National Women in Roofing’s Rising Star of 2025

By Jenny Yu.  

After diving into the roofing world six years ago, Sarah Sutton-Shouse works with a team of incredible women to elevate the industry every day. 

When Sarah Sutton-Shouse won a National Women in Roofing (NWIR) award at the International Roofing Expo (IRE) 2025, she was stunned. She hadn’t even known she was nominated.  

“One of my other board members from my council was like, ‘Hey, that's your face.’ And I'm like, ‘That's my face.’ I was just shocked,” she told Heidi J. Ellsworth in a recent Roofing Road Trips® episode.  

Each year, NWIR gives two major awards: World Veteran Award and the World Rising Star Award. After having been nominated the year prior, this year was Sarah’s time to shine.  

Six years ago, Sarah joined Raincoat Roofing as a service coordinator and was immediately thrown into a complex landscape when the COVID-19 pandemic forced businesses online. Filling a need for her new company, Sarah helped digitize Raincoat Roofing’s processes and grew a whole department from the ground up. Now, she serves as service manager and as one of the company’s leadership team members. 

“Somebody told me one time, ‘You don't find roofing, roofing finds you,’ and it’s very much been that way,” Sarah shared. “And I just can't get enough of it. I was on a roof on Monday. I've got bids going out today. I'm working on scheduling. I'm doing all of these things. And if I wasn't so busy, my head would explode. I don't know what I would do with myself.” 

Sarah has taken this passion and her ability to recognize and address needs into her work with National Women in Roofing. She collaborated with several major organizations like the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) and the Chicago Roofing Contractors Association (CRCA) to expand NWIR’s reach to Chicago and became a founding leader and chair of the NWIR Illinois Council. Under her leadership, this new chapter has already organized impactful philanthropic initiatives for the Chicago community, evidence of why Sarah was this year’s NWIR Rising Star Award honoree. 

“It's just about doing what's right for the members we're serving. It's been a labor of love, and I have an immensely incredible board. I am so privileged to be able to work with women like that,” Sarah expressed. “You do it because you want to, and to have won that award, it was very fulfilling. Everything that we've put in is being returned.” 

Listen to the podcast or Watch the recording to learn more about Sarah’s transformative work with Raincoat Roofing, National Women in Roofing and beyond.