Recruiting Women Strengthens the Roofing Industry

By Evelyn Witterholt. 

In an article for Commercial Construction & Renovation, Heidi J. Ellsworth discusses the critical role women have played in the roofing industry for centuries. 

RoofersCoffeeShop® (RCS) President, Heidi J. Ellsworth, has not only made strides in the roofing  industry, but also in her work with National Women in Roofing (NWIR). In a recent article for Commercial Construction & Renovation, Heidi describes her experience as a woman in the roofing business as well as her work with NWIR and their efforts to recruit more women into the roofing industry. 

Heidi discusses in the article how although women have had a more prominent role in the roofing industry in recent decades, women have actually had a presence in the industry for centuries. “How many people grew up with parents who owned their own business in a trade? The mom was doing the books and raising families and the dad was “running” the business,” she writes. “In the greater industry or even society, the women (moms) were not recognized as an owner or even partners.” 

Nowadays, women are seeing plenty of opportunities in the roofing industry, but efforts are still being made to bring more women into this space. Since 2014, NWIR has been making strides in recruiting more women into the industry and retaining them once they enter. Today, the organization has over 2,000 members and 45+ councils across the nation, and they are still growing by the minute! 

“NWiR provides networking, mentoring, education and industry recruitment opportunities from the rooftop to the boardroom, for the young professional at the start of her career to the seasoned manager in the executive suite,” Heidi says. “Membership also includes and welcomes men who support the inclusion of women in the roofing industry.” 

Read the entire article from Commercial Construction & Renovation here! 

Learn more about NWIR in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.nationalwomeninroofing.org. 

About Evelyn  

Evelyn works as a writer for RoofersCoffeeShop, MetalCoffeeShop and AskARoofer. When she isn’t writing about roofing, she’s either at the gym lifting weights or curled up on the couch watching a movie. 

Photo credit: Commercial Construction & Renovation