Diversity Makes Roofing Industry BetterDiversity Makes Roofing Industry Better

The word “diversity” has been thrown around quite a bit in recent times.   

For National Women in Roofing (NWiR), this has been a focus since our inception.   

We were “diverse” before “diversity” was cool.   

Studies show that more diverse organizations outperform those who are less diverse.   

Creating an equitable and inclusive culture that is supportive to women and other populations that are under-represented in the roofing and construction industries will also be beneficial to all employees and colleagues. 

At NWiR, we’ve worked endlessly to empower women in the roofing industry through our four pillars: Networking, Mentoring, Education, and Industry Recruitment.   

Our focus has been to support and advance the careers of women roofing professionals from the boardroom to the rooftop.   

We’ve seen major changes in the roofing industry to be more inclusive and inviting to a different demographic than the norm. However, we still have much work to do. 

Contractors, manufacturers, distributors, and others in the roofing industry are asking the same question: “what does diversity mean and how does it affect my business?”  

At NWiR, we recognize this and began to ask the same question to our board of directors and members.   

The answers to that question sparked us to create a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee (DEI) that is focused on educational initiatives and celebrating each member’s individuality.  

We also recognize that DEI is a hot topic in our world today, and sometimes can be lessened to a catchy hashtag or platitude.   

As such, we understand that we can do our part to educate and assist our members but need to have a broader discussion and initiative.   

So, in the fall of 2020, we began to work on a program to assist our industry in understanding DEI on a larger scale.   

The working title of this program is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion—Roofing Industry Education Program and is referred to as “DEI-RIEP.”  

Through a multi-part interactive series, the DEI-RIEP will be made available at a low cost to any company to provide access to the program for its employees.   

Our focus has always been and will continue to be to elevate the roofing industry by supporting and celebrating our members.   

This is best seen through our amazing content for National Women in Roofing Day on Aug. 8, in conjunction with the International Roofing Expo in Las Vegas.  

This will be a full day of networking and mentorship with other professional women in the roofing industry.   

Our educational sessions cover topics including communication, career development, hands-on technical training, and more!  

If you are a woman in the roofing industry, we would love to have you join us.