Sky Harbor Airport Soars with RoofPro™ Asset Management

When you are the building maintenance manager for three different airports and are responsible for 11 million square feet of facilities, it is important to stay grounded.  Mike Lemka, who recently retired from Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix, found that one tool that helped him manage the roofing assets of the Sky Harbor facilities was the RoofPro™ Asset Management Software.

“Sky Harbor has roofs that are BUR, single ply, modified bitumen, EDPM, metal and foam systems, and I wanted a software program that would track the maintenance and other changes of all these different roofs and help me establish five-year maintenance plans,” Lemka explained.  “A few years I spoke to a roofing consultant, and he told me about the RoofPro™ Asset Management Software from Digital Facilities Corporation.  It sounded like the perfect solution.”

RoofPro™ is a software program that enables building owners, facility managers, consultants and contractors to share files for tasks such as reviewing roof histories, recording roof inspections, developing maintenance plans, and storing roof warranties.  Lemka said he did look at other roof management programs, but he liked RoofPro™ because it was “easier to use and more user friendly.” 

Roof Management Takes Off with RoofPro™

Lemka started with a stand-alone RoofPro™ program in 2007, but soon added three more computers and a network program.  “Eventually we would like to get all of our roof supervisors on the RoofPro™ system,” he stated.

Before RoofPro™, Lemka had to go through paper documents -- such as CAD drawings, hard copy survey reports, and warranties -- to properly manage and maintain the Sky Harbor roofs.  “Sometimes it could be a struggle to share this information with other people in the company, because the documents would be stored in a cabinet somewhere with a filing system known only by a few people,” Lemka said. “But with RoofPro™ it is very easy to pass information on.  Co-workers can easily access information in the RoofPro™ database – such as an inspection report and photos – and post comments.  RoofPro™ is a living, breathing program where we can make adjustments and schedule solutions to promises.”

Building the RoofPro™ database is simple, Lemka pointed out, because RoofPro™ allows documents such as warranties to be filed as attachments.  RoofPro™ is also compatible with the Skire capital program, integrated workplace, and project portfolio management software.  Lemka added that his director especially likes the report generator and how RoofPro™ can be tied into the Geographical Information System.   

“RoofPro™ is also great for generating five-year budget plans,” Lemka stated.  “We can send the budgets out electronically, or print out pretty graphics and reports and present it in person.  Sometimes the hard copies tell the story better than a digital format.

High Flying Savings

Lemka explained that RoofPro™ not only increases productivity by saving time and allowing information to be shared easily among co-workers, but it also saves in the “soft costs” associated with estimators, asbestos abatement professionals, and roof consultants.  “With RoofPro™ we can provide the consultant with data such as roof measurements, specifications, estimates, drawings we don’t have to hire a third party to gather that information.”

Another advantage to the Roof Pro system is that it “makes it easy to drill down on each roof section, because we can color-code and compartmentalize areas, making it easier to see the condition of each section,” Lemka said.

RoofPro™ also allows Lemka to make more informed decisions when selecting a replacement roofing system for a failing roof.  “We had an IRMA (inverted roof membrane assembly) roof with pavers over a single ply membrane on Terminal Four,” Lemka stated.  “We had numerous cooling towers on this roof and the heavy foot traffic was causing the pavers to crack and crumble and penetrate the roofing membrane.  RoofPro™ is good at helping us track problems like this so we can determine if perhaps a different type of roof system should be used in the future.  And, RoofPro™ will also let us easily refer to the roof’s warranty to see if these types of problems are covered.”

Lemka added, “RoofPro™ also lets us set up a more effective preventive maintenance program.  We can easily find out what work was done and when, and when future maintenance should be scheduled, taking into account the roof’s history and warranty compliance.”
 

Taking Off Without Worries

Although Lemka no longer works for Sky Harbor, he is confident that his successor will easily be able to see how Lemka has managed Sky Harbor’s roof assets.  “This person can use RoofPro™ to access budget information, maintenance history, and roof conditions without having to search through paper documents,” Lemka stated. “Plus, the customer support from Digital Facilities Corporation has been impeccable, and I’m sure they will establish a good working relationship with my replacement.   There is a lot of potential here for other airports and public works organizations as well to utilize RoofPro™ to best manage their roofs.”