Giving voice to roofers in state legislature

By Jenny Yu.  

As a commercial roofer, Montana Roofing Association member and representative of the Montana state legislature, Morgan Thiel is all about service. 

For Morgan Thiel, work doesn’t end at the finished roof. It’s only the beginning.  

On top of working for her family’s commercial roofing business — Thiel Bros Roofing, Inc., a Sidney, Montana, business that recently celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2025 — Morgan also serves as the current president of the Montana Roofing Association (MRA) and represents House District 30 in the Montana State Legislature.  

“I’m constantly juggling a lot of things that are all very important, and I’m glad to get to do them,” Morgan shared with The Coffee Shops™ in a recent conversation.  

Early advocacy foundation 

How does one go from commercial roofing to state legislature? For Morgan, the seeds of service were planted early.  

“I was interested in state government from an early age; I was a page in the Montana Senate when I was in high school,” Morgan shared. “I live on the eastern end of the state, so I’d drive about seven and a half hours to get to Helena. It was so cool to see how the state government functions. It’s different seeing it in real life, versus learning about it in class.” 

Along with these early trips to the state capital as a student, Morgan also witnessed advocacy work firsthand through involvement with the Montana Roofing Association. As a smaller roofing association, the MRA doesn’t have a paid lobbyist and instead relies on its members to track issues that impact the industry.  

“Members of our association have gone and testified on a number of bills, chipped in and helped with issues over the years,” Morgan stated. One of those active members was Morgan’s dad, Jake Magalsky, who served as a previous president of the MRA and owner of Thiel Bros Roofing. Witnessing her dad’s dedication to advocacy inspired Morgan to do the same. “I grew up watching him testify and participate. I used to help him put documents together when he was going up there.”  

Having the opportunity to participate alongside her father in events like NRCA’s 2019 Roofing Day in D.C. gave her great inspiration and experience.  That trip inspired their now annual Roofers in Helena Day event where they visit the state capital and discuss construction related issues with elected officials and departments. 

Protecting small businesses 

Today, representing Richland and Roosevelt counties (including the towns of Sidney, Fairview, Bainville and Culbertson), Morgan carries the torch her father and other MRA members passed to bring roofing knowledge to task forces and committee meetings.  

As part of the Business and Labor, Natural Resources and Agriculture committees, Morgan worked on policy to help small businesses thrive. “A lot of the members in the Montana Roofing Association are small businesses, family businesses, that have been passed down for generations,” Morgan said. “I got to help deter negative laws that would have hurt small businesses and the construction industry while supporting laws that would improve conditions for them and protect Montana consumers.”  

Morgan was also recently appointed to the Montana Governor's Construction Licensing Task Force, in which she helped transition the Montana Contractor Registration program into a licensing program in an effort to create more accountability that protects contractors as well as the general public. 

This year, Morgan was appointed to the Governor’s License Reform Task Force and serves on the Construction Subcommittee. They are continuing the conversation of how to improve the construction industry for business owners, workers and consumers. 

“It’s very nice to be able to support the construction industry, which I've grown up in all my life, and get to see people bringing ideas and be part of that conversation,” Morgan expressed. “It's been a huge honor to serve my community in this role.” 

Here at The Coffee Shops, we’re excited to see how Morgan and the MRA will continue to give voice to Montana roofers! 

Learn more about Morgan’s work representing House District 30 and explore MRA’s advocacy efforts!