Lee Lipniskis - A Life in Roofing

By Colin Sheehan, RCS Reporter. 

Join Lee Lipniskis and Heidi J. Ellsworth as they reminisce over the ups and downs of Lee’s unique roofing journey. 

On Season 3, Episode 30 of Roofing Road Trips, Heidi J. Ellsworth chats with Lee Lipniskis, associate consultant at Cotney Attorneys and Consultants, about her career and experiences in the roofing industry. With a background in insurance and finance, and having worked for a contractor, Lee has been involved with every side of the industry. Learn about her journey through roofing in this exciting, improvised episode of Roofing Road Trips. 

"I am at heart an insurance and risk management nerd,” said Lee. “That is what I got my degree in, in college, in case you didn't know that you could do that, you actually can.” 

After earning her degree in Risk Management, Lee worked as an adjuster for a variety of carriers doing insurance and estimation work. Eventually she went into the independent side of the business and found herself in inspiring situations all over the country.  

"I got to travel everywhere and help people through some disasters, especially in Texas after the hurricane,” said Lee. “So many amazing experiences there. I learned so much about estimating.”  

Part of Lee’s roofing journey is having the actual experience of falling off a roof. She fell from the second story to the first after stepping on a beehive. The homeowner wasn’t home to help her, so Lee had to take herself to the hospital and retrieve her keys, which were still on the second story of the roof. 

“It was very traumatic,” said Lee. “I wanted to get out of adjusting at that point. I didn't want to be on roofs [all the time]. I don't mind getting on roofs now, [or] in my previous life before I worked at Cotney. I would get on roofs for safety inspections when I worked for a contractor... However, in the summertime, things fly around up there and it's just not safe for me, so I wanted to try something different.” 

Lee worked for Core Contractors in Denver before joining the Cotney team. Lee has always been interested in working with contractors who treat their workers and customers with a lot of respect. As an insurance adjuster, Lee found some contractors treating her with disrespect.  

"There's this bad rap between insurance adjusters and roofing contractors and I would love to change that," said Lee. “It's probably one of my roofing life missions.” 

After working for Core for eight and a half years, Lee decided it was time to try something different. Equipped with knowledge of both the insurance and contractor side of the roofing industry, she pursued a position at Cotney Consulting Group to continue her passion for helping people and bringing the insurance and contractor worlds of roofing together. 

"I happen to know this amazing woman named Heidi Ellsworth, who helped to connect me with John Kenney, my now boss. And I feel like the rest is history,” said Lee. “It's amazing. I love working for Cotney now. I feel like I got my spark back. I mean, you can tell in my face. I love my team. I love my job." 

Listen to the entire podcast to hear Lee’s entire roofing story and how she’s contributing to the industry today.