Ralph Bruno watched two construction workers balance on the steeply sloping roof of an unfinished house in the Hill Pointe subdivision in Hamilton County, their boots planted on his company’s Opus Roof Blanket as they struggled to install a second-story window.
Opus, an engineered material that forms a waterproof barrier between shingles and plywood, is superior to more commonly used tar paper, Bruno said, as he handily tore a piece of tar paper to emphasize its fragility.
Others in attendance attempted to tear a piece of Opus with their hands, but were not able to do so.
It’s part of a push by Chattanooga-based Propex, where Bruno is the executive vice president for global sales and marketing, to add product beyond its mainstay of carpet backing.
“Carpet backing is still important to us, but it’s one of many segments in our business now,” Bruno said.