Networking & Mentoring Reception at IRE

We are excited to announce that Kaney O’Neill, President of O’Neill Contractors Inc. & National Veteran-Owned Business Association’s (NaVOBA) 2015 Woman Vetrepreneur of the Year, will be the 2017 Mentoring Reception guest speaker at the IRE.  Not only is she an inspiration to women all over the country, she is also a force to be reckoned with in the roofing industry. Join us to hear her inspiring story from Navy veteran to woman-owned roofing contractor and everything in between! Thank you to SRS Distribution and to Duro-Last Roofing for sponsoring this event!

The attributes that distinguish O’Neill Contractors Inc. among roofing companies – integrity, quality, sustainability and safety – originate with its president Kaney O’Neill who founded the family business in 2007.

Having enlisted in the Navy at age 19 with the goal of seeing the world, Kaney’s military career ended prematurely after an accident during Hurricane Floyd left her a quadriplegic. Faced with an uncertain future and myriad obstacles, Kaney turned her unique brand of tenacity and optimism toward rehabilitation and then her education, earning both a Bachelors and Master’s Degree from Northwestern University.

Eventually frustrated by a lack of job opportunities, Kaney shifted gears again to create a family roofing business that would reflect her personal values while deploying the leadership skills she’d gained in the military and college. With the perseverance Kaney calls her “secret weapon,” it’s easy to see how Kaney’s personal mantra, “I don’t allow an obstacle to loom larger than my own determination” led her to start and lead her own successful business.

Today Kaney leads by example. She was named the 2015 Woman Vetrepreneur of the Year by the National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA) and received the 28th Annual Woman Veteran of the Year Award from the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) in 2014. Kaney is on the Board of Directors for the Federation  of Women Contractors and the National Board of Directors of Bunker Labs (entrepreneurial program for Veterans). She speaks frequently on disabilities to school children and is a mentor to young adults in wheelchairs.

Kaney is also a Veterans Wheelchair Games medalist and has authored the children’s book “Dream and Reach”, written she says to help kids understand that, “Everyone, even those with a disability, can be anything we dream of.”

Many thanks to our sponsors of this event: Beacon Roofing Supply, Duro-Last Roofing, Johns Manville, Roofing Contractor, and SRS Distribution.

Tuesday, February 28, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM in Islander I