Celebrating women-led businesses in the roofing industry

By Anna Lockhart. 

Two roofing business owners share their experiences of founding their companies and the obstacles they’ve overcome to reach success today! 

In a recent episode of the AskARoofer podcast, hosts Megan Ellsworth and Lauren White sat down with Jana Zavala of HER Roofing and Wendy Marvin of Matrix Roof and Home Solutions to discuss their experiences of leading women-owned businesses in the roofing industry.  

Jana and Wendy are both owners and founders of their respective companies, having nearly fifty years combined of experience in the industry, they’ve come an incredibly long way since their beginnings.  

For Wendy, joining the roofing industry was an unexpected but welcomed and exciting journey. She shared, “I don't know a ton of people in our industry that grew up wanting to be a roofer, other than if their family owned the company. We started the company based on really bad contractor experiences, and then ended up with me purchasing the company from my ex and I just haven't looked back. I'm passionate about helping people, that's the big thing for me... Even if my company wasn't here today, I still would want to be part of this industry because our people are just incredible.” 

Jana founded her company after starting in the manufacturing sector of the industry. “I found that a lot of contractors were not doing what they should be doing or even reading the application instructions. I felt like I could do it much better than what I've been seeing out there in the industry. And so, that's what drove me to start the company. I felt like it had a need, and I was there to fill that need.” 

Their courage to take risks and make a change is inspiring, and with a motivation to make the industry a better place for all is certainly commendable as well. In a field that is historically male dominated, carving out spaces for women roofing professionals has been a long-time journey that has been well worth facing the challenges and obstacles.  

“When I was starting out in the industry, most of the people that would come in wanted to talk to a man, even though I could answer the question,” Jana shared. “They would come into the booth, and I remember several times a contractor would ask a technical question and the salesperson wouldn't know. So, they look at me and I'd answer it, and then they would be surprised that I would know the answer, because I'm not what they're used to maybe... But now, everything has changed for the better." 

The two encouraged listeners to reach out to women in the industry for support and advice if they were currently facing similar issues today. Finding a support system and guidance can make a difference and change the status quo for the better.  

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about Jana and Wendy’s experiences in the industry.