Coming through the window to open the door for others

By Emma Peterson. 

Hear about Susi Lee Masset Batista’s journey into roofing and how that has led to her work helping others through LIRA. 

Susanna (Susi) Lee Massey Batista has had to fight through countless challenges and closed doors to get to where she is today. One of twelve children, she was raised in a cult that didn’t allow for women to get any form of education, from attending college to even learning how to read. In this episode of Roofing Road Trips®, she shares how she moved beyond her beginnings to thrive in the roofing industry.  

The roofing industry was not what Susi ever had in mind — it was a matter of necessity at first. She shared, “It was just something that I needed to do to support myself, and I had three children. I became a single mom when my kids were teenagers, so it was kind of at that time that I began to expand.” But, as she kept learning more about the industry, she began to find a place there, even as she faced challenges for being a woman in a male-dominated field. She explained, “As a woman in this field, you must stay curious, stay humble and just keep after it. There's going to be doors that shut. But there's going to be windows that open. Just keep at it. If you are a woman and you're entering this field, learn your trade, outwork everybody in the room and you won't have to worry about it.” 

As Susi was getting more comfortable in the industry, she could see others who were also facing shut doors. This included members of the Latinx community, like her husband Brunno Batista. And this is what inspired the Latinos In Roofing Association (LIRA). In the roofing industry, 80-90% of labor forces are made up of Latinx people, but there are hardly any of those individuals who have made it through the door to the executive and managerial level.  

LIRA is a non-profit organization dedicated to entering through the window of the industry to help open doors for Latinos and Latinas. Susi explained, “There are so many good people. People want to help. They want to do the right thing. A lot of them just don't know how or what to do. And LIRA hopes to be that guideline to say, ‘Here's what you can do.’” She shared one story from a visit to a contractor, saying, “Brunno and I visited a contractor who had an English as a second language program that they ran, and it didn't cost the employees anything. That is the kind of thing that I think we need to be embracing.” 

Read the transcript or Listen to the full episode for more about how LIRA is empowering Latinx members of the industry and helping them get through the next door.