Advocacy, awards and female leadership

By Emma Peterson. 

How recognition and community are empowering women in the roofing industry. 

In a recent episode of Coffee Conversations®, Heidi J. Ellsworth sat down with Christine Mockenhaupt, current chairwoman of National Women in Roofing (NWIR) and director of FP&A at Atlas Roofing Corporation; Jennifer Stone, one of the co-founders of NWIR and the current national account director at Tremco Roofing; and Michelle Ly, co-founder of Hall Roofing & Construction and other businesses in Round Rock, Texas. For this webinar, the panel discussed the importance of mentors and advocates for women in the roofing industry.  

You might recognize Michelle’s name from 2023, when QXO (which was Beacon at the time) chose her as their Female Roofing Professional of the Year. Looking back on it now, Michelle still struggles to believe that QXO gave her that spotlight, sharing, “When QXO told me I was a finalist, I was like, ‘Are you sure? I'm just Michelle from Round Rock.’ And they were just like, ‘Yes, you. People told us about everything you've done in the community, the impact you've made in roofing and how you've changed the way of how people think – you're someone who can make a difference.’” And make a difference is exactly what Michelle did when she won that year, starting with using the cash prize to reroof the River City Youth Foundation. 

Michelle’s story is just one example of how uplifting women in the roofing industry through awards and advocacy can lead to powerful and positive change. Christine shared, “These awards, like the Female Roofing Professional of the Year, really uplift women, both as roofers and as individuals. And at their core, they build a community by recognizing that, yes, we’re all roofers, but we’re also women who need support and relationships from each other.”  

QXO’s work with the Female Roofing Professional of the Year is a great example of how advocacy creates spaces where women can grow together. Just in the last decade, Jennifer has seen the powerful impact of this, adding, “20 years ago, there was not a tremendous amount of books or even visibility on female leadership...Today, we have companies like QXO highlighting female leaders and organizations like NWIR that have full resource libraries to help women learn how to lead. It’s huge.”  

Listen to the podcast or Watch the recording to hear more from these incredible women! And if you’re interested in the 2026 QXO Female Roofing Professional of the Year Award, nominations are open until April 6, 2026!