Cream of the Crop*

By Krista Reisdorf

Excerpted from Professional Roofing magazine’s Workers issue, April 2008
*This article has been abridged.

The MVP awards have been in existence since 2001, and this year, OMG and Professional Roofing decided to take it a step further and create an award for “the best of the best.” The award, which was presented during NRCA’s [National Roofing Contractors Association] 121st Annual Convention in Las Vegas, is given to the MVP winner who makes extraordinary contributions to the roofing industry and community.

“We set out to have only one Best of the Best winner, but after much discussion regarding Teri’s and Rodney’s scores and achievements, they forced a tie,” says Geoff Craft, vice president---roofing products for OMG and chairman of the Alliance MVP Task Force.

Finding a career

Stallion began her roofing career about 25 years ago in Akron, Ohio. She was working the night shifts as a nurse and didn’t want to work night hours anymore. After a friend talked to her about installing single-ply roof systems, she applied for a job as a roofing laborer. “I really liked it,” she says. “I liked being outside, working with my hands, and doing something that allows you to look back and see what you’ve accomplished.”

Growing tired of the Ohio weather, Stallion moved to Atlanta so she could perform roofing work year-round. She worked for Southern Reserve Roofing, Atlanta, for 20 years until the owner retired. Innovative Roofing Group hired her husband, Bobby, who had worked with Southern Reserve Roofing for 23 years as a repair foreman, and soon hired Stallion to oversee the roofing crews.

During her 20 years in the roofing industry, Stallion has witnessed some changes, including more emphasis on safety. In fact, since Stallion began working at Innovative Roofing Group, there have been no lost-time accidents. “Safety has become the No. 1 issue for me,” she says. “It’s the foremost part of my job, and I have to make sure it’s taken care of.”

On the job

Stallion leaves her house at 5:45 a.m. and heads to the job site. She stays in the field with her crews all day, taking care of any problems that arise with the property, workers or customers.

Fortunately, Stallion’s relationship with customers is not a cause for complaint.

“When our customers call me, Teri is the most requested supervisor,” says Greg Lewis, president of Innovative Roofing Group. “She is honest with her customers and keeps them in the loop. She has great people skills.”

Stallion lets customers know what to expect and makes herself available to them at all times in case there are problems.

“I pop in to speak with tenants usually once a day to make sure everything is going well,” she says. “I keep close contact with them to make sure they’re comfortable with what is happening during the project. We usually have a good rapport with people.”

The crews

Marc Gentry, general manager of Innovative Roofing Group, and Ariela Paschal, client services/marketing manager for Innovative Roofing Group, have witnessed Stallion’s good relationship with her crew.

“She truly cares for every one of her crew members,” Gentry says. “It doesn’t matter who has been with her the longest or works the hardest. She’s extremely patient when teaching her crew.”

“She has a terrific rapport with her crew,” Paschal says. “They are loyal to her, and she has earned that. I can see in their attitudes they want to perform well for her. She’s in touch with each crew member’s abilities and uses them well.”

Stallion demands respect while also respecting her crew members. “When I’m with them, I’ll work beside them to show them if I can do it, they can do it,” she says. “They respect me for that. I really enjoy my crew and love my guys.”

Crew member Gregory Arnold says the crew appreciates Stallion, as well. “We look out for her, and she looks out for us,” he says. “She’s a good leader and great person. When she tells us what we need to do, she expects us to go out and do it, and she knows it will be done. She makes us the best, and we make her the best.”

“Her crew respects her tremendously,” [Greg] Lewis [president, Innovative Roofing Group] says. “She is fair but makes sure they don’t cross the line.”

She has the added challenge of being a woman in a male-dominated industry and says her crew has always supported her.

“I’ve never had trouble with the men in this field,” she says. “When I first started, I worked hard to show them I could do the same things they did. I wasn’t going to let them outwork me. I get a lot of respect being a woman in the field.”

Giving their time

Stallion spends time [off] with her husband; son Anthony 21; and daughter Tiffany, 18.

However, Stallion also takes time out of her busy schedule to help others, living up to the title “best of the best.”

Stallion has been involved with Angel Food Ministries, an organization that distributes food to those in need, as well as a church food bank.

“We try to be there for the people�not just give them food,” she says. “They talk about their problems, and I listen. I keep in contact with anyone who wanted to sit down and talk, and I check up on them from time to time. Distributing food is really rewarding because I get one-on-one time with people, and I enjoy that part. We’ve also done some charity work through out company, and our crew members enjoy that.”

Examples of excellence

Although it can be difficult to look ahead when they’re so busy in the present, Griffith [the other tie-winner] and Stallion see themselves still in the roofing industry in five or 10 years.

Stallion hopes she will be managing more crews. And when she retires, she doesn’t think she’ll be able to completely leave the roofing industry.

“I’ll be relaxing and spending more time with my family and the grandkids, but I’d want to still be involved with something,” she says. “I just can’t see myself totally retiring from this job. I would still have to have a hand in it in some way.”

In the meantime, the two will continue to strive for excellence and, perhaps, receive more recognition for their outstanding work.

Stallion was shocked she won the award---but [Greg] Lewis [company president] wasn’t. He says her “honesty, loyalty, willingness to get the job done on time and on budget, contributions to the community, willingness to help anyone in the company and flawless safety record” are part of what makes her so deserving of the award.

“She’s as capable as or more capable than anyone I’ve ever come across,” says Chuck Cox, estimator for Innovative Roofing Group. “I’ve seen a great many that haven’t come close. It’s quite an achievement.”

Stallion was just excited to be the first woman to receive an MVP award and didn’t expect the Best of the Best Award.

“It was a good shock,” she says. “It feels great. When you think of all the work you’ve done in the past, the award shows that your dedication has paid off.”
 

Krista Reisdorf is editor of Professional Roofing Workers and NRCA’s director of communications and online publications. This article is abridged from the original.

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