ATAS International announced their 2016 Project of the Year winners at an awards banquet on May 8^th. The Made In America flagship store located in Elma, N.Y. took first place in the commercial roofs category.

The mission of the Made in America Store is to create and save jobs in the United States by increasing American manufacturing. By installing ATAS’ Dutch Seam metal roofing panels, which are made in America, on this new flagship store, it only further reinforced this mission. Dutch Seam, a continuous standing seam metal roof panel, features an integral lock and seam which prevents “blow-off” or “creeping” of the seam, and eliminates the need for separate seam caps and field seaming.

Mark Andol is the owner and founder of General Welding and Fabricating, with locations in Elma and Rochester, N.Y. That business, which manufactured structural and decorative steel components for this store, has been operating since 1989.  When the recession hit almost 10 years ago, Andol lost business to companies located overseas, forcing him to cut his workforce to half its size.  At that point, he began envisioning a store that would only carry products that are 100 percent American made, to help grow manufacturing within the United States. Andol’s vision became a reality in 2010 when he opened the doors to the first Made in America store.

Project team included:

• Architect:  Lydon Architectural Services, Buffalo, N.Y.
• General Contractor:  Kulback’s Construction, Inc., Lancaster, N.Y.
• Installer:  Bayford Construction, Lancaster, N.Y.
• Owner and Founder:  Mark Andol