National Women in Roofing hit a home run with its seventh annual NWiR Days, with over 450 women and their allies improving themselves and uplifting each other before the International Roofing Expo.

Officially a two-day event for the first time, NWiR Days, which took place Feb. 4-5 in Las Vegas, focused on the baseball-centric theme of “Hitting It Out of the Park: How Women Rise With Allies and Advocates.” Nearly 40 presentations, held throughout the day on Feb. 4, continued the organization’s tradition of educating women in the roofing industry on everything from financial wellness and leadership to technology and hands-on product demos.

“I thought it was fantastic; the camaraderie and overall goal of lifting women up in the industry is really inspiring,” said Gretchen McGill, an attorney with DVORAK Law Group and a first-time attendee.

RELATED: 2024 NWiR Days Video Gallery

The sessions also included information on allies and advocates to encourage anyone to take part in empowering women. This included a keynote presentation from Dr. Kimberly Harden, founder and CEO of Harden Consulting Group, who spoke about collaboration and partnership for building inclusive and supportive work cultures.

“We have a good mix of not only our female members, but we have allies and advocates as well as several different industry organizations,” said Katie Bodiford, NWiR executive director. “It’s been a great day of networking and education.”

To be clear, NWiR has always welcomed allies like men and is a proponent of diversity, equity, and inclusion – including the recent launch of a DEI program called “REAL Roofing.” Along with highlighting the importance allies like men play in supporting women in roofing, NWiR enhanced this year’s programming with sessions conducted in Spanish to support one of the industry’s fastest-growing segments.

NWiR Days also serves as the venue for presenting the WORLD awards. Preceded this year by energetic performances from a marching band, the awards recognize outstanding members for their efforts and contributions. Be sure to read our story about this year’s recipients of the Veteran Award and the Rising Star Award.

It wasn’t all business during NWiR Days. Attendees took advantage of updating their professional photos with a headshot station before snapping selfies at a trading card photo booth. Meals throughout the day provided extra networking opportunities, and a reception capped the evening with food, drinks, and fun.

On the second day, attendees were invited to events like “Books, Balance and Brunch,” offering book discussions and yoga.

NWiR’s mission is to support and advocate for women in roofing at all levels based on its four pillars: networking, education, recruitment and mentoring.

“We are the change-makers,” Anna Anderson, the 2024 NWiR executive committee chair, told attendees. “So watch out IRE … we have 450 powerhouse women who are going to change the roofing world.”