It used to be that everyone you met in the roofing industry started out “On the Roof”. It also used to be that when you met a woman in the roofing industry, her husband owned the company. Things have changed and women are filling all types of roles, and the Tile Roofing industry is leading the way. Five women attended the October Rialto/Fontana training sessions. Impressive not just in number but by the obvious quality and depth of their varied experiences.
Left to right- Anna Murray (MCA Clay Tile) Lisa Jensen (TRI Training Program), Erica Herrera (Boral Roofing), Lucy Petri (All Climate Roofing) and not pictured Michele Morse (Eagle Roofing)
Lucy Petri is co-owner of All Climate Roofing in Ventura County, CA. Her business partner is her husband Charles. When Lucy talks about her work words like “trust”, “communication” and “high standards” pepper every response. Her primary role with All Climate is Marketing and Customer Relationships. “We’re a family owned and operated business. Our goal is to serve our local community and grow our business while maintaining a high quality standard and close communication with our customers.”
Erica Herrera works for Boral Roofing in their National Testing lab. She is on the cutting edge of developing and improving tile products. As the saying goes, if we told you the specifics of her work we’d have to…. Suffice to say, she’s an expert in her field and someday you will benefit from the advanced work she is doing today.
Lisa Jensen is a Lead Trainer and administrator with the Tile Roofing Institute. Her background in technical training helps contractors digest the tables and graphs of the Moderate Climate Guide. She is also an elected councilmember in her Newcastle, WA home, currently serving as Deputy Mayor. Lisa says “the perspective of an elected official is helpful when working with building department officials that attend our classes.” The women that attended this training make up only a small sample of important positions filled by women in our industry.
Two women behind the scenes at Eagle Roofing Products are playing critical roles for their company and industry. Brandi Lessner has been with Eagle Roofing products for just 7 months. “I love this industry and the Eagle Roofing family. While it is a male-dominated industry, it seems more and more women are joining the force and I think that is fantastic. We have a wonderful product everyone is proud to represent and it makes working a lot of fun” says Brandi, a Marketing and Communications Coordinator at Eagle Roofing Products.
In addition to those “new” to the tile roofing industry, there are ladies like Annette Sindar (Eagle Roofing Products, Rialto, CA) whose long term commitment and experience at the same company has made her an irreplaceable resource. Her commitment to Eagle has been stretched to become a commitment to the industry serving on important boards, including being a tremendous resource for the Tile Roofing Training Program. This has not slipped the notice of Eagle Roofing Products President Kevin Burlingame “Annette Sindar is one of the superstars here at Eagle. She remains as committed to the roof-tile industry today, as when I first met her 25 years ago. She is a qualified expert in tile roofing and a truly valued Eagle team member. Eagle would not be the same without her.”
And the Tile Roofing Industry would not be same without you Ladies!