Women share how their unique paths led to industry success

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn how Michelle Ly, Rachel Narveson and Jana Zavala built their businesses and communities in a traditionally male-populated field.  

In a special Coffee Conversations sponsored by QXO, Heidi J. Ellsworth got to sit down with three fellow female-business owners to chat about their journeys into the roofing industry and the importance of uplifting women in our community. The panel included Michelle Ly (Hall Roofing and Construction), Jana Zavala (HER Roofing) and Rachel Narveson (Proficient Construction).  

Jana got her start in the roofing industry in 1996 in distribution and manufacturing with companies like ABC Supply, Malarkey and GAF. Over the decades she spent on that side of the table, she learned and built her network.

Jana explained, “I learned a ton from manufacturing, everything from how a shingle is made, how commercial products or systems are done, to warranties. And then, with going out in the field, and being an educator, and having more of a consultative approach to roofing contractors, I met a ton of people just in the industry by going to the different shows. I had a big network, and starting my own company just felt like the natural next step.”

And starting her own company is exactly what she did, with HER Roofing going into business in Portland, Oregon over six years ago now!  

As for Michelle, her story starts as an insurance adjuster. And her experience in that role gave her a powerful combination of knowledge and confidence.

Michelle explained, “Being a woman adjuster, getting up on the roof, you walk in at a disadvantage, you walk in with the homeowner thinking that you don't know what you're doing, because you're a woman. And then, you meet their contractor and the contractor thinks you don't know anything. So, I equipped myself with the knowledge so I wouldn’t walk into a situation where I was already at a disadvantage and continue to portray that.”

Now, decades later, Michelle uses that experience of breaking stereotypes as a woman getting onto the roof to keep driving her forward as one of the founders and leaders at Hall Roofing.  

Rachel’s story starts a couple decades ago when she was 17 and working at a remodeling company on the admin side. It was in that position that she fell in love with working to build relationships and solutions for clients, which is what inspired her to start Proficient Construction in 2013.

She explained, “I felt like the importance of a relationship-based mentality with customers can get drowned out, especially when you are competing with some of these bigger roofing companies where they're doing volume. So, with Proficient Roofing, I made sure everything was relationship-based. In my first five years I spent barely any money on marketing. It was all networking, establishing relationships and building a core group of referral partners.” 

While all three of these women’s stories vary in location and timing, they all share one driving factor – community. Michelle explained, “We're all from different states, different areas, so a lot of experiences are different. But I would say that community is always key. The people involved, your village, all have to be on the same page working towards that mission, that vision that you have. And then, get the community built into that.” Rachel added, “I agree, the best thing that I did in my career is I found the people that were doing it really well in the industry. For example, I joined National Women in Roofing (NWIR) and they became my mentors. Like Michelle said, it’s so important to be able to surround yourself with really good people that want to see you succeed.” 

Read the transcript or Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these inspiring women and how they are improving the industry by uplifting other women.