Details

Armstrong

What is your position within your company?
I am commercial estimator and project manager for Independent Roofing Co., Omaha, Neb.

Why did you become involved in the roofing industry?
My first roofing industry job involved transferring data into Independent Roofing's new accounting system for what was supposed to be two months. I decided to stay because of the opportunity for growth and the great people I work with every day.

What was your first roofing experience?
My first roofing experience involved watching men climb a 40-foot ladder that was swaying back and forth. I told myself I had no time to be scared before I attempted the same, and I've been on roofs almost daily ever since.

What is the most unusual roofing project of which you have been a part?
We are working on a project called Cloisters on the Platte, a religious retreat center being constructed on 930 acres overlooking the Platte Valley in Nebraska. The center consists of three buildings with multiple roof systems incorporating slate from Evergreen Slate Co. Inc., Mission Tile from Ludowici Roof Tile,™ .090-mil-thick EPDM membrane from Firestone Building Products Co. LLC and lots of exquisite copper work. The project has required coordination from all our departments, and the work has been extremely rewarding.

What is your roofing industry involvement?
My company is a member of NRCA and the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association. I currently am enrolled in Class 8 of NRCA University's Future Executives Institute, and I hope to become more involved with National Women in Roofing in coming years.

What is your favorite stress reliever?
Napping is, by far, my favorite stress reliever.

What was your first job?
When I was 15 years old, I worked at a daycare center near my house.

What quality do you most admire in a person?
Kindness—I like this Bob Kerrey quote: "Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly and underrated agent of human change."

If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Why?
I would want the ability to multiply myself—I would be able to get so much done!

What do you consider a waste of time?
Waiting on hold on the phone to talk to a real person

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
An adoption counselor

What three items always are in your fridge?
Ranch dressing, Dorothy Lynch^® Home Style Dressing and strawberry jelly

My favorite part about working in the roofing industry is …
Meeting all kinds of people and being able to share and learn from them all

What's your favorite roofing material to work with? Why?
EPDM. In Nebraska's climate, EPDM membranes are easy to work with year-round.

If you had a time machine, would you go to the future or the past? Why?
I would go to the past because I would know what I was getting into. Who knows what the future holds?

What song are you listening to over and over?
"Hold Up" by Beyoncé

Big city or small town?
Neither—Omaha has aspects of both, and that's why I love it.