S2:E42 Julissa Chavez- Celebrating Spanish Heritage

By Colin Sheehan, RCS Reporter. 

Learn about Julissa’s progressive work and what SRS is doing to promote inclusivity for all Spanish speaking roofing professionals.  

In this episode of Roofing Road Trips, RoofersCoffeeShop® (RCS) partner, Heidi J. Ellsworth, visits with Julissa Chavez, the Program Manager Latino Marketing & Sales at SRS. Listen in as they talk about the rich Latinx culture in the roofing industry as well as what the industry is doing to promote the careers of Latinx contractors. 

“I have been in the roofing industry going on five years,” said Julissa. “I started with SRS Distribution as a territory manager in the Atlanta, Georgia market, and I've been doing that for the last couple of years. Last fall, SRS launched a Latino Forum, which is incorporating Latinos from all levels at our company. So, we have drivers, we have salespeople, branch managers, that are all creating this Latino Forum internally.”  

Julissa is leading the way for SRS promoting inclusive programming like the company’s new Latino Facebook page. In recent years, through the SRS Latino Forum, everyone came to the consensus that a Latino program for bilingual contractors was needed. Since the beginning of 2020, that program has been a focal point for SRS Distribution, which created the position Program Manager and Latino Marketing and Sales, the latter filled by Julissa.  

“In this new role, we want the roofing industry to know that SRS is committed to providing education and business resources to Latino contractors, businesses and workers,” said Julissa. 

About 30% of the roofing industry is Latinx according to a study done by the NRCA. Latinx is a gender-neutral term that has entered public discourse relatively recently. It provides an inclusive way to address women, men and gender nonconforming folk with a Spanish background.  

“I love [Latinx] because it's inclusive. The industry is understanding how important inclusivity is and by including all genders [and] all races, we get to celebrate the richness of our roofing industry,” said Heidi.   

Historically, the majority of roofing labor has been Hispanic. Now, as we move to a more inclusive world with second and third generations of Latinx Americans growing into their adulthood, more and more Latinx contractors are finding opportunities in the roofing industry.  

“Fast forward, these kids are now comfortable because they've grown [up] in America. They're comfortable with the English language and the way that business is conducted in America. They're more entrepreneurial, as well, compared to their parents, due to the confidence and ability to understand and speak the English language. Today, these children who have grown up are creating their own roofing companies and embracing how great the industry truly is.” 

Listen to the full podcast to learn more about what SRS is doing to promote the careers and advancement of Hispanic/Latinx workers and contractors.