Brooke Laizure has a knack for getting ahead of the storm, both in the literal sense — when Mother Nature grows active in her home state of Oklahoma; and figuratively — when it’s time to focus on growing her roofing company and other career goals.

She first appeared on RC’s roofing radar in 2020 and stood out among a handful of millennial women roofing entrepreneurs receiving mentorship from members of National Women in Roofing as they launched their careers. Since then, she’s brought a lot of energy, transparency and concern for quality customer care to the job as owner at Whirlwind Roofing and Construction, LLC, in Bixby, Okla., on the outskirts of Tulsa.

“Women are the untapped resource in the industry and can be the best asset to your roofing company. Young women are hard and efficient workers,” she told RC for a feature on how millennials can reshape the roofing industry in 2021.

Laizure’s worked hard to prove her words true, and it’s paying off with business growth and industry accolades. She is one of only a handful of roofing contractors in Oklahoma with Xactimate Level 3 certification, which insurance carriers use for storm damage claims. Earlier this year, Beacon Building Products named Laizure the winner of the fourth annual North American Female Roofing Professional of the Year award, which celebrates women in the roofing industry across North America.

The selection was the result of a thorough company evaluation by Beacon officials and an online public voting campaign through the spring. Laizure’s commitment to the industry and dedication to empowering other women in her community through giving back was highlighted at an award celebration where Laizure’s coworkers, family, friends and clients watched a screening of the new “Twisters>” movie (which featured Oklahoma City).

RC recently caught up with her after a busy storm season in her marketplace to discuss her pathway to success in roofing, and where she’s heading next.

Editor’s Note: Responses lightly edited for clarity

FROM LEFT: The Laizure family, including Owner and Sales Manager Dave, Marketing Manager Debra, Brooke, and Project Manager Adam.
Photo courtesy of Beacon Building Products

Congrats on being named Beacon’s fourth annual Female Roofing Professional of the Year. Has any of it sunk in yet?

BL: It hasn’t really sunk in completely yet. I was so happy, excited, and honestly so shocked when I found out, and I’m just so grateful and humbled to be the winner. It’s really awesome!

 Let’s back up, for anyone who doesn’t know — how did you get your start in roofing?

BL: I got into roofing by accident, like I think a lot of women do. I was in college studying wildlife biology and over the summer I worked with my dad, who was a sales manager at a roofing company. I rode along with him that summer, just to see if I liked it, and I really, really liked dealing with homeowners and getting on the roof. It just came really easily to me, and I never really stopped.

Why did you decide to start your own company, and where does your entrepreneurial spirit come from?

BL: It came from my dad, honestly. We’re just a great family team — he’s great at sales, and I’m good at supplementing and working with homeowners and insurance companies. After a tornado we decided to start a company and called it Whirlwind and it all clicked together.

 In addition to your father’s mentorship, were they any women role models you leaned on when you started out?

BL: This industry has been really nice. Becca Switzer (CEO, Roof Sales Mastery) was training people on YouTube and it really inspired me to see that women could do it in the industry. That they could [be] roofing salespeople and roofing owners. That led me to Alena Wilson, who has an insurance supplementing training company (Estimate Mastery), and she kind of taught me everything I needed to know.

Brooke Laizure (pictured in 2018), owner of Whirlwind Roofing and Construction, LLC in Bixby, Okla., is among only a handful of roofing contractors in Oklahoma with Xactimate Level 3 certification, which insurance carriers use for storm damage claims.
Photo courtesy of Brooke Laizure

 How was your storm season this year, and what other challenges are there in your market?

BL: We’ve a lot of hailstorms this year in Oklahoma, and even though we’re in Tornado Alley, we’ve had the most tornadoes we’ve ever had this year. Luckily, they haven’t impacted people too much, but it’s devastating when tornadoes hit.

How do you stand out in a crowd with so many storm contractors in your market?

BL: What makes us stand out is that we’re really good with insurance. Just to get people back to where they were before the storm, and a lot of roofing contractors don’t understand how to really work with the insurance companies and helping out the homeowner. We’re also big into homeowner education and making sure they understand what the process is.

When did you hear about this award process and why did you want to be involved?

BL: I heard about the award when they called me and told me I was a finalist! I thought it was really cool that I was nominated by a local (insurance) adjuster and someone in our office. The support that I received was so overwhelming and awesome. I had customers calling [me], reaching out, all of my NWiR Oklahoma Council girls have been really supportive, my family, my friends. It’s really been an outpouring of support and I was not expecting that at all.

In issuing the award, Beacon highlighted your efforts to empower other women in the industry and your community through giving back. Why is that important to you?

BL: I’m part of National Women in Roofing and we started the Oklahoma Council here. I’ve met a lot of people in the industry, and every meeting we have I’m meeting someone new in the industry. We also do a lot of stuff with Build My Future, which teaches high school students about the skilled trades. Twice a year we teach them how to shingle a roof, and just the excitement you get from the kids is really heartwarming. And it’s exciting to get them excited about the skilled trades versus college.

How cool is it for you now to be that role model for other young women in the trades?

BL: Seeing other women in the industry really supports you, helps you know you can do it yourself. When we go to Build My Future, they see me and other women members of the NWiR Oklahoma Council putting shingles on and teaching how to do everything. It gives them skills and it gives them confidence.

What advice would you give other young women trying to find their own path in the roofing industry?

BL: Just get involved. Go to your local National Women in Roofing Council meetings and you can make contacts there because we all do something different. There’s a lot of things you can do in the roofing industry that you don’t have to get on the roof for.

What’s next? What are you looking forward to?

BL: Growing. We’re a small, local company and like that feel — but we do need to grow and hire more people. I’m really looking forward to that process and learning more about that.