LETTER FROM THE CHAIRS
I started out our Board call on Monday, November 16, 2020, by telling everyone it was only 38 days until Christmas and I think I received some groans. And today November 19, 2020, it is 35 days (wait, are you groaning at me again)! The reason I know this is because my children give me the daily countdown. Amid the bumps for our children in the road of 2020, they are still positive and thinking forward (they are 10, 8, and 5). They have also been looking forward to Thanksgiving to see family and we told them due to COVID we would not be traveling, but we would have our own Thanksgiving and again they took it in stride excited to help me cook. I tell you the above to let you know how thankful I am this season for my children reminding me each day that we can do it and taking a dose of their young excitement for life. They are my “why I do what I do”. I believe we all have those people in our lives and sometimes you just haven’t met them yet.
I received a postcard from one of my NWiR friends last week and it brought a huge smile to my face. The fact that she took the time to think about me during her busy day and send me an encouraging note. She has inspired me and is the “why I will be sending postcards”.
Think about the “why you do what you do”, which could be many, as you go into the week of Thanksgiving. Be proud of yourself, you make a difference. Give yourself a hug (no social distancing needed for that) and smile.
We wish you all a safe and healthy Thanksgiving next week. Thank you for letting NWiR be a part of your life. We are thankful for you.
Renae Bales, KPost Roofing & Waterproofing & Jennifer Stone, Johns Manville; NWiR Co-Chairs
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NWiR ENHANCES MEMBER BENEFITS;
IMPLEMENTS SLIGHT DUES INCREASE FOR 2021
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Renew by December 31, 2020 and pay the current $60 dues rate
Since 2017, when the National Women in Roofing association began, the focus of NWiR and the board of directors has always been to help women in the roofing industry connect with other women and feel empowered in their professional careers and personal lives. We continue to strengthen this focus while broadening the resources available to you from education to networking and mentoring to industry information and more.
We’ve steadily increased our offerings over the course of the last four years without raising dues. In order to continue to provide and expand the high-level of benefits you’ve come to expect, the NWiR board of directors voted at the October board meeting to increase dues from $60/year to $75/year. The increase effectively amounts to an additional $1.25/month.
At the new dues level, we are still less expensive than similar associations for women in various sectors of construction and other women-focused associations. And, at $75/year, we feel we are able to keep dues affordable to all women who want to become and remain a part of our community.
We believe NWiR membership is more valuable than ever before! Here are some examples of what we’ve been working on this past year: we’ve increased our education offerings; added Mental Health Matters monthly webinars and a Together More than Ever webinar series; expanded NWiR Day; created the W.O.R.L.D Award to annually honor an outstanding woman roofing professional; grown leadership opportunities and engagement; created the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee to foster an equitable and inclusive community and industry; partnered with the Roofers Coffee Shop to provide career content and access to job opportunities; and so much more.
We thank you each and every one of you for your involvement and encourage you to take advantage of the membership benefits available to you! The more you engage, the more value you will realize!
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COMMUNICATIONS
Anna Anderson, Art Unlimited; NWiR Communication Committee Chair
Liz Garza, My Roofing Crew; NWiR Communications Committee Vice Chair
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 NWiR is looking for budding photographers who would like to share their love of photography and roofing. We would like to visually promote women in the roofing industry. The NWiR women are amazing and we need to promote your awesomeness!
If you are interested in this opportunity please reach out to Anna Anderson at - anna@artunlimitedusa.com
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DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION
Rae July, RC Roofing; NWiR DEI Committee Co-Chair
Jess Cress, Bone Dry Roofing Company; NWiR DEI Committee Co-Chair
Meredith Marsh-Shaevitz, Pitch Perfect Roofing; NWiR DEI Committee Vice Chair
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We are recruiting Liaisons for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion that are willing to join or are currently on, other committees to communicate our goals and agenda throughout NWIR. We are looking for continuity through our representation within all active committees. Please reach out to Rae, Jess, or Meredith for more details. Jcress@bonedryroofing.net or rae@chinookroofing.com
Also: We will be putting out some social polls and surveys soon. Be sure to get involved.
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MENTORING
Melissa Walker, Johns Manville; NWiR Mentoring Committee Chair
Chelsea Steinbock, JFerg Pros; NWiR Committee Mentoring Vice Chair
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Five Questions with Wise Women in Roofing: Jennifer Ford-Smith
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When you were starting out did you have a mentor, and if so w as it, someone, you sought out or they found you?
I had both a formal mentor (assigned) and individuals who were informally my mentors. I feel the latter worked out best. My formal mentor and I didn’t have natural chemistry.
How did you get into the roofing industry? Were you in something different prior?
I worked for a custom window covering manufacturer in marketing. The Director of Product Development took a role at JM as the Director of Marketing. He had a Product Management role open. At the time, the other PMs were engineers and they wanted to complement the team with somebody with a marketing background. So he asked me if I wanted to give commercial roofing a shot and it was a great decision. Read more...
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COUNCILS
Karen Edwards, Casimir Group; NWiR Councils Committee Chair
Christine Mockenhaupt, SRS Distribution Inc.; NWiR Councils Committee Vice Chair
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If you have been part of a successful council startup, consider joining the NWIR Councils committee. We meet regularly with councils across the country who are looking for guidance and support to get their own local councils established. Your insight and wisdom will go a long way toward helping others find success. If you are interested, please contact the Councils Committee Chairs at councils@nationalwomeninroofing.org.
Here’s what some of our councils have been up to lately:
NWiR Minnesota Council
Submitted by Kelly Troska
In October, we held an informal social at TopGolf with sponsorship help from GAF. This event was meant to be an easy way for others to swing by and check out what our council is about and it turned into an amazing networking and mentoring event. Many new connections made at this event proved this organization is empowering and worth the investment.
NWiR Northern New Jersey Council
Summited by Lynn Picone
 The Northern NJ Council held their monthly meeting virtually on October 29th. Because our "new normal" still has many working from home, learning new skills centered around virtual presentations seemed a natural topic.
GAF Talent Development Specialist Victoria Scriveri led the group through the top 10 tips for "Presenting in the "Virtual World". With over 35 members in attendance for the lunchtime presentation, Victoria touched on everything from basic presentation skills, like knowing your audience, to keeping things interactive, by incorporating polls. She also shared best practice advice unique to virtual presentations, like using a producer to run your slides and watch the "chat" feature.
The group also discussed the upcoming "Gratitude Drive" in support of the Center for Hope and Safety, a local shelter for abused women and families. The November meeting is scheduled for Wednesday the 18th at noon, where a panel of successful women from many disciplines supporting our industry will speak about "Thriving in a Male Majority Space".
NWiR Oregon Council
Submitted by Stephanie Baird
 The Oregon council is busy collecting donation boxes for their 30 days of Gratitude Giving Box November outreach program! Oregon council is putting a flyer in every box they pack.
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SPONSOR HIGHLIGHTS
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IKO in the Past, Present & Future. Roofing & People - Elevated
Submitted by Carol Perkins, Director of Marketing
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 At IKO, our slogan is “Roofing Elevated.” As the company prepares to celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2021, I believe our growth and success have been achieved in large part through a philosophy of “People Elevated.” It’s not an official slogan; it’s an attitude born of a sincere and humble desire to serve our customers, distributors, employees and industry.
Since its founding in Calgary, Alberta, IKO has always been a family-owned and -operated business, now in its fourth generation. The company started small but took a long-term, very methodical approach to realizing its founders’ vision. As a result of its commitment to vertical integration and its supportive, inclusive, and entrepreneurial culture, IKO has expanded and grown to become a leading manufacturer of quality roofing materials worldwide. Read more...
Industry Invited to Submit MVP Nominations by November 20, 2020
Submitted by Heidi Ellsworth
 The Roofing Alliance has issued a call to all roofing contractors for the 2020-21 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards. The program spotlights and promotes excellence in the industry with the MVP Awards Program recognizing workers committed to excellence on and off the roof while applauding workers who make outstanding contributions to their companies, co-workers and communities. MVPs are role models who demonstrate work-related and personal goals to which others in the roofing industry aspire. Read more...
3M Company: The Science Behind Smog-reducing Granules
Submitted by Maureen Kavanagh
3M™ Smog-reducing Granules are designed with a photocatalytic coating and can be seamlessly integrated into roofing shingles to help remove smog pollution from the air we breathe. Together with our employees, customers, partners, governments and communities, 3M is committed to a science-based, collaborative approach to solving shared global challenges and improving lives.
3M Industrial Mineral Products Division is honored to sponsor NWIR. Read more...
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SHAPING OUR FUTURE
Celebrating women and their accomplishments
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Jennifer Long, National Strategic Account Manager
Congratulations to Jennifer Long on her promotion to National Strategic Account Manager for GAF in October. Jennifer has been with GAF since 2016 and has over a decade of experience in the roofing industry. We’re proud of you Jennifer!
Minnie Robles, Director of ARCA
 Minnie Robles, CSI of ATAS International, Inc. was recently named a Director of ARCA (Arizona Roofing Contractors Association) for 2020-2021. She also was awarded ARCA’s 2019 Volunteer of the Year Award. Minnie is the Arizona and Southern Nevada Product Representative for ATAS International, Inc. She is also a member of the NWiR Greater Phoenix Council, and was a nominee for NWiR’s inaugural WORLD Award earlier this year. Congrats Minnie! Read more...
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HOW COVID IS AFFECTING WOMEN
We want to thank Roofing Contractor for sharing this interview they hosted with Taryn Holowka at the USGBC. Watch the interview and start your own conversations about how COVID is affecting women in roofing. Click here for the roofing contractor interview |
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NRCA launches healthcare program
NRCA is offering the first and only health care program tailored specifically to the roofing industry.
According to NRCA CEO Reid Ribble: “One of the biggest concerns NRCA members tell us they have is workforce issues—it’s really difficult to attract and retain good employees. As an industry, we must take care of our employees. One important way we can do that is by offering quality benefits such as health insurance.”
The NRCA Health Care Program enables NRCA members of all categories and sizes to offer employer-sponsored health care options. The plan is flexible, based on your company’s needs and budget, and can be offered with or without employer contributions.
For more information, visit the NRCA website
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EVENTS, WEBINARS & VIRTUAL
MEETINGS
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NOTES FROM THE OFFICE
Ellen Thorp, M.A., CAE; NWiR Executive Director
Advocacy Update
As I’ve mentioned in previous newsletters, NWiR participates in a couple of different coalitions that are keeping tabs on how the pandemic is affecting roofing. The formal Back to Work on America’s Roofs meets every other week and is comprised of staff members from all the roofing related professional and trade associations. We compare notes on what we know about the status of various federal stimulus packages, discuss state and local stay at home/safer at home orders, and strategize the best ways to educate policymakers on the importance of the roofing industry to sustain and recover the economy.
There  is a specific area where we can use your help as boots on the ground. There are two elements of stay at home/safer at home orders that could impact roofing. The first is when even essential businesses are ordered to close and the second is when construction and roofing are not considered essential businesses. Both of these situations require immediate intervention and the BWAR coalition has materials ready to go if this is the case; and we will work with NWiR members as well as the local roofing contractor organizations to advocate for roofing. If your state or municipality enacts stay at home/safer at home orders that either: 1. Don’t allow essential businesses to remain open; or 2. Don’t include roofing or construction as essential – please let me know! Read more... |
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