For Roofing Contrator’s Young Guns series, Santos discusses finding her place in roofing, gaining confidence as a young woman in leadership, developing the next generation of employees and why she believes the industry’s future will depend on companies that pair strong people with smarter processes.

How long have you been in the roofing industry and how did you get your start?

CS: I’ve been in the roofing industry for about eight years, and if I’m being completely candid, I didn’t get into roofing because I had some grand career plan. I needed a job that would pay my rent and bills. I joined NV Roofing in 2018 as a sales assistant on the residential side of the company with very little knowledge of roofing or construction. What I didn’t expect was how quickly I would become interested in all the different sides of the business. Roofing is so much more than what happens on the roof. There’s sales, customer relationships, production, problem-solving, estimating, operations and the technical side of the work. I found myself wanting to understand all of it. In 2020, I was introduced to the commercial side of the company, and that’s really where my career began to accelerate.

Commercial roofing exposed me to more complex projects, systems and technical challenges, and it’s where I gained much of the technical knowledge that helped me grow into leadership. From there, I continued moving through different roles in production and operations, learning the business from the ground up. Today, I serve as vice president of operations, and it’s funny to think that a job I originally took because I simply needed to pay my bills turned into an industry and career that I genuinely fell in love with.

What are the top reasons why your company is successful?

CS: I think there are a few major reasons NV Roofing has been successful. Roofing is a people business. Having employees who care about the company, our customers and each other is probably our biggest competitive advantage. Our willingness to evolve. We’ve been in business for decades, but we’re constantly evaluating how we can operate better. We’re implementing new technology, improving our processes and developing clearer accountability throughout the organization. Our relationships. We operate heavily in commercial and multifamily roofing, where reputation and long-term relationships matter tremendously. A lot of our success comes from clients trusting that we’ll be there when problems arise - not just when we’re trying to sell them something. Technical experience. Roofing can become complicated very quickly. Having experienced people who understand different systems, manufacturers and real-world field conditions allow us to solve problems instead of simply installing roofs. And finally, we’re resilient. Construction rarely goes exactly according to plan. Our ability to adapt, solve problems and keep moving forward has played a major role in our longevity.

What are the big challenges in your market and how is the company addressing them?

CS: One of the biggest challenges in our market is balancing increasing costs with clients’ expectations around pricing, schedules and service. Labor, materials, insurance and operating costs continue to rise, while customers understandably still want projects completed faster and more competitively. The labor market is another challenge. Finding experienced roofing professionals is difficult, which means companies can’t depend solely on hiring people who already know the industry. We have to become better at developing people internally. At NV Roofing, we’re focusing heavily on systems, training, technology and career development. We’re creating clearer career paths, documenting processes and looking at ways technology and AI can reduce administrative work and allow our people to spend more time doing the things that actually require experience and judgment. I believe the roofing companies that succeed over the next decade won’t necessarily be the companies that work the hardest; they’ll be the companies that become the most efficient at developing people and using technology.

Do you see your age as an advantage or disadvantage in this business?

CS: Earlier in my career, I probably viewed my age as more of a disadvantage than I do today. I was a young woman moving into leadership roles in an industry where many of the people around me had been in construction longer than I had been in the workforce. There were definitely moments when I felt like I had to prove that I belonged in the room before people were willing to listen. A huge part of changing that mindset for me was becoming involved with National Women in Roofing. Being surrounded by women at different stages of their careers, many of whom had faced similar challenges, helped me become stronger and more confident as a leader. It gave me a community where I could learn from women ahead of me, while also realizing that my own experiences could help someone coming up behind me. That has become increasingly important to me. I benefited tremendously from having women in this industry who encouraged me, challenged me and showed me what was possible, and I feel a responsibility to do the same for the next generation. I want younger women entering roofing to walk into those rooms with more confidence than I did and to know that they belong there. Today, I actually see my age as an advantage.

What area of the roofing business are you most passionate about? Why?

CS: Operations, definitely - specifically, building the systems and people that allow a company to scale. I love solving problems, but what I’ve become increasingly passionate about is solving problems in a way that prevents the same problem from happening again. Operations sits in the middle of everything: sales, estimating, production, service, finance and the customer experience. When one part of that system breaks down, everyone feels it. I enjoy looking at the entire lifecycle of a project and asking: Where are we losing information? Where are we wasting time? Where are people unclear about accountability? And how can we build a better process? I also really enjoy developing people. Watching someone grow from needing constant direction to becoming a confident leader who can make decisions on their own is probably one of the most rewarding parts of my job.

What did you get from attending the Young Guns meeting at Best of Success?

CS: The biggest thing I took away from Young Guns was perspective. When you’re inside your own company every day, it’s easy to think the challenges you’re experiencing are unique to your organization. Sitting in a room with other emerging leaders from across the roofing industry made me realize how many of us are navigating the same things, such as leadership transitions, workforce challenges, technology, company culture and figuring out how the next generation fits into businesses that may have been operating successfully for decades. The conversations were very open, which I appreciated. It wasn’t just people talking about their successes; people were willing to talk about what they were struggling with too. I also walked away with relationships. Having a network of people around my age who are experiencing similar leadership challenges is incredibly valuable.

What are your future plans for the business?

CS: For us, the next chapter is really about scalability, innovation and thinking differently about how we serve our clients. We’re continuing to invest in process improvement, leadership development, technology and better integration between estimating, sales, production and service. I’m especially interested in how AI and emerging technology can help reduce administrative work and allow our people to spend more time on the areas that require experience, judgment and strong client relationships. We’re also paying close attention to the changing roofing market and thinking more creatively about how we position the business for the future. Rather than focusing only on full roof replacement, we’re developing an asset management approach centered around the entire lifecycle of the roof, helping clients better maintain, plan for and extend the life of their roofing assets. For me, that’s an exciting part of what’s next: looking at industry trends, understanding where the market may be shifting and finding new ways to create value for our clients before a roof ever reaches the point of replacement. Personally, my goal is to continue growing as an executive leader and help build the systems, strategies and infrastructure that position NV Roofing for long-term growth.