The WRYKER Construction Supply website promises the following: “We won’t beat your current supplier on everything, but we will beat them on at least one thing!”

It’s a bold claim but Julia Farrell, the firm's president, is confident her company can back up.

She ought to know — after watching previous generations of roofing contractors succeed in the Salisbury, N.C. market and beyond, she knows what it takes to help contractors win the day, despite readily admitting she’s “not a roofer.”

“I think there's always going to be a space for the local feel. You just can't beat it. We grew up in the area, we know the area, we know the people, we go back a long time, and there's something special about that,” she said.

The 28-year-old leader may lack the decades of experience most people in her position have, but that comes with time, and Farrell has plenty of that — along with a secret weapon in the form of a computer science education — to lead the fledgling WRYKER into the future.

“I think the biggest thing is being curious, so I'm always eager to learn more, and if I don't know something, I'm not going to pretend like I do, and there's plenty of things that I don't know,” she said. “However, I know people who know the answer, and that’s where I’m very lucky to have an amazing team.”

A Family Business

Like many in the industry, Farrell’s journey began with family connections. Her grandfather opened a commercial roofing business in the Buffalo and Dunkirk, N.Y. market.

Her father started a commercial roofing company around the time Farrell was born, working mainly on the East Coast. If that weren’t enough, her father’s two brothers also have commercial roofing companies. In short, roofing runs in the family.

Growing up around so many roofers gave Farrell a unique perspective on owning and running a roofing business. Even so, she didn’t want to be involved in the family business, at least not directly. She studied physics at the University of Denver, pursuing a computer science and math minor. Upon discovering how much she enjoyed the computer sciences, she switched it to be her major while minoring in physics.

She attended entrepreneurship classes during her senior year of college to prepare for the workforce.

Software engineering opportunities came around but didn’t speak to her, and eventually, the gravity of the roofing industry drew her in. She founded WRYKER Construction Supply in 2018 alongside her father, giving her a perfect way to support the family business.

“[My dad is] our business advisor — he assists with selecting products, he helps us with our branding, really gives me advice on how to run a business better,” she said.

Given its roots, WRYKER Construction Supply primarily supports the commercial side of the industry. However, some of the tool lines offered cross into residential and Farrell said she is looking to expand her connections in the residential world.

“Where we set ourselves apart is that we’re a small, family-owned business, so people who prefer to work with small, family-owned businesses really like to work with us,” she said. “If you prefer to work at the big box store, we're probably not a good fit for you, and that’s okay.”

Iterative Methods

Harkening to her computer science and mathematics background, Farrell takes an iterative approach to running the business. The iterative methodology applies an initial value to generate a sequence of improving solutions for multiple problems.

For example, Farrell said she is experimenting with ways to foster a positive work culture and environment. Whether it’s trying out new software systems or over-communicating with staff, she is weeding out what doesn’t work to ensure smooth operations.

“We get a lot of feedback loops, so we'll try a new initiative, something that I've read in a leadership book — I read a lot of books about how do things better — and we'll draw stuff out,” she said. “If it doesn't work, we revise, iterate, and just try to iteratively improve processes all the time.”

Farrell’s experience has also been practically applied. Two years ago, when WRYKER transitioned to a new enterprise resource planning software system, Farrell managed the implementation.

“Instead of paying a small fortune to have somebody else do it, I was able to do a lot of it myself,” she said.

Her knowledge also gives WRYKER a leg up on the ever-evolving software platforms and technology entering the roofing space. She said learning new systems can initially be painful but ultimately helps serve WRYKER’s customers better.

“I would say construction tends to be slow to adopt new technologies, so it’s been slower for the companies to break into the space because it has to be really good, or else they’re not going to use it,” she said. “It is cool to see that it’s finally revolutionizing a little bit, and it helps people. Having good software can really make you do better work.”

This gives WRYKER the oomph it needs to compete against larger distributors. With about 2,500 products stocked, its small but mighty crew doesn’t balk at claiming its slice of the pie.

“We’re definitely trying to find where our niche is. We’ll never be that big – never say never – but at least right now that’s not who we are, so we don’t pretend to be,” she said.

The Culture Factor

One idea quickly becomes apparent when browsing the WRYKER website: safety matters. The site describes how the company empowers construction professionals working at height “for safe and effective work” and provides products compliant with OSHA standards. 

Its blog features articles about various safety topics, from workplace violence to fall arrest systems. Farrell said roofing is a dangerous business, so WRYKER pushes for safety in the interest of keeping workers from harm.

“We want everyone’s first priority to be going home to their families. It’s family-oriented, we’re family-owned on the distribution side and the roofing side, so priority number one is everyone comes home safe,” she said. “No job is worth your life, and it can be life-threatening if you’re not doing the safety procedures properly.”

Farrell said when selecting safety-related products, WRYKER relies on a certified safety professional who has worked as a national safety director for a roofing company for 30 years to assess any products.

“We have an engineer, we've got a certified safety professional. My dad advises — he's got his whole life basically in roofing, so we've got people just right in our immediate circle that really know what they're doing, and they’ve propped me up, and I'm very grateful to have that team,” she said.  

On top of promoting safety, WRYKER makes an effort to better its community, including sponsoring SkillsUSA competitions at local schools to encourage the next generation to enter roofing and construction.

Having recently married in Asheville in 2024, just before Hurricane Helene's devastation, Farrell organized a donation drive with WRYKER, using the wedding registry to collect supplies for storm victims. WRYKER matched all donations.

“It was close to my heart as I was getting married there. Luckily, our whole team working on the wedding was safe, so we’re thankful for that, but unfortunately, a lot of people were not in the same situation, so we tried to help out where we could,” she said.

As a young leader, let alone a woman in a male-dominated industry, Farrell said she hasn’t met with much resistance, though she occasionally feels she must prove herself. This is where her inherent knowledge and curiosity shine through.

“Once you know your stuff, it's just really no trouble. The issue is if you don't know what you're talking about. Then, man or woman, if you don't know what you're talking about, people aren’t going to listen to you,” she said.

To that end, her goals are to increase the number of manufacturers WRYKER works with and examine private labeling opportunities — all by imputing customers' values and iteratively improving.

“That's part of working with WRYKER is that we like to work directly with the people that are purchasing,” she said. “What are they having a hard time finding? What are they eager to get a better deal on? Whatever it is, what we do is really driven by what our customers want to do.”