How one opportunity sparked a roofing career revolution

By Jesse Sanchez. 

Juggling motherhood, frequent moves and a nontraditional path, Lillianne Dunstall never let obstacles stand in the way of her rise through the ranks at Tremco. 

For Lillianne Dunstall, the journey to executive leadership didn’t start with a business degree. It started with an opportunity and one man who treated her as an equal. “In 2002, I was hired into the roofing industry by Tremco and that’s really where my career started taking off,” Lillianne recalled during this episode of the Roofing Road Trips® podcast. “I was lucky enough to be hired by the company’s VP of Canada, who was one of the two men who had a huge impact on my career.” 

The breakthrough came when that VP trusted her with real responsibility. She shared, “He treated me as an equal. The more things I took off of his plate, the more he gave me responsibility and authority.” That moment changed her outlook. “That was the first time I actually considered that I could go to more than lower level or mid management.” 

When he left the company, Lillianne became the go-to contact for senior leaders in her area. That exposure and one particular crisis vaulted her to the next level. She explained, “There was an inventory shortage. It was three weeks before the end of the year. We were shy of making our numbers.” 

She wasn’t going to let a product shortage derail the company’s year-end goals. With just three weeks left to close the gap, she sprang into action. “I started wheeling and dealing,” she recalled. “‘So, if I sent you product from Montreal to New Jersey, can Cleveland send me product A? And if I get an extra shift on in Toronto, can Los Angeles do this?’” Working across departments and time zones, she coordinated a complex, high-stakes shuffle of materials and labor to keep the numbers on track. 

Her leadership under pressure didn’t just solve the problem; it sent a message. She noted, “By the time we were done, we made our numbers.” 

That resourcefulness caught the attention of top leadership. “Probably about eight or nine months later, I received a call. It was the new president,” she shared. “He said to me, ‘I like what you’re doing with Canada and I want you to become the director of North American Business Operations.’” 

It was a turning point. The promotion validated not just her efforts during the crisis, but the years she’d spent mastering every part of the business. It proved she didn’t need a traditional background to earn a seat at the leadership table, just the grit to take charge when it counted. 

Spoiler alert: she took the job. 

Listen to the podcast to learn more about how Lillianne leveraged grit and relationships to rise in the roofing industry!