Letitia Hanke still isn’t used to the spotlight. Daytime talk show appearances, surprise encounters with Mike Rowe and being honored on the floor of her local NBA arena are humbling events that are still sinking in for the owner of ARS Roofing, Gutters & Solar in Santa Rosa, Calif. But Hanke clearly rises to the occasion.

The 2020 Residential Roofing Contractor of the Year will do so again from the Best of Success stage Sept. 20 in Dallas, when she discusses how the roofing sale she lost rapidly changed the trajectory of her business. RC caught up with her for the following preview.

Roofing Contractor: Will you tell us about the state of roofing in Northern California?

Letitia Hanke: We are as busy as ever. With so many wildfires over the last four years, we have thousands and thousands of homes rebuilding, so it’s endless work. I do mainly remodel work and commercial, so many roofers have flocked to the rebuild, and I’ve stayed with remodel and commercial so we are getting countless calls.

RC: How has anything changed since receiving the Contractor of the Year Award in December? 

LH: It’s changed a lot for me on a personal level. Being in this industry for 25 years having to prove myself so much more as a black, female roofer, it just means so much to me to be recognized by my peers. It’s a real sense of accomplishment.

RC: How do we get more women (working) on the roof?

LH: It will take the efforts of all of us, male and female, to actively seek out young females to encourage them into this trade. They don’t think about roofing as an opportunity because they simply don’t know about it.

RC: What will you cover in your BOS presentation and what do you hope contractors take away? 

LH: I’m looking forward to talking about some branding ideas that have worked really well for me, employee retention and also workforce development. I think contractors could always hear about things that other successful companies are doing. I love sharing this information as I think it benefits everyone. I always take away some idea to implement when I go to conventions.

RC: Because you’re a musician at heart, I’ve got to know what will be on your playlist for the trip to Dallas? 

LH: HA! OMG! I’m so addicted to ‘80s rock right now. ‘80s music is just so much fun and brings me such joy. I made an ‘80s playlist of some of my favorites, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister and so many more. Don’t be surprised if I show up with big hair!