Breaking barriers: Promoting inclusion and diversity in metal construction

By Anna Lockhart. 

Tune in as John, Kelli and Michelle discuss their efforts to make the metal construction industry a more inclusive place for women! 

In the MetalTalk™ webinar, “Women in Metal Construction,” host Heidi J. Ellsworth sat down with John Sheridan of Sheridan Metal Resources, Michelle Kettering of LTD Exteriors and Kelli Nolden of DoneRite Home Maintenance to discuss their experiences promoting women’s involvement in the metal construction industry and how women’s experiences can be improved.  

With several decades of experience in the industry, the guests collectively had a lot of advice and various perspectives on how this inclusion can be accomplished. John shared that one way he’s made an effort towards making spaces for women in the industry is by creating all-woman training sessions, which he collaborated on with Michelle. John has spent decades within the industry, creating a network through his guided training sessions which show participants how to install metal roofing.  

“Most companies have women involved in the business, but it's all on the management end. But there's really no reason why women can't be involved in the actual installation end of things,” he shared. Through partnerships with National Women in Roofing (NWiR), he has been able to plan expansions of these inclusive training efforts in the future.  

Michelle and Kelli, who are both owners of roofing businesses, shared how they made the transition from starting out in strictly management roles to exploring taking a more hands-on approach to learning the installation process. Michelle shared how eye-opening and beneficial it was to have the chance to learn more about the roofing process, “The more familiar you are with what you're actually doing, the better handle you have on running the company or being a part of the company and being a functional part of the company, not just overhead.” 

Kelli added to that sentiment, sharing that not only does learning the roofing installation process help from a business owner perspective, but it greatly increased her credibility among customers. She explained, “I think it is hard, as a woman, to be taken seriously in this industry... But I feel like when I'm on a roof, I’m out there as if saying, 'Hey, I know what I'm talking about,' then I feel like I'm respected more.” 

Read the transcript, Listen to the discussion or Watch the webinar to learn more about John, Kelli and Michelle’s inclusion efforts!