Lindy Ryan receives prestigious NRCA J.A. Piper Award

The J.A. Piper Award is the roofing industry’s most prestigious honor and recognizes roofing professionals who have devoted constant outstanding service to the association and roofing industry.

The National Roofing Contractors Association has named Lindy Ryan, former vice president of leadership and development at Tecta America, Rosemont, Ill., recipient of its 78th annual J.A. Piper Award January 21 during the NRCA 2026 Industry Awards and Reception in Las Vegas. The J.A. Piper Award is the roofing industry’s most prestigious honor and recognizes roofing professionals who have devoted constant outstanding service to the association and roofing industry.

Ryan attended University of Central Florida, Orlando, and then opened a small general contracting firm with her husband. When they had trouble finding a roofing contractor, they both obtained their roofing contractor licenses to conduct business in Florida.

They subsequently converted their general contracting company into an exclusively roofing business. Fifteen years later, General Works became so successful it joined the Tecta America family. At Tecta America, Ryan demonstrated true leadership and rose through the corporate ranks to lead the southeast region.

Ryan developed a national service department and built the teams and infrastructure necessary for long-term success. She also built one of the most robust employee training programs in the roofing industry, graduating hundreds of skilled professionals every year.

In 1996, Ryan joined NRCA. The first committee she served on was NRCA’s Health and Safety Committee, and as a result of her contributions, she chaired the committee several years. She has served on many committees since then including workforce development, membership marketing, quality assurance, community service and disaster relief as well as the executive management institute.

Ryan was elected to the board of directors and served multiple terms. In 2007, she was elected to and served as president of the National Roofing Legal Resource Center. She was then elected to NRCA’s Executive Committee in 2010. 

Five years later, Ryan was elected by her peers to become the first woman in 129 years to serve as NRCA president. While NRCA president, Ryan worked to recruit members and believed in encouraging people to be the visionaries of their own career paths. She continued to serve on committees until her retirement in 2021.

Ryan continues to serve her community and is actively involved with Moose International, an organization dedicated to supporting youth and elderly people.

First presented in 1948, the J.A. Piper Award is named for former NRCA President Joseph A. Piper, whose extraordinary efforts kept the association alive during the Great Depression.

About the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA)

Since 1886, the National Roofing Contractors Association has been the home for generations of entrepreneurial craftsmen and enterprises who shelter and protect America’s families and businesses and each other. Our vision is the recognition of our members as professionals and to unite the industry to that purpose. NRCA is one of the construction industry’s most respected trade associations and the voice of roofing professionals and leading authority in the roofing industry for information, education, technology and advocacy. It represents all segments of the roofing industry, including contractors, manufacturers, distributors, architects, consultants, engineers, building owners and city, state and government agencies. For information about NRCA and its services and offerings, visit nrca.net.