English
English
Español
Français

Sign Up for Our E-News!

Join over 18,000 other roofers who get the Week in Roofing for a recap of this week's best industry posts!

Sign Up
Equipter - Sidebar - $200 Rebate 2
Wil-Mar - Sidebar Ad - Pipe Collar
IRE - Sidebar - IRE 2025 Spanish _ 11.21.24
Duro-Last New Membrane Colors Sidebar ad
MetalForming - Sidebar Ad - Generic
IKO - Sidebar - Summit Grey
English
English
Español
Français

From law enforcement to roofing

Elite From law enforcement to roofing
December 19, 2024 at 3:13 p.m.

By Jesse Sanchez. 

Discover how a career pivot led to becoming a trailblazer in the roofing industry. 

In this episode of Stories From the Roof, host Megan Ellsworth chatted with Erica Reed, vice president of construction operations at Elite Construction Solutions, about her unconventional journey from working in law enforcement to becoming a leader in the roofing industry. The conversation is an inspiring tale of adaptability, self-reliance and breaking barriers. 

Erica began her professional life in law enforcement and detailed her transition to roofing, describing how a Craigslist ad sparked a dramatic career change. “My background has always been in law enforcement.  I was a probation officer for the state of Florida,” she said. After moving to Illinois, she sought a change. “I just started looking around and I saw this ad on Craigslist,” she explained. She credited her fascination with architecture — particularly rooftops — as the initial spark that drew her to the industry. “As a kid and even when I was in law enforcement, I would like to drive around and just look at different houses. But for some reason I was drawn to the roofs,” Erica admitted. 

Starting as a sales representative, Erica rapidly advanced within the industry, becoming the first female general manager in her company’s history and eventually rising to her current executive role. Her story is one of relentless self-education and initiative. “I’m a natural researcher,” Erica said, “I was doing training that people didn't offer. I just went and sought out that training and paid for it myself to become better at what I was doing.” 

Erica’s success stems from more than technical knowledge — it’s her ability to build relationships and empower her team. She stated the importance of respecting crews and fostering a collaborative environment. She shared, “The results you get from treating them like people and making them feel special and a part of the company, you get a lot of value out of that.”  

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about Erica’s story and her insights on leadership and industry trends! 

Learn more about Elite Construction Solutions in their Coffee Shop Directory or visit www.roofsbyecs.com.

About Jesse

Jesse is a writer for The Coffee Shops. When he is not writing and learning about the roofing industry, he can be found powerlifting, playing saxophone or reading a good book.



Recommended For You


Comments

There are currently no comments here.

Leave a Reply

Commenting is only accessible to RCS users.

Have an account? Login to leave a comment!


Sign In
Tremco - Banner Ad - Elevating Standards With Building Envelope Training (Tom Biller and Sarah Fay podcast)
English
English
Español
Français

Sign Up for Our E-News!

Join over 18,000 other roofers who get the Week in Roofing for a recap of this week's best industry posts!

Sign Up
Brava - Sidebar - Jan
Roofing Day 2025 - Side Bar - NRCA
Hi Peak SIdebar Ad
APOC - CCS Sidebar - ProProgram - June
Equipter - Sidebar - $200 Rebate 2
Georgia-Pacific - Sidebar Ad - HD ISO