Lynsay Walsh, Senior Technical Specialist for Firestone Building products has experienced her share of challenges in the male dominated industry of commercial roofing. She began her career 10 years ago in inside sales for a distributer where she spent her time learning and attending product trainings to broaden her industry knowledge. Often the only woman in the room, she used the experience to drive her motivation to grow her career in the industry.
“I joined National Women in Roofing and became an active member with the Tennessee Chapter. I was privileged enough to have met Heidi Ellsworth, founder of the National Women in Roofing early on and was just blown away by her vision for women in this industry and I knew that I was meant to be involved. I really cannot begin to explain what this organization means to me. I have met women from all facets of the industry all over the country and world! Many of whom are great friends and mentors now. I have since lead hands on trainings for our local chapter as well as hands on demonstrations for the past two NWIR Days preceding theInternational Roofing Expo as well as. There are always several women who have come to me after these trainings to thank me because they have never been able to experience the hands- on side of roofing, whether it be welding TPO or installing an EPDM pipe boot. It has been great to be able to facilitate this type of experience and confidence for so many people. I try to encourage everyone to have the conversations with their bosses about wanting to learn more and have more active experience on the roof. If you express the interest and ambition, most bosses will want to support you. The biggest thing that I have learned on my roofing journey so far is that knowledge is power. Learn the products, understand how and why the details work, start thinking about roofing installations from the deck to the membrane, watch as many seminars and videos as you can, network, don’t be afraid to ask questions, and never stop learning. This upcoming year will be a year of growth and new challenges as I have been nominated as the new 2020-2021 Tennessee Chapter Council Leader for National Women in Roofing. My goal this year is to focus on recruitment by providing learning programs and networking opportunities for women and men of diverse backgrounds to gather and connect. We are all valuable resources to each other in the roofing industry and frankly, we’re better together.” -Lynsay Walsh
