LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
It’s been a year of frequent changes, but we haven’t had our enthusiasm diminished for the 4th annual NWiR Day, which is now scheduled for August 8, 2021, in Las Vegas. Jennifer Stone and I have been working with our speakers and developing the content for the day and we are so excited to share it with you. Our format will be a full day of education, mentoring, and networking while we empower each other as women in the roofing industry. Head on over and Register Now!

Renae Bales, KPost Roofing & Waterproofing
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COMMUNICATIONS
Liz Garza, MyRoofingCrew; NWiR Communications Committee Chair
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Seeking Editor to lead the Writers Guild!
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Are you interested in helping further the industry through creative writing? NWiR is looking for an Editor to lead a team of writers as they create educational, inspirational, and technical content for members. If you are interested in this opening please reach out to Liz Garza at communications@nationalwomeninroofing.org
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COMMUNITY SERVICE
Susan DeGrassi, Antis Roofing & Waterproofing; NWiR Community Service Committee Chair
Stephanie Baird, Bliss Roofing; NWiR Community Service Committee Vice Chair
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What Pandemic? NWIR Members Never Stopped Helping Their Communities
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It will be no surprise that across the country, NWIR members and their company teams were helping their communities regardless of the pandemic.
The twenty-one members of the Community Service Committee have been collecting those stories as the 2021 goal so we can celebrate…when we are together again…all the amazing work and impact the women in roofing have achieved. Food insecurity was a big theme and many councils stepped up to support local food banks. Housing, blood donations, reaching the front line workers were high need areas. These stories are being shared by the communications team. Look for clever fundraisers like “Lend a HandBAG” and heartwarming stories like the NWiR Tampa Council’s support of Fallen Angels in our photo here!
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DIVERSITY, EQUITY &
INCLUSION
Rae July, Chinook 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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DEI Committee Celebrates Pride Month
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This month, the DEI committee is commemorating the history of the Stonewall Riots with the rest of the country. June is a month for Pride all around the United States. Most people see these parades as a fun event to get together as a large family and celebrate the likeness of our fellow neighbors. The reasoning behind these celebrations goes much further. Read more...
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EDUCATION
Maureen Greeves, Tremco; NWiR Education Committee Chair
Erica Faver, Duro-Last Roofing, Inc.; NWiR Education Committee Vice Chair
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Thank You for Attending the Hands-On Demo!
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Thank you to everyone who joined in for our first-ever hands-on demo on May 20th! The GAF CARE team led a training on how to install asphalt shingles. We had NWiR members participate from Charlotte, Tennessee, and Cleveland! As well as the 100+ virtual attendees! The recording can be accessed under the Webinar Archives section of the website (login required). And please mark your calendars for September 29th when we will be hosting our second hands-on demo!
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Resilient Design and Preparedness for Weathering the Storm
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During the month of June, the NWiR Education Committee will highlight Resilient Design and Preparedness for Weathering the Storm. The technical content will focus on facts and insight on how to prepare roofs for the storms we confront throughout the summer months including Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Northeastern and Tropical Storms. Please visit the Technical Education page for a list of resources specific to steep slope and low-slope roofing. Read more...
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EVENTS
Monica Pedrique Vornbrock, The GLO Group; NWIR Events Committee Chair
Brittany Wimbish, Fields Roof Service; NWiR Events Committee Vice Chair
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NWiR Mentorship and Networking Session at the FRSA Convention
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Join us at the Florida Roofing & Sheet Metal Expo, for an insight-filled session where you will be able to network with other NWiR members and hear from a panel of industry professionals in an open forum setting, talk about workplace conflict de-escalation techniques. Bring your questions, past experiences and be ready to share with other attendees. Stay tuned for more details!
Where: Gaylord Palms Resort
When: Wednesday, July 21st – 3:30-5:30PM
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MENTORING
Kelley Caron, OMG Roofing Products; NWiR Mentoring Committee Chair
Kyrah Coker, National Roofing Partners; NWiR Mentoring Committee Vice Chair
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Wise Women in Roofing; Brenna Driver
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When you were starting out did you have a mentor, and if so was it, someone, you sought out or they found you?
I didn’t have a specific mentor off the bat, but I started really young and didn’t know the value of a mentor. As I think back, there were plenty of people that supported and guided me as I grew in my career. It wasn’t until I was wanting to move into a sales role that I was able to get a formal mentor relationship to help me grow. In fact, they are with a company I no longer work for but still keep in touch and get guidance. Read more...
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RECRUITMENT
Brenna Driver, Owens Corning; NWiR Recruitment Committee Chair
Paula Felix, Aspenmark Roofing & Solar; Recruitment Committee Vice Chair
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Interested in getting involved in a College Internship or Summer Jobs program to expand your employee search opportunity at your company? The Recruitment Committee put together some pointers on how to engage with local colleges and set up an Internship program. Check out our toolkit!
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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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Have you heard of She Builds? Through the partnership of Rebuilding Together, She Builds is a power collaboration between neighbors and partners who provide critical repairs for women-headed households and women-focused community spaces to empower women to maintain safe and healthy homes. The women and men that volunteer for the women-led She Build Teamwork to create a supportive community network to continue the advancement in training and opportunities. Read more...
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NWiR Dallas Fort Worth Council
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Our DFW Chapter had a great time at Corky’s in Grapevine throwin’ axes, networking, and playing music bingo. We are thrilled to host in-person events again after the wild year of covid in 2020. Please join us in June for Top Golf in The Colony!
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NWiR Northern New Jersey Council
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A Roundtable Discussion On Unconscious Bias
Join us in a joint event with the NJ Council of NWiR & WISEconstructive dialogue to foster stronger relationships when working with women in a male majority industry.
Date: June 15, 2021
Time: 12:15 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
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SPONSOR HIGHLIGHTS
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Why Women Leaders Excelled During COVID-19
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There are many talented and successful women in the roofing industry. While women make up only 0.5% of roofing professionals, they have a growing influence. A study from the Harvard Business Review helps explain why women rank ahead of men when evaluating 13 core leadership skills — and the difference grows even more during a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.
We asked three accomplished women in the roofing industry to share how these leadership skills have made a difference while navigating the pandemic. Read more...
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They Said… But They’re Wrong
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Transforming the industry is what we do at Rackley Roofing. Every day we are innovating and looking for new ways to revolutionize the roofing industry. It all starts with our six core values, which make us who we are. Read more...
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GAF’s Center for the Advancement of Roofing Excellence: CARE
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Did you catch the Hands-On demo on May 20th where the GAF CARE team taught NWiR members how to install asphalt shingles? Have you been wondering if you can attend another CARE training? The answer is yes! CARE stands for the Center for the Advancement of Roofing Excellence and the team offers profession, educational programs geared specifically to the roofing industry. CARE is committed to providing non-biased content that is not specific to any single roofing technology. Read more...
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In early 2021, knowing that we might not be able to hold our fourth annual NWiR Day in the spring, the Executive Committee started looking into a program that would deliver valuable content to members and offer the opportunity for our Diamond Sponsors to engage with the NWiR membership. Our Diamond Sponsors provide significant financial support to the association, support their employees being active members and holding leadership roles, and they walk the walk when it comes to empowering women in the roofing industry. Read more...
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SHAPING OUR FUTURE
Celebrating women and their accomplishments
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NRP Announces Kim Baxter’s promotion to a Leadership Role in Sales. As Vice President of Client Services, she will concentrate on client growth along with cultivating partner relationships, as well as leading the estimating department and NRP Partner Affinity Program. Kim has been with NRP for 9 years. Way to go Kim!
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Rackley Roofing Service Coordinator Rachel Thorpe has traded her high heels in for work boots! She was interested in learning more about roofing from a hands-on approach, so she spent a week out in the field with service crews. She fell in love with the field side of service, and decided to move to the roof permanently! Rachel is currently working with Foreman Angela Johnson, and they make an awesome team. Congratulations Rachel!
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Prior to joining Beacon, Ms. Reddy served fifteen years as Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Deputy Corporate Secretary at Fannie Mae (OTCMKTS: FNMA), a financial services company that is the leading source of mortgage financing in the United States, providing $1.4 trillion to support housing in 2020. At Fannie Mae, Ms. Reddy held roles of increasing responsibility and managed the corporate governance functions as well as legal services for corporate operations. She was an executive partner in driving key strategic priorities and innovation objectives, including for digital transformation and ESG. Read more...
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The theme of this series, Unmask Mental Health, aims to destigmatize the mental health challenges and issues we all may face. Through candid conversations, we discuss topics such as anxiety, managing pandemic fear for parents and children, resilience, and more. NWiR’s goal is to provide tools and guidance when it comes to dealing with these sensitive topics. All seven of the Mental Health Matters webinar series are available to members and non-members on a special page on the website.
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NWiR supports NRCA’s Roofing Week
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National Roofing Week will be held June 6-12, and social media plays a crucial role in its success. Be sure to share your company’s photos and videos and use #NationalRoofingWeek and #nwir in your posts! Get the full information here.
- Sunday: National Roofing Week kickoff
- Monday: Signature projects—share photos showcasing your company’s signature residential and commercial projects
- Tuesday: Charitable projects—share photos that demonstrate your company’s charitable giving
- Wednesday: Employee appreciation/highlight your MVP—share photos of your company’s employees and highlight the most valuable players in your company
- Thursday: Employee training—share photos that demonstrate how you train your workers
- Friday: Celebration—share photos showing us how your company celebrated National Roofing Week
- Saturday: Wrap-up
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Thea Dudley owner of Pocket Protectors has some great tips for contractors!
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Over the past year or so, NWiR has been building a repository of original infographics based on webinars and presentations hosted by NWiR. These infographics are visual representations of the information conveyed in our webinars and presentations and provide bite-sized pieces of information on a particular issue so that you can digest the content quickly. A variety of topics are covered on addressing the labor shortage, recruiting and retaining women, emotional intelligence, and more are coming in the next few months. Review the current list here and check back in a couple of weeks for more!
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EVENTS, WEBINARS &
MEETINGS
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NOTES FROM THE OFFICE
Ellen Thorp, M.A., CAE; NWiR Executive Director
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Trade Association Coalition Completes First Quarter 2021 Market Index Survey for Reroofing
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A coalition of industry trade associations representing contractors, consultants and manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada completed its most recent Quarterly Market Index Survey for Reroofing. The survey takes the pulse of the reroofing industry on a quarterly basis and serves as a regular barometer of the industry’s business conditions. By asking a handful of business questions and measuring responses across a number of demographics, the survey helps give an indication of the reroofing market strength and trajectory. Nearly 300 respondents consisting of roofing contractors and roof consultants completed the eight-question survey during a two-week period in April with 62% of responses coming from roofing contractors and 38% coming from roof consultants. The results indicate generally improving market conditions for the roofing industry in the face of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
Some topline excerpts of the survey are:
• Forty-two percent of respondents indicated their customer inquiries increased during the first quarter of 2021 compared with the same quarter in 2020. Twenty-one percent of respondents reported a decrease in customer inquiries during the same period, and 37% indicated no change inactivity. Read more...
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