Ondura featured on the water towerHave you ever wondered about the water tower on Route 1? Well, the first American production plant featuring our client’s roofing products was built in 1976 in Fredericksburg, VA. Our client makes roofing sheets and tiles from 50% recycled paper, formed into a corrugated panel, and then infused with asphalt to create a weather protection barrier. Residential, agricultural, campground and commercial environments use their corrugated roofing solutions.

For my next on-site client working visit, I headed over to get my hands dirty while learning about making roofing panels. When I arrived at the plant, Nate and Lucas showed me a map and a detailed schedule of my job duties for the day. These guys came prepared and ready to put me to work! I started my day alongside a few of our employees in the warehouse. We pulled orders using the forklift and prepared the product for shipment. The products were actually from their sister company (read my first blog post). Back in 2005, we placed Nate at their sister company where he worked the night shift, while going to school. Now, Nate works as the Shipping Manager – it’s always so neat to see employees progress through the company.

IMG_9239For my next assignment, I worked with Billy and Will (also employees of ours) in the pallet shop. I used a pneumatic nail gun to construct large wooden pallets for shipping. The wooden pallets provide extra support so the material does not damage during shipment.

Finally, I worked in the warehouse pulling roofing orders. We packaged, shrink wrapped and printed labels for pick-up orders.

Next time you are looking for roofing material and at Home Depot or Lowe’s, discover the products made right here in Fredericksburg. Thank you to everyone who allowed me to work with them. The next time I look forward to making the roofing material on the production line!

Video showing the construction of the roofing panels: