Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues

What Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues does

Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues, Inc. (RICOWI) is a non-profit industry research organization founded in 1990 and headquartered in Princeville, Hawaii with operations support in New Franklin, Ohio. The organization investigates the performance of roofing systems under severe weather events, operating the Wind Investigation Program (WIP) and Hail Investigation Program (HIP), which deploy trained investigator teams to disaster sites to document roof performance and produce published reports that inform building codes, material design, and installation practice.

RICOWI serves a cross-industry consortium of roofing manufacturers, insurers, academic researchers, and trade associations. Its membership structure comprises 14 sponsor members — including major manufacturers such as Duro-Last, GAF Building Materials, Malarkey Roofing Products, and Westlake Royal Building Products, and insurers such as State Farm and Liberty Mutual — alongside 14 affiliate member associations including ARMA, SPRI, MBMA, MCA, SPFA, TRI, CSSB, IIBEC, ISANTA, NRDCA, NWIR, CFFA, IBHS, and ABAA.

Revenue is generated through sponsor and affiliate membership dues, paid event registrations (seminars at $550 member / $650 non-member, committee meetings at $80, an annual fundraiser at $175), and donations channeled in part through the separately incorporated RICOWI Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) entity established in 2020. RICOWI maintains research collaborations with Oak Ridge National Laboratory under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) and with Colorado State University, and has co-developed a Best Practices Guide with the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). Most recently, the organization formed a Wildfire Resistant Roofing Committee in March 2025, extending its investigative scope beyond wind and hail.

Name

Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues

Legal name

Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues, Inc.

Website

https://ricowi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

RICOWI is a non-profit roofing research organization that investigates wind, hail, and weather impacts on roofing systems to inform building codes and best practices, serving manufacturers, insurers, trade associations, and researchers through membership dues, seminars, and published reports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Roofing Industry Research & Education

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Damage Assessment, Field Inspection & Patrols (Pre/Post-Storm) (EUAEAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) (BPADAEAB), Climate Adaptation & Resilience Programs (BPADALAD), Climate Risk & Scenario Analysis (TCFD/IFRS S2) (EUAHAJAD), Roof-Mounted Systems Integration (PV, Green Roofs, Roof Gardens, Snow Guards) (IMAFAMAI)

Keywords

• Roofing weather research
• Storm damage investigation
• Roofing industry association
• Building envelope research
• Weather performance testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Princeville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Organization operates as a membership-based association with sponsorship and affiliate membership tiers from various roofing industry organizations.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue from seminar registrations ($550 member, $650 non-member), committee meetings ($80), and event participation.
3. Donations and Fundraising: RICOWI Foundation accepts donations and conducts fundraising events including an annual fundraiser ($175/person) and challenge grants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RICOWI is a nonprofit industry organization that conducts post-storm field investigations of roofing assembly performance and disseminates objective findings to the roofing industry. Its core programs are the Wind Investigation Program (WIP) and Hail Investigation Program (HIP), which deploy trained volunteer investigators after hurricanes and hailstorms to document damage modes, correlate performance with wind/hail severity, and publish formal reports. The organization also runs twice-yearly seminars, committee-driven research initiatives, and an affiliated RICOWI Foundation funding climate resiliency research.

Product overview

RICOWI (Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues) is a non-profit organization dedicated to roofing research and the dissemination of factual information regarding weather-related issues. Rather than offering a unified software product, RICOWI operates a portfolio of research and educational programs including the Wind Investigation Program (WIP) and Hail Investigation Program (HIP) that deploy trained teams to investigate roofing damage after major weather events. The organization publishes comprehensive investigation reports documenting findings from hurricanes and hailstorms, and hosts twice-yearly seminars and meetings for industry professionals. Additional initiatives include the Wildfire Resistant Roofing Committee addressing emerging wildfire threats, and the RICOWI Foundation which provides funding for climate resiliency research in roofing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wind Investigation Program (WIP) A field investigation program that deploys trained volunteer teams to investigate the performance of roof assemblies after major wind storm events such as hurricanes. The program factually documents roof assembly performance and damage modes and formally reports results for substantiated wind speeds, serving roofing manufacturers, insurers, code officials, and researchers.
• Hail Investigation Program (HIP) A field investigation program that deploys teams to investigate the field performance of roofing assemblies after major hailstorm events, with hail pad data collected in partnership with Colorado State University / CoCoRaHS. The program formally reports results for substantiated hail events, documenting effects of hail impact on various roofing products and describing roof assembly performance and damage modes for roofing manufacturers, insurers, and code officials.
• Wildfire Resistant Roofing Committee A standing committee focused on analyzing the performance of various roofing materials and designs against wildfires and recommending building code adaptations to improve roofing system resilience across the United States. Targets roofing manufacturers, code officials, insurers, and homeowners in wildfire-prone regions.
• Seminars & Meetings Program Twice-yearly seminars on proper design, installation, and testing procedures for specific roofing materials, plus committee meetings and an annual general meeting. Fall seminars are held at research, testing, or educational facilities and include facility tours; spring seminars are co-located with the IIBEC Annual Convention and yield 1.0 IIBEC CEH per hour of instruction. Targets roofing professionals, architects, contractors, engineers, facility managers, and insurance professionals.
• Published Investigation Reports Comprehensive reports documenting findings from post-disaster investigations including hurricanes (Charley, Ivan, Katrina, Ike, Irma, Michael, Ian, Idalia) and hailstorms (Oklahoma City, North Texas, Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas A&M). Each report includes investigation protocols, meteorological data, damage assessments, and recommendations, distributed as free PDF downloads on ricowi.com.
• RICOWI Foundation Research Grants A 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation that funds and evaluates roofing industry research proposals addressing climate resiliency and weather performance of roofing products and systems. The Foundation solicits proposals and administers challenge grants and donations to advance research priorities for the roofing industry.

Quantifiable outcome

• Buildings will be safer, property losses will be reduced, and industry will have clear insight as to needed direction
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBHS and RICOWI co-developed the Best Practices Guide for Roofing. IBHS is also a sponsor member and provides support for the Hail Investigation Program through collaborative research on roofing performance and hazard mitigation.
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRICOWI and the Department of Energy/Oak Ridge National Laboratory entered into a Cooperative Research Development Agreement (CRADA) to facilitate the Wind Investigation Program. André Desjarlais from ORNL serves on the RICOWI Foundation Board.
• UK Accelerated Settlement TaskforceminorOthersNot a partnership; this is a different industry committee unrelated to RICOWI's roofing focus.
• EU T+1 Industry CommitteeminorOthersNot a partnership; this is a different industry committee unrelated to RICOWI's roofing focus.
• Colorado State University (CSU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSU operates the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (CoCoRaHS) for hail monitoring. Hail pads collected during HIP investigations are sent to CSU for analysis, with results incorporated into formal hail investigation reports.
• Single Ply Roofing Industry (SPRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSPRI is a sponsor member of RICOWI. Albert Janni serves on SPRI's Member Services Committee and represents SPRI interests on the RICOWI Foundation Board.
• Metal Construction Association (MCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMCA is a sponsor member and actively relies on RICOWI reports to fulfill its mission of promoting metal in the building envelope through marketing, education, and public policy action.
• International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRICOWI holds its spring meetings and seminar in conjunction with IIBEC's Annual Convention. IIBEC recognizes RICOWI as a provider of educational hours and issues 1.0 CEH for each hour of instruction.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS): Insurance-industry-funded building resilience research organization that co-developed RICOWI's Best Practices Guide and sponsors both the Hail and Wind Investigation Programs. Most directly comparable peer — runs its own post-event field investigations and lab-based testing focused on severe weather performance of building envelopes.
• Haag Engineering: Forensic engineering firm specializing in roof damage assessment, hail/wind failure analysis, and expert testimony for insurance claims. Directly comparable to RICOWI's investigation programs and listed as a Hail Investigation Program Supporter.
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory – Building Envelope & Urban Systems Research: DOE national laboratory program where RICOWI originated via1989 wind-uplift workshops; partner under CRADA for the Wind Investigation Program. Closest comparable on building-envelope and roof-system materials research, though funded federally rather than by industry.
• International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants (IIBEC): Professional association for building-enclosure consultants that co-locates its Annual Convention with RICOWI's spring seminar and credits RICOWI programming for continuing-education hours. Comparable as a roofing/building-enclosure knowledge community serving architects, consultants, and engineers.
• Tile Roofing Institute (TRI): Material-specific roofing trade association whose president (Richard Olson) serves as Vice Chair of the RICOWI Foundation. Comparable as a roofing-membership organization publishing technical guidance, though narrower in material focus.

Broad incumbents

• National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA): Largest U.S. roofing industry trade association representing contractors and offering technical, training, and code-advocacy services. Comparable ecosystem role but broader in scope and substantially larger than RICOWI.
• FM Global: Commercial property insurer that operates its own Research Campus and Approval Standards covering roof systems, including post-event loss research. Comparable overlap in roofing performance data and code influence, but as part of a much larger property insurance franchise.
• UL Solutions (Underwriters Laboratories): Global testing, inspection, and certification organization that runs fire, wind, and hail performance testing for roofing products (e.g., UL 2218 impact ratings). Directly comparable on the testing and standards side, though operating as a much larger commercial certification business.

Others

• ASTM International Committee C16 on Thermal Insulation: International standards body whose C16 committee (chaired historically by RICOWI Foundation board member André Desjarlais) develops test methods and standards used across the building envelope. Comparable as an enabling standards organization rather than a direct investigator.
• FEMA Building Science Branch: U.S. federal program that produces post-disaster building performance investigations and mitigation guidance following hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. Functionally adjacent to RICOWI's mission but operating under government funding and a broader hazards scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ricowi-inc
• Xx.com/RICOWI_Inc
• Facebookfacebook.com/ricowi.inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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