Portland Tribune At Home Guide, December 04, 2004, "Historic reconstruction ahead of schedule"

'Eighteen new roof brackets were built and installed to provide support to the roof and Four-Star Roofing is in the process of tearing off the old roof and replacing it with modern roofing material made from recycled tires that mimics the look of 100-year-old slate.

“There are several layers on the existing roof,” Four-Star co-owner Steve Phillips says. “We are going to remove the old roof, install an ice and water shield, and then start installing the new roof.”

This is the first time the material, which is manufactured by Minnesota-based Hi-Tek Rubber Roofing, has been installed on a house in the Northwest.

Despite the fact that Four-Star has never worked with this material, Phillips is confident that the project will go smoothly. “The entire project should take about two days,” he says. “We are not anticipating any problems installing the new roof; I think it is going to be a very user-friendly material to work with.”'

Iowa City Press-Citizen, August 12, 2003, "Rubber taking over roofs: Company offers area long-lasting shingles"
Hi-Tek Rubber Inc.'s newest product is a rubber roofing material that is fire tested, aesthetically pleasing, recyclable and UV, ozone and oxidant resistant.

"EPDM has been used for 40 years as commercial roofing material," said Renetta Burlage, independent sales representative for Hi-Tek Rubber Inc.

Minnesota OEA Grants, FY2001, "Roofing Shingles from Scrap Rubber & Post-Consumer Plastics, Hi-Tek Rubber Inc., Isanti, MN"
Award: $ 173,600
Research & development has been completed on the utilization of scrap rubber & post-consumer plastics into a new, innovative, high-margin roofing shingle. These roofing shingles are presently being produced and marketed as reproduction slate shingles and reproduction cedar shake shingles, available in a variety of colors. These shingles are currently being produced in small quantities (75-80 per shift) and one roofing project has been completed.

The project just completed is an old mansion on the National Register of Historic Places. The Historic Preservation Review committees have approved this product for roof replacement on historic homes with slate roofs. This historic mansion with its new Hi-Tek Rubber Inc. roof can be viewed at 266 Summit Ave in St. Paul, MN. Response to this product has been extraordinary and Hi-Tek Rubber Inc is in need of financial assistance to expand existing production capacity at its manufacturing and production facilities at Ogilvie, MN. Niche markets for this higher value product include historic and older homes, newer higher value homes, state and federal buildings as well as commercial buildings.

RSI (Roofing, Siding and Insulation) Magazine, February 1, 2002, "Measuring hail's impact: Insurance expert provides an update on hail-related losses and how to prevent them"
...loss experience caused by hail in specific geographic areas is used to determine what a fair insurance premium is based on the hail occurrence history. Previously that rate had to be based on the fact that most roofing products would need replacement if they were in the storm area. In some areas roofs were replaced every few years due to the frequency of hailstorms in that area.

Impact resistant products are changing all that. They have been very effective in weathering these hail storms and the result is that we can look at our loss history differently when these products are used. Insurance companies are giving premium discounts simply because new impact resistant products are expected to function properly over their predicted life span.