Bass Pro Shops brands itself as a supplier of performance products designed to endure the great outdoors, but at its Pearl, Miss., store, the roof was falling short of that standard. Though it was barely more than 10 years old, the roof’s mix of membrane and metal was already beginning to fail when a severe weather event prompted a reroofing initiative.

“They had a hailstorm come through and they wanted to upgrade,” said Roman Malone, president of the installing firm, E. Cornell Malone Corp., based in nearby Jackson, Miss. In addition to installing a new membrane roof, the project including replacing the existing bare galvanized steel panels with 59,000 sq. ft. of Petersen’s Snap-Clad roofing panels Kynar-finished in PAC-CLAD Colonial Red. The panels form the highly visible sloped portions of the roof, along with a canopy overhang over the building’s storefront walkway and entrance.

The 100,000-sq.-ft. store was a founding anchor retailer in the 150-acre-plus Bloomfield Development. It shares the title with Trustmark Park, home of the Atlanta Braves’ minor-league baseball team, the Mississippi Braves. People visit the retailer for more than just shopping – the facility includes a large aquarium, shooting gallery and 3-D archery range along with a bar and restaurant. Since its 2005 opening, the surrounding development has grown to include The Outlets of Mississippi, the state’s largest outlet center which welcomes almost 4.5 million visitors every year.

The metal portion of the reroofing effort included removing the failing panels along with the ice and water shield below, while the existing plywood decking and insulation remained in good shape. For the roofing pros from E. Cornell Malone, the heavily trafficked surroundings proved a greater challenge than the roof, itself.

“The challenges we had were more logistical – the building had to stay open and the front door had to remain open all the time,” Malone said. As work progressed, Bass Pro Shops managers shifted entrance functions to the exit doors to maintain access throughout the four-month project. “We also had to use cranes to get the material up to the roof and the demolished material off the roof.”

While the profile of the standing-seam roof remained similar to its original appearance, the Colonial Red finish certainly creates a major pop for the building. Malone said store managers initially were considering the spruce green color shared by many of the company’s other outlets, when they happened upon Colonial Red in Petersen’s palette of stock colors.

“The fascia boards just happened to be the same color as the roof – so, when they saw the Colonial Red, it was an obvious color choice for them,” Malone said, adding that managers remain pleased with their choice. “The customers are ecstatic about the roof. It has totally transformed the building – it’s definitely an upgrade.”

And for himself, Malone remained pleased as ever with his experience working with Petersen. “Petersen is a company we work with very frequently,” he said. “Whenever we have metal roofs, they’re always at the top of our list.”

Photo credit: hortonphotoinc.com