Women Transforming Roofing - PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Editor's note: The following is the transcript of a live interview with National Women in Roofing members Katie Bodiford, Minnie Robles, Jamie Treglio and Christee Roberson. You can read the interview below, listen to the podcast or watch the recording.

Intro: Welcome to Coffee Conversations. My name is Heidi Ellsworth. This is from RoofersCoffeeShop. I have to tell you. I'm very excited. I know I say that a lot but today, we have National Women in Roofing, so we are going to be talking about what's happening in the industry, the history and also most exciting, we are going to be talking about National Women in Roofing Days coming up in February.

Before we get started, I want to do a little bit of housekeeping. For everybody out there, this is being recorded. It will be available within 24 to 48 hours so be sure to share it out there, share it with your company, have people watch it. This is the kind of information that really is making a huge difference in the industry. And of course, the chat is open and I already see people in here.

Hello, everyone. We're going to be... You're part of this conversation so please let us know your name, your company, where you're at and chat throughout the entire conversation. I will be reading, bringing your comments in to our panelists who we have here today and we're just going to have a great conversation.

So I want to thank from the bottom of my heart, Johns Manville. Johns Manville is an amazing partner when it comes to diversity and inclusion. They were one of the initial first, very first, sponsors of National Women in Roofing and of course an amazing partner with the CoffeeShop. So thank you Johns Manville. Thank you for always being the thought leader and thank you so much for the sponsorship of today's conversation.

And with that, I have a special thank you to Jamie. Jamie, you are the one who makes this happen for us. You are doing so much in the industry. Thank you for being here today and for the sponsorship with Johns Manville.

Jamie Treglio: Thank you for having me. I couldn't imagine not joining.

Heidi J Ellsworth: I love it. I love our conversation. So why don't you go ahead, introduce yourself, tell us a little bit about what you do at Johns Manville.

Jamie Treglio: Okay. I'm Jamie Treglio. I've been in roofing about five years and I came from out of the industry, so I had so much to learn and I learned it through connections that I made at National Women in Roofing. So to me, this is near and dear. It helped me figure out what was what, what actually went on a roof and I could ask people questions that weren't going to judge that I didn't bring that knowledge with me. And that was crucial to just my success. Now I handled the marketing at Johns Manville for our roofing division and I have a team of very talented people and we try to keep our fingers on the pulse of what's going on and RoofersCoffeeShop and NWIR, those are things that I use on the daily just to make sure I know what's going on. It's a pleasure to be here.

Heidi J Ellsworth: I love it, I love it and I love everything we work on together so many things just recently. I just have to throw out there. SkillsUSA. You're also a major sponsor there. So many great things that are going on. Next, I would love to introduce Katie. Katie, I have to tell you, new to the executive director position over the last year and a half, I'll let you introduce yourself, but have made such a huge difference, such an awesome impact on National Women in Roofing. Thank you for being here today. Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about you?

Katie Bodiford: Certainly can. Thank you for having me. I'm Katie Bodiford. I'm the executive director of National Women in Roofing. Like Heidi said, I came on board last November. My background, I've spent about 30 years, which makes me sound really old, 30 years in the association management of different types of groups but mostly construction and building materials. And so I like to say that I finally made it at the top because I'm in roofing now, so there you go.

Heidi J Ellsworth: I love it.

Katie Bodiford: Love this group and just really excited to be here and join in this chat because we've got a lot to share.

Heidi J Ellsworth: We have a lot to share, and thank you for everything you're doing and welcome to the top.

Katie Bodiford: Thank you.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Top of roofing. I'm really excited to introduce Christee. Christee, I've been inspired with you, by you since we first met. You run your own roofing company. You're going to be chair of National Women in Roofing. Thank you so much for being here today. Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about you?

Christee Roberson: I recently got married so I've had a name change. I was Christy Holbrook for many, many years and recently got married and I'm Christee Roberson.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Congratulations.

Christee Roberson: Yeah. I still call myself Holbrook. Sometimes, I have to stop and think. I started in roofing in 1997 so I'm going on 28 years and in 2018 was given the opportunity to buy the company. Been an owner since 2018. Knew nothing about roofing when I came in. I came in from healthcare, so learned a lot and like everyone else, National Women in Roofing has really inspired me and taught me a lot about roofing.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Wow. It's so great. And your involvement in National Women in Roofing is just phenomenal. We're going to be seeing so much more of that. And finally, but definitely not least, I would love to introduce Minnie. Minnie, thank you for being here today. You... Oh my gosh. You and I have seen so many things together. We've worked on different groups. Please introduce yourself and let everybody know a little bit about you.

Minnie Robles: Sure. Hi, everybody. We have seen a lot, haven't we, Heidi?

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yes, we have.

Minnie Robles: I think my first NWIR Days was the first one in New Orleans, I think.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yep, 2018.

Minnie Robles: 2018. So my coffee cup makes an ode to that today. I've been in the roofing industry, it'll be now 20 years, a little over 20 years. I started as a receptionist. Landed on the job like most of us do. It wasn't something that I was looking for and I'm glad to be here. So I went all the way from a receptionist to manufacturing over the last 20 years of my career. So I've seen a lot of changes. National Women in Roofing has been a huge part of being able to advance my career and to learn a lot more and thankfully, now working for Johns Manville, it's just opened a world of opportunities for working for a company that supports National Women in Roofing like we do.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yes. It's so awesome. And you were with a company that was so supportive before also.

Minnie Robles: Yes. I got to-

Heidi J Ellsworth: So many different roles.

Minnie Robles: I got to hang out with my buddy, Leanne-

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, who I just saw.

Minnie Robles: Shout out, Leanne, because she's amazing and she's not only been a great friend, but a great mentor as well.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah. So awesome. With that in mind, I have to tell you, I'm watching the chat. So many fun people on here. We see Leanne being one of them. There's just so many folks. So welcome. I'm so happy you're here. I have to say from Katie in Wichita Falls, they are on snow day and they're taking their snow day to be with us on Coffee Conversations. So I think that's pretty awesome. But it sounds like people are getting snow all over. So I hope everybody's safe and sound.

I do want to put just my heart out there for the folks in California. So if we have any Californians on here, especially from Southern California and L.A., we're thinking of you and we're with you.
Let's talk about women in roofing. We are... It's been 2018 since the first National Women in Roofing Days. It's been since 2016 when we incorporated as, or not incorporated, but we became National Women in Roofing and it's been since 2014 when we were sitting on a beach with Shari Carlozzi and Jennifer Ford Smith and Jenny Stone, actually, they weren't on the beach but very soon after and really said, "We need this. We need National Women in Roofing and we need to bring us all together." Since then, today, I'm going to leave it to Katie and Christee to tell us how many members National Women in Roofing have. But it is phenomenal what has happened and where we're at today as we've been going on.

So I want to go around and just have everybody just set the stage, share a little bit what you've seen in the industry over your time. We were talking about how long we've all been in the industry, so whether long or short. In my 30 years, I had no idea when I was visiting with Shari and Jennifer and Jenny that this would happen, that this would change an industry so much. But I feel like when I look at the difference in the last 10 to 12 years, there is 100% difference. And the women coming together and the positions and the C-suites and everything, all of the above has changed so much. Christee, what have you seen? What have you seen with the changes in your career in roofing from when you started through today?

Christee Roberson: I always like to share the story. When I started I was considered as secretary, even though I had an accounting degree, was not working in secretary, I was working in accounting.
And again, for those of you that don't know, I live in Mississippi, I'm in deep south. I think we're lagging behind most everyone else. So when I started in National Women in Roofing, which I also was at the first one in 2018 in New Orleans, I walked in and was so inspired and it was like I found my people. People that know what we deal with day to day. And then I also realized that wow, Mississippi might be even further behind than I thought.

But through the years since I've been involved, I do feel like even in Mississippi we're opening up about more women being in construction. I'll like to share that we finally have our first council starting up in Mississippi recently. So it's been slow go, but we have a group in Jackson that's starting one up and I'm very excited about that. But even talking to some of those ladies, they were like, "I've never gotten to go up on the roof. My boss won't let me." That's very typical of how it was when I first started. It's been interesting. It's been very interesting.

Heidi J Ellsworth: I think one of the things is that with the competitiveness of business today and the power that women bring to the business arena, that the companies that are not embracing that, that do not have women on the roof, who do not have women in leadership are really being left behind and they may not even realize it.

Katie Bodiford: I think it's interesting too. My team, we were exhibiting at METALCON and this woman came up and she said, "National Women in Roofing? I didn't know there was such a thing." And then she proceeded to tell us a story that, and she's in Alabama, she and her husband own a roofing company. He got injured and they had an important job that needed to be completed. So she stepped in for him on the job site and they were all amazed at her efficiency and the way that she completed the project, and it really opened their entire company's eyes to just that natural fit that women have in the industry with the manual dexterity and the attention to detail and all of that. I think that we are starting to see a shift, even though women still probably make up less than 5% of roofers, I think they are seeing that skillset is really something pretty powerful.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, it is. It really is changing. I know. Jamie, what have you seen over your career? I know five years in roofing, but tell me about five years because I think a lot has changed in five years.

Jamie Treglio: Definitely. The first NWIR Days that I went to was in 2021 or that fall right after COVID. Everyone was excited to be able to get together, to get to just... That welcoming, especially after that period of time, was huge just to talk to people that wanted to be like, "It's so great to meet you. What do you do?" And then to instantly it didn't all have to just stay business, it was business and I care about what was going on personally, which was really nice because I feel over that period of time we're all working from home. You just wanted to get your job done. So some people you weren't having those conversations. And so it was great.

I definitely experienced, I would say, overprotectiveness on the roof and I chose to take that as with gratitude and grace for my safety like, "Thank you for looking out for me." And then choose to be like, "Now let me show you how I can do it too." I was really lucky that I had support from some of the first... Because I rely on contractors to help get me on a roof as a manufacturer. I had some really great folks that wanted to take time and they wanted to show me the ropes because they knew if they didn't maybe someone else wouldn't. And now it's not even a point of contention or a conversation and that's just five years.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah. I know. It's been. I do have a picture of Megan and I up in a roof and Megan was a baby in a backpack on my back. It was a flat roof and we were in the middle. All safety was there. But that was a strange thing even then for me to show up. I can remember showing up with this baby as I'm working and people, men not even addressing me or talking to me, they're just like, "You must be a wife just waiting here for somebody." That has totally changed over the years and now women are able to really incorporate their families on such a larger level. And I think a lot of it is this and the family-ness of roofing overall. Minnie, you have a family. You have had that balance and been a woman for 20 years in roofing. What have you seen change?

Minnie Robles: When I started in the industry, I was 19 years old. I was a baby baby and my son was three years old. My eldest son was three years old. One of the things that I was very fortunate in is I had fantastic mentors. My boss at the time when I moved from the receptionist desk and HR, they moved me over to the project management team and I remember he said, "Before I give you anything," he goes, "I need you to go on the roof with my guys." I spent a week with the tile crew, a week with the shingle crew, a week with metal crew, a week with a single-ply crew. I will tell you. I'm a pretty good welder.

Heidi J Ellsworth: I don't doubt it.

Minnie Robles: One of the things... I didn't understand why he was doing that but it gave me a good perception of how everything was installed. It wasn't until I arrived at a precon meeting where they wouldn't address me at all. People wouldn't address me at all that I realized he wanted to give me a tool for me to defend myself. And I think that's really important. I think over the years once National Women in Roofing came into play and I started being around all these women, I saw that there's a lot of similarities of how we were treated in the industry and I see that National Women in Roofing has changed that perception of who the woman is in the industry. I was really lucky that Patsy who worked for Eagle was like a staple in the industry and she had been doing it for a long time and I had her to learn from as well. But it was those men in my life, those men in the industry that believed in me, that gave me that boost. And I think as National Women in Roofing has come into play, I see a lot of times that these men are like, "I want to support these women and how do I help support these women?" And they're not afraid to reach out to somebody in National Women in Roofing and say, "How do I help?" I think that's the biggest shift that I've seen in the 20 years I've been in the industry.

Heidi J Ellsworth: That is so true, Minnie. I get calls all the time every week from people and mostly men saying, "Hey, we want to get our company and the women in our company involved in National Women Roofing. What do we do?" And I'm always like, "That's great. That's exactly..." Because they know. They see the power of it for their business too. Yes, it's being a good person, but it's about the power of business that really is making such a big difference. Katie, I'm going to come to you because I've been saving you for here, but I want to read this real quick and I saw you say this, but I want to note, say hi to Karen. She says, "I'm brand new and this is my second season of life in roofing. I was hired to help with admin, but my role is very fluid with room for upward mobility and I'm having to learn a lot. I'm still quite overwhelmed by all of the terminology and processes, but every day I learn a little bit more." I just want to say, welcome, Karen.

Katie Bodiford: Welcome.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Welcome to National Roofing. I'm so happy you're on the RoofersCoffeeShop and this is the place. You just reach out. Everybody's going to be chatting you. This is the place and obviously, at National Women in Roofing Days, which we're going to talk about in a minute. That's so cool. Katie, you have an awesome career in a lot of different industries and now coming to roofing, talk to us a little bit about your experience, what you're seeing with fresh eyes about roofing, especially women in roofing.

Katie Bodiford: Well, I think I have had the privilege... I've worked... I started out with the Mississippi Association of REALTORS, and so I've gone with realtors, Georgia Pharmacy Association and then finally got into southeastern lumber manufacturers and then finally construction suppliers. I feel like the beauty of this industry that people don't talk about is that it's so family oriented, it's so personable, relationships matter. And so I think that's what we are really trying to build on with our mission of empowering women is just bringing together the industry and helping diversify. I love how supportive these women are of each other at NWIR. This is... There's no competitiveness, that everything's put aside and we champion each other. And that's the important thing to me is that it's a network of support and empowerment and just realizing that you all face the same challenges being a female in a male dominated industry. It's just a beautiful thing to witness and I'm just lucky to be a part of it.

Heidi J Ellsworth: And I want to note, here we go. This is how we support each other. Katie wanted to know, "Does National Women in Roofing have resources with helping women business owners become a certified women owned business?" And Christee said, "I've done it and I'll help you." And there it is. So Katie and Christy are going to connect. But I will tell you, Katie, there's a lot of women owned businesses and we can connect you with those other women who have done that. And we have some women who have won with WBENC for the roofing industry who we can connect you with and... Yeah. Christee, that network is huge for women-owned businesses.

Christee Roberson: It is. And I actually went through WBENC, or however you say that, to get my women-owned business, but I also have [inaudible 00:21:12], so I've gone through several processes. Willing to help.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, I love it. Let's talk a little bit about where we're at today. I wanted to a little bit of history and how far we've come, but it's really we're just blooming, blooming, blooming, blooming and there's so much coming up with National Women in Roofing. Right now, Katie, what is new with National Women in Roofing? What's happening over the last year-

Katie Bodiford: Nothing much.

Heidi J Ellsworth: ... going into the next couple years? Yeah.

Katie Bodiford: Just everything.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Everything.

Katie Bodiford: No. I laugh because 2024 was such a massive year of transition for us. We just released a video annual report. I don't know if you've seen it. But we started off, I came on board in November 2023 is the first full-time executive director, which was really exciting and then we immediately rebranded which was really cool. I don't know if you have seen the new logo, the difference in the Y in our I, but when we took a look at the old logo, as wonderful as it is, we call it our legacy logo but we realized that the lowercase I, it was kind of representative and there's so much about the letter I and we now call it the Y in our I that women are inclusive and impactful and insightful and inventive. There's all these I words that represent our industry.

We went through the rebrand and then we lost our minds and decided to, at the same time, develop a new website, switch over to a new membership database and platform for our members that has a whole new member experience in that portal and then on top of that, created a new community site called NWIR Connect, which is the networking arm of NWIR where our councils and committees and special interest groups can get together and build those relationships and have open dialogues and share in private settings. So it's just been a whirlwind. The biggest change for us though is that we hired full-time staff. We had previously been managed by an association management company and we decided we have grown to where we need our own full-time dedicated staff. Amy Penny and Nicole Byrne came on this year and are literally changing the face of how we serve our members. It's been amazing. If you've had the opportunity to interact with them, they genuinely care and love what they do and love our members. And it shows. There's a warm relational feeling there that is what we're striving for. So it's just been an exciting year.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, that is so cool.

Katie Bodiford: And I still have hair, so it's shocking.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah. So much. Christee, you are... Coming in as the chair next year, talk to us a little bit about your vision for the next couple years for National Women in Roofing. What are some of your initiatives?

Christee Roberson: I talked about it as 2024. We did a lot of focus on our internal processes and making us better. I'm hoping 2025 we're going to focus on promoting roofing to the younger generation. That's something that we're passionate about. I think a lot of people are, specifically recruiting females, but also working with career tech. SkillsUSA is close to my heart for sure. And then working our 10-year celebration because again, like we said, 2026 is when we were officially formed and we want to do make that a big celebration. So that's kind of a sneak peek of what we're thinking about.

Heidi J Ellsworth: I love it. Having goals and initiatives I think is so important for National Women in Roofing, and I have to tell you when as I was chair, I wanted more than anything to have a day for women in roofing and it's turned into days now. But I went to, this is back in 2016, 2017, NRCA actually and a lot of people probably don't even know this, but went to NRCA and said, "We want to have an official day that is for women in roofing." And that day is two days before the IRE starts. And they were like, "Yeah, we'll support that. We want to support that. We think that's a great thing."
National Women in Roofing has been backed by NRCA, by the Roofing Alliance, who donated... Was one of the first big sponsors for the National Women in Roofing. So much support from the industry overall. And now, I love it, because National Women in Roofing is giving back to the industry through SkillsUSA, through all the initiatives, the diversity, the Real Roofing, all of that. I think it is so powerful as we go through it. Before... I want to hop to National Women in Roofing Day obviously, but I do want to just real quick talk about Real Roofing because I think that has been such a huge initiative for National Women in Roofing and is still available. I believe... Minnie, have you done the Real Roofing courses?

Minnie Robles: Yes.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yes.

Minnie Robles: The Real Roofing portion of our National Women in Roofing platform focuses on diversity and inclusion and we want to make sure that everybody feels seen. That's one of the largest accomplishments that I see with National Women in Roofing and being part of the DEI committee. Being the chair for the DEI committee, Mandy, is phenomenal at being able to explain company culture and inclusivity and DEI and all of those things that make us who we are. And I feel like with the Latina council that Lorna Rojas heads, I feel like the Real Roofing has given us a stepping stone into how to incorporate inclusivity in everything that we do and everything that we stand for as National Women in Roofing. Definitely, if you haven't taken those courses, go ahead and take those courses. They are still available on the website. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to call Mandy and I.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, it's so good. You are the chair. Talk about a little bit of the committee that you're chairing for National Women in Roofing, Minnie.

Minnie Robles: I'm the chair of the DEI committee. I work with Mandy. She's the driving force behind it. She's the driving force behind Real Roofing as well. We try to showcase and make sure that we are doing Hispanic Heritage Month and Black History Month and we want to celebrate Gay Pride Month. We want to make sure that every single person feels seen, feels included and feels like they belong in this industry because we all belong, we all have a special set of skills. That's what we focus on the most is we want to make sure that everybody feels seen. And if you have any idea of what we can do for a month, we've had virtual parades, we've had book clubs, we do the yoga session, which Mandy's phenomenal at that and the book clubs. A lot of times... It's a safe space for us to be able to discuss things that we may feel like we're not able to in any other circumstances.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, it's so true. Jamie, that is really... Johns Manville sponsors those types of Coffee Conversations, this one to National Women, you're sponsoring Hispanic Heritage Month in the fall. Talk a little bit about that, the importance of DEI and really just overall, you guys have been such a leader in that direction.

Jamie Treglio: It's one of my personal fights in life is that I want to see you whomever you are. One of the best parts about being in the position that I was in is that we could use our size and influence in the industry to help that inclusivity and be the people that like, "Hey, we see you. We see what you're doing. We see who you showed up as today and it's worthy." It's one of my favorite, just personal I guess, goals in life is to make someone feel seen. So I love it. And DEI is near to my heart and... Yeah. There should be a world that we don't even have to think about it because it's just that ingrate.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah. It would be that. And it will be because look how much change we made where people don't think about things like we used to but now because we're putting it out there, we're making sure. I have to say, Megan, our producer who's chatting with all of you, she's on the DEI committee with Minnie and she was active in putting together the virtual parade. Those are the kind of things that are just so different and I think are going to make such a big difference and inclusive so everyone feels included. I don't think there's a more inclusive Day-O... Day-O than on-

Katie Bodiford: Day-O.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Than on National Women in Roofing Day. That is the day you just come back from so inspired. So let's talk about that. Why don't you, Katie, can you just give us an overview of what National Women in Roofing Days, even the dates, but what does it look like?

Katie Bodiford: Yep. We are going to be in San Antonio this year, which if you've ever been to San Antonio is such a fun place to be. We were really excited though for the very first time to have NWIR Days be self-contained, meaning the sleeping rooms and our meeting rooms, the venue are all going to be in one spot at the Grand Hyatt River Walk in San Antonio, which is immediately connected to the convention center. So if you are patching over to IRE, it's a one-stop shop right there. We did a little bit of a flip-flop with our schedule this year because we realized that folks coming in for IRE, we wanted to lessen the space between the major day of NWIR Days and IRE. Sunday, February 16th, we've got a half day starting with the yoga that Minnie just mentioned with Mandy McIntyre and what's better than starting off with relaxation. I think that sets the tone for the whole thing.

Our theme this year focus, and I think we are really being intentional about helping women in the industry focus on not only professional growth but personal growth as well. So we start off with yoga from 2:00 to 3:00 on Sunday the 16th and then we go immediately into our book club session, which Heidi can attest this is going to be such a slam dunk. This woman, Katie Goodman, is an international improv comedian. She's worked with Wayne Brady and Tina Fey and she's just big name and we were so lucky to get her. But she has this book called Improvisation for the Spirit, and it talks about leading a courageous life. Maybe you, and we've all experienced this, hit roadblocks in your life or you feel like you just don't have any creativity left or maybe you just want to silence that inner critic. She's got some tools and tips that improv comedians use if you're put on the spot in a meeting or a podcast... No, I'm kidding.

But if you're just trying to think about how to work through some challenges in your life. She uses humor and spirit and kindness and it's just going to be a great book club session. And then she's our keynote the next day, which is really exciting. That night, we are doing something called Dinner at the Caverns and about 50 minutes north of San Antonio we're going to take a fun bus ride up to the Natural Bridge Caverns and it's 18 stories below if you've ever been to those underground caves and all that. We get our own private tour and dinner in this underground ballroom. It's just really going to be an exciting evening and a fun way to kick off the conference. The next day, which is Monday the 17th, is really the core of NWIR Days. We kick off with our grand opening session with Katie Goodman and Christee and I and Anna Anderson, who is our chair this year, will set the tone and tell you some new things. We're really excited to debut our new core values that the board just developed, and I can't tell you what they are right now because it's going to be a big surprise, but they're just really meaningful and help convey who we are.

We do the opening session and then the rest of the day is just a great blend of education. We have eight concurrent breakout sessions, so 32 total sessions. We have everything from leadership and financial wellness to self-improvement and... It runs the gamut. We've got the art of decluttering all the way to how to use the Hot Air Tool with a battery. Really, really good stuff there. It's just going to be a great day capped off by our annual awards ceremony where we do the World Veteran Award and the Rising Star Awards as well as new awards this year for our councils. So we've just got a jam-packed day.

Heidi J Ellsworth: And then at the end of the day after the awards, is there a reception?

Katie Bodiford: There is not a reception because what we wanted to do... The hotel is situated with all the restaurants and everything. We really wanted to leave an evening for folks to gather and network. So we are going to have some message boards where people can say, "Hey, I'd love to get together and go to dinner." We just think that that's where instead of doing the reception, the magic can really happen with that, those local connections. So we're going to allow people to do dinner with vendors or friends and just going to be a relaxing evening before IRE.

The next day, we are doing a roof walk and we're working with the convention center right now on trying to schedule the roof walk for that Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. So lots of stuff in the works.

Heidi J Ellsworth: I love it. I love it. Now, if anyone has questions out there, please ask them. Now is your chance to really ask about National Women in Roofing Day, what's happening? But let's talk a little bit about the keynote and who the keynote speaker is, Christee or Katie, who would like to take that and talk a little bit about that.

Katie Bodiford: I'll be glad. Katie Goodman, as I was just saying, is the improv comedian. I think when we initially met with her, we wanted someone who could bring in a well-rounded appreciation of women and what we're facing. She's very familiar. She was joking when we talked that she recently helped build her own house and just the appreciation of going through that process and learning how to use the tools and all of that. She has that frame of mind. But she also works with youth and just has a very lighthearted spirit. That's what we wanted to set the tone for the entire event is just focusing on how to uplift yourself and have belief in yourself. And so I think she's going to really bring that air of authenticity to the session. We're very excited to have her. And I think starting off with laughter and humor is never a bad thing.

Heidi J Ellsworth: No. And I am reading her book. I think all of us are in process of that and it is phenomenal. I am really, really enjoying it and it has a lot of journaling opportunities, a lot of self-reflection and so I love... I just think it's brilliant, that combination of the book club the day before and then watching her as a keynote speaker the next day really is going to bring it all together.

Katie Bodiford: I will be adding. If you go on nationalwomeninroofing.org on Events and then NWIR Days, there is a dropdown if you hit the plus for Keynote Presenter, it shows the cover of our book.
But this reminds me, I will go and add the Amazon link to that after the podcast so that we can have folks if they want to go ahead and get the book beforehand, they can have a direct link to it. There it is.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, there it is right there. Let's talk a little bit about why. Why people should go? I just want to make sure we get that in. Jamie, you said you went the first time in 2021. What has that meant to your career? I think a lot of people don't realize how powerful this can be for your career overall.

Jamie Treglio: Right. Every year I go and I get to touch base with people that maybe I don't see in my everyday life outside of over a screen or an email or a phone call, but those relationships have truly helped me in my personal life and in my business life. If you need help on something, you need someone to bounce back an idea and see it from a totally new perspective for you, I call one of the women that I've met here and they're that person for me. And I try to be that for others too. Going there is really going to a reunion every year that you just get to hang out with the people that you've had these little relationships with. Do I normally get to hang out with people from South Carolina? Probably not being based out of Colorado, but I get to there and we can share our same experiences. I think it's very helpful on a basis of... And if you have questions. We all want to know how someone handles something from... It's great to have it not just be in your local community because there's so many different ways to view it and look at something. I think it really helps.

Heidi J Ellsworth: We see a lot of the councils come together at National Women in Roofing Day too, which is always really cool. So they're all there, they're sitting at the table, they're getting pictures up on the stage together, but yet you... That's so true. You get to... The whole country is there and you get to see that. Christee, why should women attend? But why should business owners be supporting women attending?

Christee Roberson: I thought a lot about this. Wrote some notes. It's such a powerful and exciting time and if you haven't attended... If you do attend, you'll know what I'm talking about. It gets you so pumped up and inspired to be a better person, to feel very proud about who you are and what industry you work in. Like Jamie said, you meet... Some of my best friends are from National Women in Roofing and cannot wait to see them and hang out with them. I tell my daughters all the time, "Well, let me find out from my friend who lives in Chicago," and my youngest the other day said, "Mommy, you have friends all over United States?" I do now and that's thanks to National Women in Roofing.
But one thing I wanted to point out about why you should send your women, men can also attend and I was in a small group with a man, he was the only one sitting in the table and one of us kept asking, "Why are you here or what do you have to say?" And he said, "I don't have anything to say, I'm just listening." And at the end, we were like, "Why are you here? What did you want to get out of it?" And he said, "I wanted to hear the perspectives from the women on what they're facing, but I also have daughters and I want to know what they're going to face and how I can help them." That's the biggest thing I can tell companies. Send your women. Come too and find out what your women and what your females in the industry are facing and how you can help them and support them, which is all about supporting us in the industry.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah, I love that. In fact, in the chat we have two big supporters, John Kiesel and Tony Rader who both... I love John what said, he says, "I'm glad I spent the time to hear what the passionate leaders of National Roofing are doing to improve and evolve the event planning. Sounds amazing. And I'm proud to be a supporter of National Women in Roofing." Same thing with Tony Rader and NRP, John Kiesel's Division 7. They support. They are... Those are the things where we have to continue. I have to just tell this one story because to me it's probably one of my most powerful memories of a National Women in Roofing Day.But my dear friend who works with RoofersCoffeeShop with me and Karen Edwards and I walked into the restroom at the end of the day and we ran into a young lady who was crying and both of us were like, "What's wrong? Are you okay?" She was just so sad. And she says, "I work in a company of all men and I never knew that I could find this kind of support and now I know I can go back and stand up for myself because they aren't always nice to me and I want to be in sales and I want to do this and I never knew I could do it before. No one ever encouraged me like today."

That's the kind of power that comes from this day. Women walk away... And how great is that for a business? For the business to be able to have that kind of power in a woman. I also think as we're looking at this, and I keep coming back to this because I think it's so important, when we first started I was like, "Okay, just get the women, get all women. We didn't care. All women," but now we are celebrating all the beauty of women and that includes including Spanish in National Women in Roofing Day, having special activities going on. Minnie, talk a little bit about some of the DEI portions of National Women in Roofing and what's going to be happening.

Minnie Robles: The phenomenal part about National Women in Roofing Days, and I'm going to piggyback off of what you said, it's absolutely beautiful to see those mentorship relationships generate out of thin air. I inadvertently became a mentor to somebody and last National Women in Roofing Day, she came up to me and she said, "Because of you, I got a promotion at work and I'm doing much better and I learned how to stand up for myself." And I did it inadvertently. Sometimes, we don't know we're being that mentor that we need. As far as DEI, it's really great for not just the LGBTQ+ community to have their own sessions as well.

We are going to have a round the world candy table for DEI, which we're pretty excited about. I know we've talked about it. And a lot of us come from several different countries. I come from Mexico, we have people from Puerto Rico, we have people from the Dominican Republic, we have people... We have people from all over the place and we want to bring a little bit of that to National Women in Roofing. We want to showcase that we're not just us connecting as women, it is us connecting as a world and as different countries and as different languages. I think that's extremely important from a DEI perspective is I see someone like me, just how you see someone like you on TV and you're like, "Oh my God, that guy's a white Mexican like me." I have that effect all the time. But I think it's super important to be able to identify yourself with a group of people and I think National Women in Roofing does that very, very well. I think with the DEI committee coming in and making sure that we're doing all these things to make you feel seen, I feel like that's going to be great. Lorna, shout out, because she is phenomenal and she keeps all of the Latina special interest council engaged and she's such a powerhouse that gives us an additional voice.

Katie Bodiford: Minnie, I do want to piggyback on that because Lorna Rojas, she is a phenomenal addition to NWIR. She runs the Hispanic Special Interest Group, which was formerly known as The Council. And on NWIR Connect, you can log on, go over and peruse all the different communities that are available and we have one that says Special Interest Group Hispanic. You can click Join, they'll approve you to get in and that's where those conversations can happen. We've got a really strong track of education that is presented in all Spanish this year. And so what's going to be great is not only do we have those four sessions, we've got mental health for the construction industry that Lorna's doing. Being a Latina is My Superpower by Michelle Cox.

We've got some really solid sessions, but we are also going to have like last year, the program guide is going to be translated into Spanish and available online. And then we'll also have Spanish translation services available like we did last year for the main opening session. So we really want to embrace... Especially being in San Antonio with such a large Hispanic population, we really want to embrace that community and to show them that they do have a place at NWIR. I did want to mention. Lorna had said in the chat about it would be great to have a justification or... I think we've got a thing on our website under that same NWIR Days tab in the first plus that you could click on. It's called Making the Case. It's a one-pager that gives you how to justify it to your employers about the value of going to NWIR Days. So take a look at that if you need some help justifying your attendance.

Heidi J Ellsworth: I love it. I love it. We have... I just want to make sure we're bringing in some of these comments too from one of our past chairs, Jenny Stone, who I mentioned earlier. She says, "Exactly, Christee. You leave National Women in Roofing Day excited about the industry we all work in, passionate and ready to contribute to all aspects of your life. It's the shot in the arm that's needed to start the year strong, leaving with a network of connections to have for highs and lows, ultimately keeping your retention strong in roofing. Can't wait." I think everyone feels that way. We can't wait to go in. Lorna, again, I want to say that we are so excited. We have Lady Itzel and Jessica who are also going to be, who are a part of the Hispanic and Latina group and also going to be there. There's just so much that goes on.

It is just a little overwhelming. I love the candies around the world. I just have to say. I have to come back to that one. I want to get into a little bit more because we are... I can't believe this hour goes by so fast. So I want to make sure we covered everything. We've talked about the Spanish, we've talked about why we should bring people in there and the diversity equity. So let's talk a little bit about if you can't attend National Women in Roofing Days. This is something I'm actually incredibly passionate about because I feel like it has to be inclusive to everyone. Katie, what if people... First of all being able to share in the day, we'll talk about that, but also how they can get involved in their local councils and start getting involved that way too. Let's start with the livestreaming that day is going to be available.

Katie Bodiford: Thank you to RoofersCoffeeShop. They are livestreaming NWIR Days. Select portions of it. And I think that is going to be amazing to have the ability to participate and feel like you're there and get to hear what's going on with the association and Katie Goodman. Thank you, Heidi, for doing that for us. Really excited. As far as engaging in NWIR, there are several different ways. I think you mentioned the local councils. That is such an amazing network and it's really where the magic happens at that grassroots level. We have council leaders all over the country. We're pushing 50 councils I believe. Nicole Byrne is watching with us today. She's our manager of councils and is really doing a great job because we have so many new councils coming on board.

If you don't have a local council in your area but you want to really engage with others outside of NWIR days, you can reach out to Nicole and we have a process where we can help you and fund you to get that started. On our website, there is a Council's tab and it shows you a really cool interactive map. When you click on the pin dot, it will open up who the council leadership is, some pictures. People have even put music on there. So it's just a fun way of seeing the breadth and the span of where NWIR covers. So we'd love to get you involved in a local council. At NWIR Days, we will have our local committee. All of our committees will have tables like she was mentioning with the candy table, where you can sign up to be engaged in a committee because we really think that when you engage at that level and get into the work and helping us with the mission, that's where you really can see a lot of value is helping others promote what NWIR is all about. So it's very cool.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Very cool. I do want to say a couple of things. One for the livestreaming that if you can't go and you know other people are going, get on text with them. I know it's a simple thing, but I've had this happen so far before people are watching the live stream, but they're texting back and forth so they're still a part of it and they're feeling what's going on and what's happening. So for some reason, there's a lot of reasons, family, business, everything that people can't attend this, but there are things to do. And local councils are the best. There is just no question about that. It is so important. We have a lot of people who are on our local councils and it makes a big difference. Yes?

Minnie Robles: I want to just make a quick comment. If you are coming to National Women in Roofing Days and it is your first time, National Women in Roofing Days can seem overwhelming. If you go in and you don't know anybody and you don't know where to go or... Grab one of us. Don't hesitate. Don't ever feel like you can't speak up. I know my first National Women in Roofing Days, I was a little overwhelmed and I was a little nervous and I was hesitant to reach out to somebody and say, "Hey, I need help." But don't hesitate. Any woman that's there, any woman that's helping, if you say, "Hey, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, I really don't know where to go, what to do," we're going to do the buddy system. If it's your first time, just let one of us know. Raise your hand and say, "Hey, I'm a little nervous," and we'll introduce you to people. We'll make sure that you get to meet people and you get to sit with somebody so that you feel comfortable. So don't hesitate to reach out if you're feeling a little bit intimidated with all those amazing women that come to National Women in Roofing Days.

Katie Bodiford: And our new members-

Christee Roberson: [inaudible 00:55:11] first time.

Katie Bodiford: Go ahead.

Christee Roberson: There is a first time attendee room too.

Katie Bodiford: Our new members of NWIR will have special ribbons on there. So be on the lookout for that and just make them feel welcome, introduce yourself because like Minnie said, it can be a little intimidating. But again what I love about our group is that you walk away and you feel like you're family. So I think that's the beauty of it.

Heidi J Ellsworth: I love that. Megan Stone just said, "The DaVinci Westlake group is happy to adopt somebody there by themselves."

Katie Bodiford: Love it.

Christee Roberson: That's awesome.

Heidi J Ellsworth: You said it, Katie. I was just going to say for all the women who have been for a number of years, because I know there's a lot on this call who've been for many years, if you see someone sitting alone, walk up to them. Although sometimes I'm so overwhelmed, I need alone moment for a second. So you never know.

Christee Roberson: I do have to tell one quick story because Dawn, who also is on our executive committee, she and I had the same experience. I think the first time we ever saw Heidi we're all like, "Oh my God, there's Heidi," and scared to talk to her. Heidi is not scary at all-

Minnie Robles: You're starstruck.

Christee Roberson: ... [inaudible 00:56:22] welcome new people. Don't be afraid to walk up to someone, even if it's Heidi and she'll embrace you and welcome you in. So please walk up to all of us and say, "Hey, I heard you on this podcast. I'm new." We would love to take you in.

Heidi J Ellsworth: We want to meet everybody and we want everybody to feel included. Jamie, Johns Manville, I just want to say again because getting to this, but for what Johns Manville does as a sponsor, just real quick, why should every company out there be a sponsor of National Women in Roofing?

Jamie Treglio: I think that you should want to sponsor the inclusivity just with your employees. You want to give them a place where they feel seen and heard and have that support. That's the least you can do as an employer. Just make sure someone feels comfortable and happy and they have connections.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Yeah. Okay, I'm going to go tactical here. Real quick. With making sure, and I'm sharing one more time everybody, so hold on. Here we go. Here's the dates on screen. I know somebody was asking. I think Karen was asking about that, but here's the dates on screen. Here's the book. I totally recommend it and I'm actually reading it on my phone, but I've also ordered the hardback because that's how impressed I was. This is the section. So take a screenshot or go to nationalwomeninroofing.org and you can get all that information. Or you can come to RoofersCoffeeShop, we have it all. We're going to be supporting. Anybody who has any questions about how to be a sponsor of National Women in Roofing, how to go to National Women in Roofing Days, how to talk to your boss about why you should go to National Women in Roofing Days, you have all of us to reach out to and about 2500... How many other members are there, Katie?

Katie Bodiford: We are almost at 2500 and what's really cool is when we cleaned and switched over our database, we were at 2191, that was October and we are at 2500. So we are growing by leaps and bounds.

Heidi J Ellsworth: Still good because I say 2500 all the time. I'm so glad we're there.

Katie Bodiford: Now, it's really 2500.

Heidi J Ellsworth: And I love it.

Minnie Robles: [inaudible 00:58:40] to the universe, Heidi.

Heidi J Ellsworth: It sells.

Christee Roberson: One thing about the book. I've attended the book series in the past and I've not always read them and I still get tons out of it. So even if you don't have the book, haven't read the book, don't have time to read the book, still come to the session because you'll still get a lot out of it.

Minnie Robles: That is where I first met Christee and I was so impressed by how amazing she was and how we-

Christee Roberson: Same.

Minnie Robles: ... connected. We cried together. She's absolutely right. Even if you haven't read the book just to make that connection.

Heidi J Ellsworth: It's so good. I have to tell you. There's so many people. I'm seeing Christine Mockenhaupt is on here and she's been commenting. She's on the executive board and is going to be chair after Christee. There's a lot of people here you can reach out to and get to know. And thank you everybody for all of your comments for being a part of this and most of all, thank you Johns Manville, thank you for being the sponsor. I'm always calling Jamie. I'm like, "Let's do this," and she's always right there. So it's pretty exciting. This is great. I am looking forward to seeing each and every one of you at National Women in Roofing Days. And to that point, please come up and introduce yourself to me and to all the ladies who are here because I want to know everybody. That's just how National Women in Roofing rolls. We are going to have our next Coffee Conversations in two weeks. It's going to be on sales. Talk about women in sales. I love it. I love sales and I can't wait to talk about it. So please join us then. We will see you two weeks for the next Coffee Conversations and after that, we will see you at National Women in Roofing Days. Have a great day and thank you for being here today.

Katie Bodiford: Thank you. Bye, everybody.

Christee Roberson: Bye, everybody.