THE TOP 10 WOMEN IN FLORIDA’S ROOFING INDUSTRY
spouse as mentor and trainer. And
she acknowledges not many
women want to make roofing their
career. “It all depends on what they
are comfortable doing,” she said.
For her, learning how to do roof-
ing work has paid off well. She says
her employer will be happy if other
women want to join her atop build-
ings, properly secured for safety
where required, and earning the
same as the men on the crews.
“If you are going to learn how to
fix a roof, you’ll be making money
as you enjoy the outdoors,” she
said. Sherri Wilkie – purchasing manager
Sherri Wilkie worked for decades
in the construction industry before
joining R&R Industries about two
years ago. Both with her former em-
ployers and for a period of self-em-
ployment, she handled
office/administrative responsibilities
and helped out with field crews,
measuring and estimating jobs and
running projects.
While women are not uncom-
mon in roofing industry office jobs,
not many have senior responsibili-
ties. “It’s very unusual to have fe-
males in these lead roles,” she said,
describing herself and Angie
Masini, the company’s vice-presi-
dent of operations.
“It’s refreshing,” she said. “We
do the work. We get the work
done.” Wilkie’s responsibilities include
all purchasing, making sure all the
8 – FALL 2018 — Florida Construction News
permits and inspections are in
place, and coordinating logistics in-
cluding ensuring materials and
equipment are always in the right
place at the right times.
The work can be quite a juggling
act. In normal times, she says, there
are 50 or more projects on the go.
After severe storms and hurricanes,
things are even more hectic. After
a major hurricane, “we could be
handling 200 to 300 active jobs.”
She enjoys the intensity and
challenge. “This is an ever-evolving
industry,” she says. “There’s safety,
and the diversity of project types –
from a single story shopping plaza
to a 30 story hotel.
“The work isn’t rote. Everyday is
different. Every project is different,
every owner is different.”
She says the roofing industry is
growing rapidly, and she is happy
that R&R’s owners are doing “a
great job in maintaining a high level
of quality and professionalism and
making sure the job is done right.”
Angie Masini – Vice-president
of operations
Although Angie Masini is a rela-
tive newcomer to the roofing indus-
try, she is no stranger to running
large-scale operations. Her senior
responsibilities demonstrate that
R&R Industries is committed to en-
couraging women to handle busi-
ness leadership roles.
“My career spans about 25 years
in IT operations, process engineer-
ing, Finance, and HR” she says. “Pri-
marily I’ve worked in the financial
industry in both internal operational
roles as well as external consulting,
technology automation and stream-
lined processes transcend all indus-
tries.” Masini has set out to modernize
the company. “In the past six
months, we’ve digitized and auto-
mated most of our back office oper-
ations,” she says.
The process of switching from
paper-based and ad-hoc systems to
integrated processes has been suc-
cessful because Masini says em-
ployees at all levels were encour-
aged to outline their challenges and
priorities of their jobs. “It was im-
portant to understand each job, its
challenges, and what would make
that job easier.” Input from every-
one enabled us to provide automa-
tion, systems and processes that
make us more efficient, and prof-
itable as a company.”
The web-based systems also
make the company much more dis-
aster-resistant. If a major storm or
other disaster destroyed our build-
ing, “we’ll be fully operational, and
ready to serve our customers al-
most immediately.”
Beyond technology, Masini says
she has worked hard to encourage
goodwill and cooperation among
R&R Industries’ employees. These
include programs that encourage
workers to acknowledge colleagues
who help them out beyond their
regular duties, as well as a monthly
Golden Hammer award to recognize
employees who go beyond to help
others. “There’s a great level of cama-
raderie here,” she said, “People are
really looking out for each other.”
“This work is very rewarding for
me personally – because every day I
know I am making a difference.” Ef-
fective technology and well thought
out processes “can increase pro-
ductivity and profitability and make
a better work environment, Masini
says. “Happy employees make for
happy customers.”