Leading ladies

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The roofing industry may be male-dominated, but that doesn't mean powerful women are absent from it. The following four women have made numerous contributions to the roofing industry, and Professional Roofing salutes them.

The engineer

Helene Hardy Pierce, vice president of technical services, codes and industry relations for GAF Materials Corp., Wayne, N.J.

After receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in engineering management from the University of Missouri-Rolla (now Missouri University of Science and Technology), Pierce knew her field wasn't glamorous, but that didn't concern her. "Roofing has a stability that isn't found in other industries," she says. And she should know: Since interning with TAMKO Roofing Products, Joplin, Mo., in 1981, Pierce has spent the past 28 years rising to the top of the manufacturing sector and becoming one of the industry's most respected technical experts. She has been involved with nearly every pertinent roofing-related organization and is a Fellow of ASTM International and received its Award of Merit, as well as the James Q. McCawley Award from the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association.

The learner

Lisa Sprick, president of Sprick Roofing Co. Inc., Corvallis, Ore.

In 1989, when Sprick and her husband, Randy, bought her father-in-law's roofing contracting company, she had virtually no knowledge about the industry. "I was reluctant about joining the company because the only thing I knew about roofing was where it goes," she says. "But I was voracious about learning about everything in the industry." By 1996, Sprick was serving on two NRCA committees and two years later was named to its board of directors. And in 2001, she became an NRCA vice president and member of its Executive Committee. "My industry involvement took me by surprise," she says. "When I received the call to be an NRCA vice president, my first thought was 'why me'? But I took my opportunities as they came, and I have really enjoyed it."

The natural

Amy Reeves Perry, co-owner of Reeves Roofing Equipment Co. Inc., Helotes, Texas

Perry was born and raised in the roofing industry. Her father began Reeves Roofing Equipment in her childhood home, using the front yard as a showcase area for his equipment. The home now serves as the company's corporate headquarters. Perry began working for the family business when she was 16, and now she and her two brothers share company ownership and oversight. Perry serves on numerous NRCA committees and is an active member of the Roofing Contractors Association of Texas and North Texas Roofing Contractors Association. Her strong sense of family has enabled her and her husband, Rondi, a roofing contractor, to involve some of their eight children in the roofing industry. "I love this industry," Perry says. "I am so proud to be a part of it."

The businesswoman

Lindy Ryan, president of General Works LLC, Sanford, Fla., a Tecta America company

Ryan has been involved with the roofing industry since she and her former husband founded General Works in 1990. She was an integral part of the company's rapid growth and helped make it an attractive acquisition for Skokie, Ill.-based Tecta America Corp., which purchased General Works in 2005. Since then, Ryan's former husband has left the business, leaving Ryan the sole person in charge of the daily operations of her 160 employees. The added responsibility has not affected her business or her drive to succeed. Her company continues to grow, and from 2007-08, she served as the first female president of the National Roofing Legal Resource Center. "To be a successful woman in this industry, you can't be overly sensitive," she says. "I can open many doors that men can't."