Hannah Vogel, 28

Hannah Vogel never expected she’d be in roofing. She originally set out to be a lawyer, but her friend James Hartney, a structural engineer, convinced her to go into the roofing and construction business with him.

After Hartney was tragically killed in a car accident in 2022, Vogel — with a lot of soul searching — decided to keep going with the roofing business. She still draws on a lot of what Hartney taught her, both about roofing itself and the possibilities for women in the construction industry.

Photo by Mark Wemple

“He’s the one who really convinced me that women play a very valuable role in the industry, and that our strengths are often where men lack,” says Vogel. “He’s the one who really got me to take the leap…Women are coming up to me and asking about how I got into it, and I feel like their gears are starting to turn more. So I really credit him for any girl who asks me about roofing or tells me she’s taking a job in construction or getting a degree in engineering.”

One of her favorite parts about the career she’s found herself in is the ability to help people. “Everyone needs a roof over their head,” she says. “I always wanted to make sure whatever job I had in life or career I went into, I was making some kind of difference or helping people.”

And she does much more than just ensure people’s homes are safe and dry. Through her involvement with local organizations like The Immokalee Foundation and Pace Center for Girls, she’s helping show the next generation how the construction industry can make a great career.

“I enjoy raising awareness for having not only women but also more young people in general enter the trade industry or trade school,” says Vogel. “I feel like there is still a stigma with kids not going to college, and I think there are more options for kids leaving high school than just going straight into college.”

The challenges of the past several years have taught Vogel the importance of being able to pivot, and she soaks in knowledge wherever she can get it. That can come from industry groups and peers, her dad and brother, or members of her team like Stephen Daily, who recently took on a vice president role.

“I’m constantly learning and getting advice from people on my team,” says Vogel. “That saying that ‘if I'm the smartest one in the room I’m in the wrong room,’ I’m all about that and wanting to surround myself with people who know more than me and completely different things than me. Keeping an open mind and having that eagerness and willingness to keep learning is really important.”