The Inaugural Rick Napper Roof of the Year Awards

American WeatherStar is proud to announce the winners of the inaugural Rick Napper Roof of the Year Awards, created to recognize exceptional craftsmanship, professionalism, and pride in commercial roofing.

This award represents more than outstanding projects. It honors a legacy built on quality, education, and doing things the right way.

Honoring the Legacy of Rick Napper

Rick Napper served as American WeatherStar’s primary Warranty Services Inspector for more than 20 years, but his impact extended far beyond inspections. He was a mentor, teacher, and trusted friend throughout the American WeatherStar community and the roofing industry. Rick dedicated his career to helping contractors and crews understand proper installation practices, quality control, and the importance of maintaining high standards. Over the course of his career, he inspected more than 30 million square feet of commercial roofing projects. While his knowledge was extensive, what truly set Rick apart was his willingness to teach and his focus on the details that lead to quality work.

Rick’s goal was always to help make everyone better stewards of the industry by producing projects that would stand the test of time. Following his passing last year, the Rick Napper Roof of the Year Award was created as a lasting way to honor his legacy. Naming this annual award after Rick ensures his influence and values continue to guide the industry for years to come.

What This Award Represents

The Rick Napper Roof of the Year Award recognizes projects that reflect the quality, professionalism, and execution Rick valued throughout his career. Projects are evaluated based on craftsmanship, attention to detail, proper installation practices, adherence to system requirements, and overall appearance. Rick believed that contractors who care about how a project looks also care about the details, and those details are what lead to lasting, high quality work. Created following Rick’s passing, this annual award serves as a lasting tribute to his legacy and his commitment to elevating standards across the industry.

Award Categories

Each year, up to three projects may be selected in the following categories:

  • Metal Roof Restoration
  • Flat Roof Restoration
  • Spray Foam Application

Nomination and Selection Process

Project nominations come directly from American WeatherStar’s Warranty Inspection Team. To be considered, projects must have a system warranty application submitted, be fully inspected, and demonstrate excellence in workmanship.

The selection committee is led by Eric Long, Technical Services Director, along with members of the American WeatherStar marketing team. While technical performance is critical, this award also considers visual execution and pride of workmanship. The goal is to recognize projects that both perform exceptionally and look exceptional when completed.

2025 Winners

Capital Coating

Capital Coating received the Flat Roof Award for a 20 year NDL Ure-A-Sil Full Fabric with Granules system installed over EPDM.

J&J Roofing

J&J Roofing earned the Metal Roof Award for the installation of a 15 year Met-A-Gard+ NDL System Warranty.

R&A Contracting

R&A Contracting received the Foam Roof Award for the installation of a Foam-Gard system, backed by a 15 year Acrylic Foam-Gard Material Warranty, installed over an existing spray polyurethane foam roof system.

Thank You to Our Contractors

Thank you to every contractor who submitted a project and to all those who continue to take pride in their work. The quality of projects installed today made selecting winners a difficult task, and that speaks volumes about the standards being upheld across the industry.

Rick would have been proud to see the craftsmanship represented in these projects. We look forward to recognizing more outstanding work as projects are nominated throughout the coming year.

Congratulations to all the winners. These projects truly set the bar.