Johns Manville’s Jennifer Ford-Smith Appointed to the 2015 Women in Roofing Leadership Team

Johns Manville (JM), a Berkshire Hathaway company and global building and specialty products manufacturer, is proud to announce that Director of Marketing and Single Ply Systems Jennifer Ford-Smith was recently appointed to the 2015 Women in Roofing (WinR) leadership team. WinR is a council of the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association (MRCA). While the MRCA serves the interests of roofing contractors and the overall industry for the U.S. Midwest region, they are also serving as a national platform for the WinR.

Visualized by current women roofing professionals, WinR’s goal is networking for women within the roofing industry with a focus on mentoring for incoming women, professionals and business owners. With an increasing number of women-owned roofing companies and women in C-Suite positions for roofing publications, technology, distribution and manufacturing companies, the time is right to create a support structure that will not only mentor but produce ongoing education for career success in the industry.

Johns Manville President and Chief Executive Officer Mary Rhinehart was one of 16 initial founding members of WinR, and she continues to support the efforts of this organization.

Heidi J. Ellsworth of EagleView Technologies and Shari Carlozzi of Hapco, co-chair this new team, and have worked with the MRCA and a large group of enthusiastic women to create this ground-breaking organization. Along with Ford-Smith, Ellsworth and Carlozzi, the leadership team for 2015 consists of Laurie Moore, Kreiling Roofing, MRCA Board Liaison; Steve Little, KPost Company, MRCA Executive Committee Liaison; Jill Bloom, Roofing Contractor Magazine; Frann Nichols, RoofLogic; Dena Elie, No Roof Left Behind; Aileen Stuble, KPost Company; Debbie Ocken, Sprague Roofing; and Rachel Pinkus, MRCA staff.

“We are pleased that Jennifer has been appointed to this team of roofing professionals,” said Senior Vice President Bob Wamboldt, who is general manager of Johns Manville’s Roofing Systems division. “Jennifer is a thoughtful, collaborative leader, and we look forward to the positive impact she and WinR will make for the growing community of women in the roofing industry.” 

About Johns Manville 
Johns Manville, a Berkshire Hathaway company (NYSE: BRK.A, BRK.B), is a leading manufacturer and marketer of premium-quality products for building insulation, mechanical insulation, commercial roofing, and roof insulation, as well as fibers and nonwovens for commercial, industrial and residential applications. JM serves markets that include aerospace, automotive and transportation, air handling, appliance, HVAC, pipe and equipment, filtration, waterproofing, building, flooring, interiors and wind energy. In business since 1858, the Denver-based company has annual sales of approximately $2.6 billion and holds leadership positions in all of the key markets that it serves. JM employs approximately 7,000 people and operates 44 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and China.  Additional information can be found at www.jm.com. 

About Women in Roofing
Women in Roofing is a volunteer-based organization with the goal to provide networking, mentoring and education for women roofing professionals. With a strong focus in mentoring and education for incoming women into the roofing industry, the organization will also create opportunities for continuing education, support and networking for professional success.