Stephen L. Patterson, PE, RRC

Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Patterson founded ROOFTECH in 1983 and built ROOFTECH into one of the largest and most respected roof consulting companies in the Southwest. Mr. Patterson has a national reputation as a roofing expert and educator having written three books on roofing: Roof Design and Practice, Wind Uplift Pressures on Low Sloped Roofing, and Roof Drainage, all of which are available through the International Institute of Building Envelope Consultants (www.IIBEC.org). He has also published a number of peer-reviewed papers, which are available on this website. Mr. Patterson has been solving complex roofing problems for more than 40 years. His structural engineering background along with his experience as Director of Engineering/Technical Director for two roofing manufacturers and as General Manager of a roofing contracting company set the stage for the formation of ROOFTECH.

Living in Tornado Alley and the Hail Belt provided some unique experiential opportunities as well. Mr. Patterson was a Civil/Structural Engineering student at Texas Tech University when an F5 tornado struck Downtown Lubbock, Texas and Texas Tech. His professors became world renowned wind experts as the result of studies they performed on buildings like the Great Plains Life Building and others. One of Mr. Patterson’s professors and mentors, Dr. Jim McDonald, would later become one of the peer-reviewers of the first edition of Mr. Patterson’s Wind Uplift Pressures on Low-Slope Roofs. Upon graduation from Texas Tech in 1971, Mr. Patterson began working for a precast prestressed concrete manufacturer where he worked in the structural design and estimation department. On one of Mr. Patterson’s projects, a series of structural double-tee roof panels collapsed during construction. The roofers had inadvertently blocked the drainage and overflow scuppers resulting in an excessive build-up of water on the roof and a roof collapse, which was his first roof collapse investigation. Among ROOFTECH’s earliest projects were several high-profile roof collapses in the 1980s, which began a long history of roof collapse investigations … ultimately culminating with the first edition of Roof Drainage, Mr. Patterson’s drainage design book.

Mr. Patterson brings his unique expertise to his roofing analysis, design, and forensic work. He regularly performs forensic investigations pertaining to construction defects, hail, windstorm damage, and other matters for diverse clients including building owners, attorneys, and insurance carriers. Mr. Patterson also continues to teach, write, and publish technical papers related to roofing as well as working closely with his staff on complex roofing problems.

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Professional Summary

  • Licensed Professional Engineer, Texas, 1978 (No. 44030); Oklahoma, 1998 (No. 18913)
  • Registered Roof Consultant, Roof Consultant Institute, 1999 and Certified Professional Roof Consultant, Institute Roofing & Waterproofing Consultants, 1996
  • Bachelor of Science, Civil Engineering, Texas Tech, 1971
  • Masters Business Administration, University of Dallas, 1977
  • Published: A Low-Slope Commercial Roofing Overview, Texas Architect 1998, Roof Design and Practice (Prentice Hall 2001), Wind Pressures on Low Sloped Roofs (RCI, 2001, 2005, 2013 & 2018), Roof Drainage (RCI 2003, 2021), Roof Drainage Design (RCI, 2007), Life Safety Roof Design Issues (RCI 2010), Combination of Wind Load and Rain Load (RCI 2012), Design of Non-Ballasted Low-Slope Roof Assemblies for Wind Resistance (RCI 2014), Understanding Low-Sloped Standing Seam Metal Roofs (RCI 2015), Roof Drainage Design, Roof Collapses, & the Codes (RCI 2018), Raising the Bar in Standards: The ASCE 7 Standard & Low-Slope Roof Drainage” (IIBEC 2020) and Testing Built-Up and Modified Bitumen Roofs for Hail Damage (IIBEC 2022).

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Career Highlights

  • Founder of Roof Technical Services, Inc. (dba ROOFTECH), one of the Southwest’s leading architectural and engineering firms specializing in roofing and waterproofing. ROOFTECH provides roofing and waterproofing performing design and analysis, forensic engineering, investigative, and testing services related to all types of roofing and waterproofing issues.
  • Member and former Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Construction Research Committee at the University of Texas at Arlington, where Mr. Patterson established and continues to teach Continuing Education Courses on roofing design and construction
  • Developed and co-authored an in-depth roofing design book, Roof Design and Practice, and 2 roof design monographs, Roof Drainage and Wind Uplift Pressure on Low-Sloped Roofs, which are available through and used in education programs of the Roof Consultant Institute.
  • Director of Engineering and Technical Director for 2 different Roofing Manufacturers, which manufactured built-up, single ply, and roof maintenance products and systems and General Manager of a large full-service Roofing and Sheet Metal Contracting Company that performed all types of commercial and residential roofing and sheet metal work.

Career Summary

  • 2017 to Present President and Director of Engineering of Roof Technical Services, Inc. (dba ROOFTECH) an architectural and engineering firm specializing in roofing and waterproofing performing roofing and waterproofing design, forensic engineering, investigative, and testing services related to all types of roofing and waterproofing issues.
  • 2004 to 2017 President President of Roof Technical Services, Inc. and Director of Engineering of ROOFTECH.
  • 1983 to 2003 President of Roof Technical Services, Inc. (dba ROOFTECH) an architectural and engineering firm specializing in roofing and waterproofing. Roof Technical Services, Inc.
  • 1981 to 1983 Technical Director and Divisional Manager for Monroe, Inc., a "Roof Management Company" involved in the manufacture and installation of a broad line of Roofing Products, including Maintenance Materials, Built-up Roofing, and PVC and Modified Bitumen Single Ply Roofing Systems.
  • 1973 to 1981 Director of Engineering for Southwestern Petroleum Corporation, an International Manufacturer of Roofing Materials including Built-up Roofing and Single Ply Roofing Systems, as well as a line of Roof Maintenance Systems.
  • 1974 to 1979 General Manager of Rooftech Inc. (a solely owned subsidiary of Southwestern Petroleum), a full-service roofing and sheet metal contracting firm installing all types of commercial, industrial, and residential roofing and sheet metal.
  • 1971 to 1973 Project Manager and EIT for Crowe Gulde Inc. a manufacturer of precast pre-stressed concrete products and building systems. He performed a variety of engineering duties including structural design, estimation, and project management.