Time flies: Celebrating 10 years of NWIR and 7 years of RRT

By Emma Peterson. 

Join us for a walk down memory lane with Jennifer Stone, founder of National Women in Roofing and our first ever Roofing Road Trips® guest! 

In a new episode of Roofing Road Trips® (RRT), host Heidi J. Ellsworth sat down with Jennifer Stone of Tremco for a special conversation reflecting on their shared past. Jennifer, who was the first ever guest on the RRT podcast back in October of 2019! That original episode focused on all things National Women in Roofing (NWIR), an industry organization founded by Heidi and Jennifer, as well as Shari Carlozzi and Jennifer Ford Smith. 

More recently, these incredible women reunited on the stage at NWIR Days for the 10th anniversary of NWIR’s founding. Jennifer shared her thoughts about the experience:  

I went back and listened to that [RRT] episode, and we were so young. We were so excited in that podcast to tell women where they could go and meet new people and feel included in the industry. There was absolutely nothing more important or fulfilling to us than recruiting and educating. All we wanted to do was bring women together and let the magic happen. And we did that. 

Today, NWIR has helped countless women find their footing and a place within communities across the industry. Jennifer shared, “We've gotten to a point where having a woman serving in presidential and executive roles is not news anymore. That is a big evolution in the roofing industry around diversity and culture...We had 60 women that attended our first NWIR event. Now there's over 600 women.” This incredible growth not only helps women succeed but has also improved the roofing industry as a whole. Creating cultures that are more diverse and inclusive of women fosters something that Jennifer refers to as “diversity of thought.” 

This concept stems from the idea that we all address a problem from different angles based on our backgrounds and knowledge. Because we all come at it differently, we subsequently come to different solutions. By being more inclusive of traditionally less-represented groups, like women in roofing, we are able to innovate more and ultimately build a stronger industry. Jennifer elaborated on this, explaining, “Women often bring what are traditionally considered ‘soft skills.’ These skills are what elevate leadership, culture and communication skills, leading to retention of talent, increased innovation, a better bottom line and ultimately a stronger industry.”  

Listen to the podcast to hear more of Jennifer and Heidi’s conversation.