Mishell Cox - Most Influential Women in Indiana - PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with Mishell Cox from Cox Residential Construction Company. You can read the interview below or listen to the podcast. 

Megan Ellsworth: Welcome to Roofing Road Trips with Heidi. Explore the roofing industry through the eyes of a long-term professional within the trade. Listen for insights, interviews, and exciting news in the roofing industry today.

Hello, everyone. My name is Megan Ellsworth here at rooferscoffeeshop.com. And we're back again for a Roofing Road Trips and I am here with Mishell Cox. Hi, Mishell.

Mishell Cox: Hi.

Megan Ellsworth: So excited to be chatting with you. We're going to be talking about the Beacon Female Roofer of the year contest, your experience with it. So why don't we just dive right in and have you introduce yourself?

Mishell Cox: Of course. Well, my name is Mishell Cox and I am co-owner of Cox Residential Cox Roofing, and we've been in business for almost 12 years now.

Megan Ellsworth: Oh, wow.

Mishell Cox: Yeah, I had to think about it, but yeah, almost 12 years. I absolutely love roofing and I love even more being a woman in the roofing industry, believe it or not.

Megan Ellsworth: Yes, me too. So do you want to share a little bit of the history and culture of your company and the story behind Cox Residential?

Mishell Cox: Yeah, absolutely. Well, we started with the old same story. My husband used to work for another roofing company. He worked there for quite some time. Back then I was still in college. I have a couple degrees in business, and then he just decided to go on his own.

Same old story. Things didn't go as planned. He didn't get paid everything he was owe, and he was for the most part doing the majority of the work and that's when we had the conversation and we decided to open our own roofing company. And yeah, the culture of the company, we try to keep an open door policy. Let me try to say this right, because I always say wrong. This is a company that is owned by a woman who happens to be Latina.

And with that being said, inclusion and being diversity, they are a must within our company. We have to make people feel like they are part of it. They are not, I always say, they're not my employees. You don't work for me, you work with us. So with that being said, having happy employees is very, very important. Everything that we do, of course, money comes with. Nobody works for a hobby. We work to make money to make a living, but when people are happy with what they do and you know how to find the skills and what they enjoy doing makes it a little easier to become successful.

Megan Ellsworth: Absolutely. Yeah, well said. Well said. So how did it feel to be a finalist in the Beacon Female Roofer of the Year contest? That's pretty exciting.

Mishell Cox: It was pretty exciting. Actually, funny story, the person who let me know, we went on one of those trips that manufacturers takes you to, and we met different owners of other roofing companies and we connected with a couple guys, I think they are in Washington. I don't know, they have a couple different states, and one of them is the one that texted me and he let me know, "Hey, you're famous now." And I'm like, "Am I?"

So he sent the screenshot and he showed it to me and he is like, "Hey, when we had conversations, I knew that you were good at what you do." And it just feels amazing coming from another owner, those words. And ever since, a lot of people have reached out and let me know how proud they are and they remember back when we started the company. And it has been definitely been a humbling experience. But at the same time, knowing that people are watching, knowing that people are seeing what you do it inspires me to become better, better woman, a better business or entrepreneur, but at the same time a better human being to make sure that everything that I'm doing goes along with the ethics and values that we have and that we want with people that work with us.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah. Wow. Well said. I love this next question, and I think you kind of touched on it already, but what do you credit for your success in business today?

Mishell Cox: My team. It's not me. Every time we get an award or anything, I always say it's not me. Nothing that we have. I mean, yes, I am some sort of guiding people to the path that I feel that they have to take, but at the end of the day, I have amazing people working with us.

Really good, I think I'm really good at business. My husband is really good at construction, my COO, he is amazing at numbers. Anything you give him, he can break it down into numbers. He loves spreadsheets, which I don't. My sales manager, he is amazing training people. He's really good at motivating people and keeping them on track, so I just feel like it's a combination of all of us. So anything that the company, the success of the company is them. It's not just the owners.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah. Why do you think it's important that we recognize and celebrate women owned roofing businesses? I mean, besides the obvious.

Mishell Cox: Right, right. If I can hire more, like 10 women right now, I will do it. I will totally do it. One of my top sales reps is a woman, believe it or not.

Megan Ellsworth: Whoa.

Mishell Cox: She's just amazing. She's so good. She's so detail-oriented and it is not a secret that women can multitask pretty well. With her I don't have to ask her to do anything. If anything, she's like, "Hey, not only I got that done, but I was thinking that you probably could use this as well."

So I'm trying to let people know. I got some pushback back in the day when we started the company where it was like, "Well, we don't want to talk to you. We just want to talk to your husband." Always typical yeah, but you don't know anything. And it is not just the construction part. It's not just the roofing part. You also need somebody to get things done because it does not matter how good you are at construction or how good you are at getting on the roofs. If you don't know how to make it work, it's not going to happen. So I'm trying really hard to work and putting the message out there that diversity, inclusion, and having women in the roofing industry benefits everyone. So hopefully I'm being a good... I'm conveying the message correctly, hopefully.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah, no, I think you definitely are. And I love, I think it's even more important to shine a light, like you said on you're a woman, but just happens to be Latino, and that's something to celebrate too, especially with Hispanic Heritage Month coming up in October so yeah, well said.

Mishell Cox: Yeah.

Megan Ellsworth: So what would you say to other women who want to get into roofing?

Mishell Cox: Do it. Do it. It's fun. A lot of people are like "Roofing, oh, I just don't want to get on roofs. I just don't want to do this." I mean, there's so many components into being in the roofing industry. You don't just have to install roofs, you don't just have to... That's part of it. And the same thing, not the same thing. I have always said it. Women, men are completely different, but at the same time, we compliment each other.

Neither is better than the other one, but we compliment each other and women have so much to offer to the roofing industry. So I feel like being a woman should not be a weakness. It can be your superpower depending on how you use it. So it is pretty doable. We need more women in the roofing industry. So if anything, I'll encourage anybody, any women that wants to join, please do it.

Megan Ellsworth: Yes, please join us.

Mishell Cox: Yeah.

Megan Ellsworth: Join us.

Mishell Cox: I know, right? Yeah.

Megan Ellsworth: So how important is the distributor relationship for a company's success? Because you spoke about you've gone on manufactured trips, and obviously, Beacon is a distributor. So how important is that relationship?

Mishell Cox: I have another funny story about Beacon. They were not my main supplier until National Women in Roofing.

Megan Ellsworth: Really?

Mishell Cox: National Women in Roofing created that relationship and that bond, yes, because she was working for another roofing company and she wanted to become part of National Women Roofing. And when she did, I'm the chair here in Indiana, and after she was showing us what she got, I'm like, "Okay, she really wants this. She wants to make this happen," and so we joined forces and we actually, National Women in Roofing in Indiana has taken up pretty well ever since she came and joined.

After that, she left that roofing company and she went to Beacon. And it is because of her that I'm able to bigger projects, having more answers faster and I mean, she's just on it. And it is so amazing to me that National Women in Roofing made that happen, that connection happen.

We benefit from each other. She helps me a lot with all the information that I need, and I help her in questions that she has because I have a little more experience in the roofing industry than she has. But at the same time, she reminded me that they don't work for homeowners. I don't work for homeowners. We work for each other. We help each other.

And without the suppliers, I can't do anything. And without us, they can't do anything. So it is super important that you find the right supplier, that you find somebody that can help you with all your needs. It definitely makes a difference when you have somebody to support you and has your back.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah. And that definitely goes to show the power of community, especially when women are coming together to uplift each other. I mean you can't stop that. It's just so powerful.

Mishell Cox: Yeah.

Megan Ellsworth: So what advice would you have for roofing contractors out there trying to create a strong relationship with distribution for the success of their business?

Mishell Cox: Well, I think it's really important. It's really important from the supplier to the contractor, from the contractor to the supplier. Because my previous supplier, I was with him because I was with him since the beginning. I wanted to be loyal, but I was not getting what I needed when I needed it. And it was just making me sometimes look not so good with clients and without even realizing what was happening, I was losing contracts.

And not just that, you just feel the love from your suppliers sometimes, and I don't even care, but sometimes they show up at, my new supplier, Beacon, they show up with donuts and cupcakes for my sales meeting. And it is just so amazing that my sales reps appreciate her. And they feel like any question that they have related to roofing or not roofing, they can come to her.

And it makes a difference on the dynamic that you have within your company. And when they are selling as well, they're like, "Hey, this is not in stock. Let me see what I can do." They go to her and she moves things around. They feel like somebody has her back besides me, besides myself and my managers, the suppliers will and that's so important.

Megan Ellsworth: Well said. I think that's some great advice. Lastly, is there anything you'd like to say about being a finalist in this contest? Any words of thanks or...?

Mishell Cox: After I saw this, I'm like, "Why more suppliers or manufacturers, or people have not done this just yet?" You see it all the time with men. Top sales rep, top this, top that. And even all the conventions that I go to, all the home shows, they have constant programs for men, and there's almost nothing for women. And I'm like, we have a lot to bring to the table as well. And I wish that more people will start doing that.

Even believe it or not, after the whole Beacon thing, I started reaching out to manufacturers and I'm like, "Why are you guys not doing this?"

Megan Ellsworth: Yes.

Mishell Cox: Like, "Let's do this." There's so many women behind the scenes that you don't see. But I promise you, if you start scratching a little bit, you're going to see, and more women are going to feel more confident in like, "Okay, they appreciate me. They see what I'm doing." And that sets the example for others who are thinking about coming into the industry or they're passionate about it and they're just not sure. So I think it's amazing. I am very grateful that Beacon is doing that, not just for me, but for many of the women, and I wish more suppliers and more manufacturers were doing it.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah, me too. I mean, for anyone out there listening, let's get on that. Let's make it happen.

Mishell Cox: Yeah. Right.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah. Well, congratulations on being a finalist.

Mishell Cox: Thank you.

Megan Ellsworth: So exciting. You have had such great advice for people today, and just, I have loved hearing your story and sharing your wisdom, so thank you so much for chatting with me today.

Mishell Cox: Thank you so much.

Megan Ellsworth: Yeah. All right. For everyone listening out there, please go listen to all our other Roofing Road Trips. We interviewed the Beacon Female Roofer of the Year finalist last year as well, so you can hear even more great stories about women in roofing. Make sure to hit the subscribe button and we will be seeing you next time on Roofing Road Trips.

Make sure to subscribe to our channel and leave a review. Thanks for listening. This has been Roofing Road Trips with Heidi from the rooferscoffeeshop.com.