Suppliers, consultants have their say: both groups remain optimistic about '08.(roofing)

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Only 17 percent of roofing/siding/insulation suppliers expect homebuilding to rebound this year, yet two of three predict their own companies' sales volumes will increase in 2008. Roof consultants are equally optimistic about the low-slope roofing side of the business, with 62 percent describing their markets as "healthy" nationwide, according to RSI's 2008 State of the Industry Report.

While some readers may shake their heads in disbelief at such optimism, most RSI contractors are as positive as suppliers about 2008 (see RSI, December 2007). In fact, 92 percent of commercial roofers are optimistic about their companies' prospects this year.

The reason for this less-than-grim outlook is twofold, according to RSI's data, which is less than 60 days old at this writing:

First, the RSI industries are extraordinarily resilient and contractors have diversified; and second, most of RSI's readers--with the exception of some insulators--are not dependent on the residential new construction market.

"We run a business in which 95 percent of our orders come from repeat (customers) or contractor recommendations, so we have …