about your thoughts on really taking this environmental to the next level.

Jason Stanley:
Well, it's interesting, when I spoke to the board of directors at the most recent IBET convention back in Orlando, just last month, the reception of this is overwhelming. They have so many of their building owners that are demanding and seeking sustainable, more environmentally friendly solutions. And now to have a third party validated carbon neutral calculator that can show them, on this building, this is the year or even month and year that your product will become carbon neutral, is just an overwhelming story. I think one thing Shawn left out was we recently met with the US Green Build-

Shawn Stanley:
USGVC.

Jason Stanley:
USGVC. That's right. Too many initials there to roll them all together. But the US Green Build Council is ecstatic over a product like this. The whole purpose of creating lead buildings, right? Was to direct and guide people to more sustainable roof solutions. So there are many credits that this qualifies for. Having an EPD is one, that's the environmental product declaration that Shawn spoke to earlier. There's also an ID credit, which is an innovation credit that we would likely be ripe for in a lead building. A reflective credit, and then also a carbon neutral credit, are all things that we can start to promote with lead. And as we get more architects and people looking or ways to build more sustainable buildings, including an IB PVC on the roof would just be another incredible step to making buildings more environmentally friendly and more sustainable.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. And I love the fact too. And Shawn, you said this a little bit earlier, but it's not just about reflective roof. We know there's a lot of white roofs out there. But it's from really about your overall policies and how you manufacture the PVC, the PVC itself, your distribution, location. So maybe Shawn, talk to us a little bit more about that also.

Shawn Stanley:
Okay. So a lot of people talk about recyclability and things. It's another to really follow through and see where it's going. So all of the scrap membrane that we have through manufacturing things, we are getting almost a hundred percent usable material when we're recycling that. We're also looking into companies internationally that want the end of life roofing membrane to make into products like tennis shoes. So we could upcycle into other products, making this membrane, have a second life, basically. And so avoiding landfill is very important and falling through with that. We talked about the way we go to market.

Shawn Stanley:
Resiliency, longevity of a roofing membrane is key. It doesn't make a lot of sense to put a roof on every 10 to 12 years, when you can have a roof that's going to last 30. Because all that greenhouse gas emissions that go into making that product. If you have to put that product on again in 10 years, you're bringing in a whole new greenhouse gas emissions slew into that roof or that building. So another thing is solar arrays. Solar arrays last 20 years. If you have a roof membrane that's only going to last 10 to 12, all the savings, all the environmental greatness that will come into the solar array will be negated because you have to tear everything off and replace the roof. So, having a roof membrane that's going to last as long or longer than the solar arrays are warranted for.

Shawn Stanley:
And the resiliency of our membrane, we have roofs that are 30 years plus. And recently I got up on some roofs here locally that are 25 plus years and the roofs are fantastic. Still white, still reflective and still performing for the customers, well over regular roofing membrane lifespan.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Wow. Well, I've had the honor of touring your facility and it is incredibly impressive. So Jason, I know you are very proud of your, at least when you gave the tour to me, it was so great, and so proud of your manufacturing. How do you see all that continuing to play in on the carbon neutral and really taking that to the next steps?

Jason Stanley:
That's a great question, Heidi. We've always promoted ourselves as a contractor-centric roofing manufacturer. And what I mean by that, right, is it's while in environmentally friendly and sustainability is a side benefit. First and foremost, these roofs are expected to perform, and we need them to be easy to use. So we've done everything we can here in the way in which we produce the product from the roll size, to the construction of the product, even thickness top and bottom, by even the way we convert the roles with the surface winders, they don't have snap back, so the contractor doesn't have to wait for the role to shrink down. Not using any sort of blockers in the manufacturing process, so there's nothing to wipe off before you weld it. Just every step along the way is intended to make that contractor experience so much better and make a more user friendly product.

Jason Stanley:
These guys' jobs are so hard. They have to deal with the labor, the materials, and the almighty weather that comes down. Having a product that's contractor-centric and easy to use is certainly paramount for these guys to be able to go out and install and have a successful roof.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. Well, and you all just had an amazing contractor event, just, I think it was last month, where you brought all your contractors together. In fact, I was with a couple contractors just recently who by the way, were talking about it and telling me how great it was. Were you able to talk about this in the calculator during the event and what kind of feedback did you have?

Shawn Stanley:
We had an amazing contractor retreat and we had 200 people involved in this retreat. To start off, we wanted to have something to give back to the community. And we did this in previous year and was fantastic. So we kind of doubled down on it, so to speak. And we were amazed that the contractors there were willing to give up their time for being at this wonderful resort, to give up their afternoon, to come and help give back to the people where we were in Los Cabos, Mexico. So we had donated, from our employees, contractors, some contractors that weren't even going to attend the retreat. We had $15,000 donated so we could put together 400 food kits, that each food kit would help feed a family for a month. And so we had 400 food kits, and then... I'll let Jason speak to the other aspects of this event, because he had more to do with it.

Jason Stanley:
Well, every year we've been doing this now almost 20 years where we take hundreds of contractors on an annual retreat, some in better locations than others. But last year was amazing in Los Cabos. And certainly enjoyed our time with our customers, celebrating some of them and their successes, and through an awards presentation. But then also in a very interactive contractor meeting, some of the challenges of material supply and allocation were discussed at this meeting. But then we're also able to share some of the things in which we're doing and certainly sharing the fact that we now have a third party carbon neutral documented membrane is phenomenal. Many of these contractors do a lot of discretionary work, which means they go out and have to sell the product. This just adds another angle for them to go and promote, not only is IB, a user friendly system that has good integrity with it seems and does perform a long time and is recyclable at end of life. Now to say it's third party validated, that it's a carbon neutral roof membrane that will turn carbon neutral within its warranted life is just in another amazing story that these guys can go out and push and promote.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. And I would think they would be so excited about that because being in sales, you want to have something that really speaks to the concerns of your customers. And carbon neutral environmental sustainability is at the forefront for a lot of these building owners. So as you were talking to some of those contractors, Jason, about this, I'm just real curious on how they were planning. Were they taking this back to their sales teams? They were kind of starting to incorporate this into their businesses?

Jason Stanley:
Yeah, absolutely. We've been trying to put more meat on the bones, so to speak. So most recently we just launched a new webpage. If you go to ibroof.com, you could find a section under advantages that highlights sustainability. So again, it's not just about reflectivity, it's not just about recyclability. It's about the product itself and the raw materials that go into it, the energy it takes to compound it, the way we distribute the product. Every aspect of this leads to the most sustainable roofing product in the industry today. And if you go to that website, I think you'll see that's highlighted there in grand detail. So a lot of it has been putting all that at content together to really support the entire story of, it's not again, as Shawn alluded to, it's not just about reflectivity. It's about raw materials. It's about compounding. It's about distribution, it's downstream recyclability. It's all of those components combined that make this product the most sustainable product in the industry today.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. And you're leading the way with that. I love it.

Shawn Stanley:
To put things in perspective, I've used this example before, but let's look at light bulbs, in the last 10 years, we've come from like a hundred watt light bulb down to an LED light bulb that's nine watts, incredible savings as far as energy, and the light is the same. But, those light bulbs will never become carbon neutral. They will always require energy to function. And the same with electric vehicles, incredible inventions and innovations and batteries and power and all of that. But, they will never become carbon neutral. They will always require more energy. So to have a product that saves more energy and greenhouse gas emissions than it took to get the raw materials, to refine them, manufacture, ship, distribute, and install and end of life, it's a pretty bold and amazing statement.

Heidi Ellsworth:
It really is. It really is. So Shawn, I would love to have you talk just a little bit about, okay, I'm a roofing contractor and I want to use this calculator and I want to start looking at this. They go to your website, but kind of talk through the process of the calculator and how contractors can use this in their sales process with building owners.

Shawn Stanley:
Well, first we wanted to make sure the calculated was simple and easy. Not something you have to dig up files on and bills to look up all the information you need. So we made it very simple. Now, the upcoming generation are going to demand that when they use materials, that they're environmentally friendly and cost effective as well. So being able to show that this roof will be, let's say for a residential roof, you can have a lifetime material warranty on this roof. Oh, by the way, it can be carbon neutral within its warranted lifetime as well. Let me show you. And then also show this is the energy savings you're going to have in this area, putting our reflective membrane on there. So, that's how they're going to show it. It's going to be a win-win for the homeowner or building owner. They're going to save energy. It's going to become carbon neutral. It's going to have the longest longevity that a membrane can offer.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Yeah. I have to tell you, I've been on it. I've done the calculator. I can just totally see myself walking in with an iPad and showing someone right there. It is simple. It's easy. It's a great sales tool. But it's also, it's so much more than a sales tool. It's a great solution that you're bringing to both homeowners and building owners.

Shawn Stanley:
Well, solar roofing is becoming a huge deal as well. You have these roofs that are incredible wide open space that can help gather energy through solar. Having our membrane solar ready, able to put as many solar raises you want on the roof and knowing that the roof is going to last as long as those solar panels are, it's another win-win.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Right. Wow. So as we're kind of, I just have to go down this path a little bit talking about thought leadership. I think there is just, as we have seen in the last, I don't know, 10 years and for a long time, but there is just this out outburst of or growth, that's a better word, growth of really taking thought leadership and stepping to the next direction. And Jason, you mentioned earlier when we were talking about women in roofing and diversity. But, the environment and sustainability has always been a little bit of a hard topic. We kind of do it a little bit. We're talking about solar, we're talking about this, but no one's really kind of taking like you are right now. Can you just talk about the importance of our roofing professionals standing up and kind of taking a lead for our environment like you guys have done?

Jason Stanley:
So, this is coming. It's not here today in roofing. We're a little bit ahead of the curve if you will, but this is coming. The EPDs, the environmental declaration, our product declarations that Shawn spoke to earlier are just the beginning. There are health and safety product declarations that are going to be coming out as well. There's going to be more transparency in labeling almost like the equivalent of a soup can, where you can see all the raw ingredients that go into those products. The market is demanding visibility to what they're buying. And that this is a new demand from consumers and they want this level of transparency. So rather than shying away from it, which I think the industry has done at large, right? We are trying to promote this and bring this forward.

Jason Stanley:
This carbon calculator that Shawn's created today, we had a similar energy in carbon calculator almost 15 years ago. If you want to think about how far back that goes. And then even the company itself, while we promote IB Roof Systems as the industry's best product, IB stood for the insulated blanket. That was the very first name of the product that we imported from Germany, nearly 40 years ago. And it was called the insulated blanket because it was reflective and reduced energy consumption overall. So we were thought leaders on this some 40 years ago, Shawn invented this incredible energy and carbon calculator almost 15 years ago. And now with the help of this EPD to actually substantiate our carbon footprint and all the new data that's available for the grids, as far as how much carbon is truly out there, to build this new carbon calculator that encompasses all of these components. With new data becomes new opportunities to share and be more transparent.

Jason Stanley:
So it is a wonderful story to tell that maybe even wasn't possible 10 or 15 years ago. But, we haven't done anything new with the membrane. We're not creating some membrane out of soybean oil that isn't proven. This is the same product we've been producing in the very similar way we've been producing it for 40 some years. The data's just catching up to substantiate that this is one of the best roofing products, not only for its lifecycle and not only is it easy for contractors to work with and install, but one of the most sustainable environmentally friendly roofing products in the industry today.

Heidi Ellsworth:
That is so cool. I love that. And you know what? We probably should have had that little tidbit of history at the beginning, but it's just the perfect ending. I love it. Shawn, congratulations. I mean, when you think about doing something like this 15 years ago, and now bringing it back and really when the time is right, and being able to bring that to market, what a huge boon for the roofing industry.

Shawn Stanley:
Yes. Thank you. Appreciate it.

Jason Stanley:
Well, kudos to Shawn. He's worked so hard on this project. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into it. So, hats off to him for his dedication and drive to bring this across the finish line.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Well, and I'm going to say hats off to all of you because you're taking an incredible stand. You're doing something that's so important. Not just for your company, for the contractors and the industry, but for the planet. And so I will put my Oregon tree hugger out there. I love to see what something that's been produced for 40 years, that you are able to show that it's good and what it's doing to help carbon neutral. I just think it's amazing. So thank you both. And thank you to everybody at IB who puts out amazing product every single day for the contractors and for the building owners and homeowners out there.

Jason Stanley:
Thank you, Heidi. Thank you for everything you do for us and this great industry. Keep up the good work.

Heidi Ellsworth:
Thank you. And thank you, Shawn, for the calculator. We're going to be sharing that out there. So, to let everybody know, this is just being released. It's on Roofers Coffee Shop. Shawn is going to have it out there on obviously IB Roof and it will be available to be used. There's also how to get involved with IB Roof. Again, you've already heard it throughout this whole podcast, but between the environment, diversity, taking care of the contractors, product, huge performance, longevity, there's a lot of reasons to find out more. And you can do all of that on Roofers Coffee Shop, on their directory. And also of course at IB Ruth. So Shawn, any last words?

Shawn Stanley:
To sum out all up, I appreciate all the enthusiasm and the opportunity we have to come and portray some of the things that we've been working on for so long and finally are able to get some recognition for it. 20 years ago, we were so excited about this, but all we got back was crickets. And so the time wasn't right. But now with all this demand of sustainability and things, the time is right, and we want to jump right into it. So thank you for giving us the opportunity to come share that with you.

Heidi Ellsworth:
It's been a joy. I love it. It love it. Well, Shawn, Jason, thank you so much for being here today on this Roofing Road Trips. And thank you to all of you for listening. You can find all the information like we said about the upcoming calculator will be on Roofers Coffee Shop. But, also you can listen to all the podcasts that we have out there under our read, listen, watch initiative, and on your favorite podcast channel. Please subscribe and hit the notifications so you don't miss a single one. Thank you so much. Have a great day. And we'll see you on the next roofing road trips.

Speaker 1:
Make sure to subscribe to our channel and leave a review. Thanks for listening. This has been Roofing Road Trips with Heidi from the rooferscoffeeshop.com.