The women of Korellis Roofing, Inc.: driving the company forward

The women of Korellis Roofing, Inc.: driving the company forward

Let’s talk about the ladies. Working ladies, that is. Ladies in construction, to be exact.

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates 74.6 million women are in the workforce in America, making up nearly half of all workers in the country. While healthcare, education, and service professions make up about 43 percent of women in the workplace, less than 10 percent of workers in construction are women. 

The women at Korellis Roofing, Inc., in Hammond, are in that 10 percent, and they like it.

Alex Gust, Haley Sparling, Barb Nuccio, Kali Zaremba, Meredith Moran-Pruim, Karen Knezic, Juli Tattersall, Jessica Arens, Kim Kalinka, Jami Frampton, and Susan Korellis make up the female workforce at Korellis, approximately 6 percent of the staff in the company. They are strong, have created a platform for their voices to be heard, and support each other. And, they work among an incredible overall team of Korellis staff members who support them as well.

Korellis Roofing makes a concerted effort to incorporate women in the roofing workforce at all levels. This includes both management and skilled labor, where women are hired for project management, key office personnel (Administrators, Assistant Service Manager, Safety Coordinators, Accounting, Human Resources), roofing work, sheet metal work, and yard management.

Each month, the women that work in the office meet to discuss projects within the company and their own departments to keep the organization on track - a tradition that has naturally helped them connect in person to keep things moving.

“This meeting serves as a way for our voices to be heard,” Zaremba said. “It makes sure that we’re all on the same page across departments in the company, and sometimes, it’s great to meet face to face instead of over email.” 

Sparling, who works in accounting, said that most people don’t take into consideration that women communicate differently than men, even in the workplace. There is inherent value in having varied communication styles in the organization.

“A lot of women – we in particular - don’t like the behind the screen communication all the time. We want to be face to face, see each other’s expressions – that’s huge,” Sparling said.

Their face-to-face meetings, she said, help the women debunk any misunderstandings that can happen with electronic communication, and also give them an opportunity to address any issues that arise in the company as a team to determine if trends are occurring that need to be filtered to senior management. Knezic added that the meetings also provide the women an opportunity to break away from the desk.

“Others in the company have a lot of ways to step away for a moment. Many leave to take a look at a roof, meet with a customer, or for networking. This (the monthly lunch meeting) is our way to step away for a moment and get that break,” she said.

The lunch meeting gives the women a chance to refocus and recalibrate.

Zaremba has been working at Korellis Roofing for the past four years and has already seen a significant growth in female leadership. The female-led business meetings have evolved over the years to provide a structured agenda across every department, from accounting, payroll, and management, to commercial administration. 

“I think that in general women in the workforce face the same challenges in getting their voices heard, but especially in a male-dominated industry and company,” Zaremba said. “But here at Korellis, we are striving to give a voice to every woman working here.” 

John Ziolkowski, Vice President of Roofing Operations, said that’s not by accident.

“Korellis ultimately benefits because the skilled women we employ bring varied perspectives, approaches to problem-solving, and communication and collaboration styles that we might otherwise not have access to,” he said.

There are always pros and cons to working within a smaller fraction of a large group. Yet, when faced with the challenges of working in a male-dominated industry, the women at Korellis only rise to the challenge.

Case in point: Juli Tattersall, who has recently become Korellis Roofing’s first female project manager.

“Because Korellis Roofing is employee-owned, we all work together as a team and share knowledge among each other, which in turn betters all of our futures,” Tattersall said. “As our first female project manager, I hope I empower the women in our company by showing that we can learn this trade, especially at Korellis Roofing, and be seen and heard.”

“Korellis Roofing helps with guidance internally with the many resources they have built over almost 60 years in business. We are given the right tools and have the leadership of many years of experience in the roofing trade, which benefits me and the team every day,” Tattersall added.

Ziolkowski agreed.

“Korellis has a culture that supports both men and women in all areas. All employees are trained and mentored to achieve success and the highest level of skill possible,” he said. “We are committed to a continued increase in the diversity of our workforce, including hiring more women, as we see this as key to our overall future success as a company.”

Knezic and Zaremba said the regular meetings the women have help them succeed in the company, but also help them bond as coworkers.

“Of any position anywhere working with women, I think what we have is super rare. We have no cliques or gossip; we all genuinely get along,” Knezic said.

When they’re not seeing each other for 40 to 50 hours each week at work, the women often meet up outside of work for dinner or to just catch up and hang out.

The diversity at Korellis, Zaremba said, keeps the company moving forward.

“The more diversity you have at a company, the more voices that are heard... it’s only going to improve growth and help us move forward, not just as women in a company, but for the good of the whole company in general,” Zaremba said. 

For more information on the services and job opportunities available at Korellis Roofing, please check out their website at https://korellis.com/.