Rachel Narveson and the Proficient Construction team celebrate her win as QXO’s 2025 Female Roofing Professional of the Year during a gathering in Lake Elmo, Minn. Credit: Courtesy of QXO.

RC: Congrats on being named QXO’s Female Roofing Professional of the Year. Has it sunk in yet?

Rachel Narveson (RN): Not yet, really. It’s been a busy summer, so it hasn’t really yet, but hopefully we’ll enjoy it in our offseason.

RC: How did you get your start in roofing?

RN: I started out in construction when I was in high school working for a really small, family-brand business that specialized mostly in roofing, windows, siding and basement remodeling. I worked hand-in-hand with the marketing team at trade shows, events, working their call center, and scheduling appointments. And the cool thing about that is that you’re constantly talking with customers, understanding what type of projects they’re really focusing on in their decision-making process. I just really fell in love with connecting with homeowners.

RC: When and why did you decide to start your own roofing company?

RN: I was a subcontractor in 2013 and became a general contractor in 2019, and I’m happy I did that to get an idea of different organizations within the construction industry, so that I could understand that when I started my own company, what were the pieces I wanted to take and what are the pieces I didn’t want to take with me.

RC: Was it always part of the plan to own your own roofing company?

RN: Not necessarily. I just have a strong idea of the customer experience end-to-end. Some organizations are really driven by numbers, some are driven by really different elements. I didn’t want it to be quantity-based; I wanted it to be quality-based. Knowing that, I just thought there’s an opportunity here to have a relationship-based company. We’re spending a lot of time at people’s homes, right? So, I noticed there’s an opportunity to develop long-term relationships and be able to grow.

I didn’t have a plan to have my own construction company, but when I saw there was such a disconnect, especially for customer service, I wanted to be very heavy on communication with our customers.

RC: What type of marketing programs or campaigns do you use, and how do you build relationships with customers?

MA: We use digital ads, social media, community events, networking, and referral programs to engage with customers. Once we’re working together, it’s about honest inspections, transparent communication, and strong follow-up.

RC: What are some of the biggest challenges in your market?

RN: In general, when you’re in roofing, you get put in that category of a storm chaser, and it gets thrown around so much. What we try and do is approach the market differently. We will 100% go knock on the neighbor’s door, but we always want to have the relationship with the neighborhood first, so if we’re called, we can find the damage and report what we found.

A lot of roofing contractors come after the storm and just walk into a neighborhood and try to knock on as many doors as possible. We try to educate our clients by really showing them who we are with our references. One of the bigger challenges I’m facing is that contractors are OK with people replacing their roofs every five years. I think we also have to have some skin in the game as contractors and put up the best products going forward.

"My team is amazing, and I feel like I handpicked some of the best individuals in the industry," said Narveson.

RC: Are changes to how insurers operate already having an impact on business?

RN: People are sick of these storms and having to call in claims every couple of years. We’ve all in the industry seen what it’s done with the impact of your insurance premiums skyrocketing. Every other day, I’m getting a call about that.

We have to be mindful that the industry is changing and insurance carriers are changing the way that they’re putting out policies. We have to adapt and put better products out there.

RC: When did you become aware of QXO’s award program, and why get involved?

RN: My team actually had an email going around saying they should nominate me, which was very cool! My team is amazing, and I feel like I handpicked some of the best individuals in the industry. I think they wanted to nominate me because they see the passion that I have every day, the mission, and how I’m constantly trying to help our team get better.

RC: Do you have a particular leadership style?

RN: The thing that I try to do as a leader is I don’t just sit behind the scenes and coordinate things and tell people where to go or what to do. I try and be out in the field with the crews, hand-in-hand, and I don’t think you see a lot of that today. Especially the bigger the company gets, you tend to see the owners take a backseat. I feel like the more we’ve grown, the more I’m trying to be out there with my team, developing them.

RC: How did you handle the public vote and campaign aspect of this process?

RN: First, I was just blown away by every single one of (the finalists’ biographies). They all just had awesome stories. And whether they were an owner or operations manager, they have different ways they’re making an impact with females in the industry.

To answer your question, it was a little challenging because the one thing they don’t tell you about being an entrepreneur and a business owner is that you have to self-promote. That’s always been kind of a challenge for me, but because I’m part of a lot of different organizations and networking groups, I had a solid backing from people who really believed in Proficient Construction.

RC: What role have professional organizations played in your success in roofing?

RN: I’ve been part of National Women in Roofing for a while … and there’s a lot of women’s groups on Facebook, like Women in Construction, Harness and Heels, etc. One of the things that helped me earlier on in my career was Women Entrepreneurs of Minnesota. I know there’s probably one in every state, and it's for women business owners, entrepreneurs, start-ups in all different industries.

RC: How do you build strong, long-term relationships with your suppliers?

RN: We’re full-service construction, so we don’t just do roofs, we do interior, exterior, commercial and residential. So our relationship with our suppliers goes a lot deeper, and we’re very selective because we have such a wide variety of products we need. When I started out, it was all about the reps telling you what you needed. Now, after being in the industry a while, I’m coming to the table saying: ‘If you want to do business with us, these are the products we’re really passionate about.’

Newer roofing contractors may not know it, but if you have a good relationship with them, the customer service is so much better. Being able to get the products that are needed for your customers goes much more smoothly.

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

RN: We tend to gravitate and sponsor girls' events. We sponsor dance clinics and cheerleading events, and promote women in roofing and women in construction. Just to get those ideas going in young women’s heads, because I think the biggest thing is education early on, and educating them about different careers in construction.