Millions have gathered for the Women’s March, Time’s magazine is calling 2018 “The Year of the Women” and women everywhere are breaking their silence because of campaigns like #MeToo and #TimesUp. These movements have parted the sea and opened up the conversation about being a woman in power and the value they bring to the workplace.
March is International Women’s Month, and the movement of gender parity is being fueled by the young and the old who aren’t just ordinary but leaders for the future. Anything but ordinary is the norm for Joy Seitz, CEO of American Solar & Roofing. Competing in a male-dominated industry and breaking boundaries as a female leader is a day-to-day expectation to get the job done.
“As a woman leader in a man’s world, you feel the need to not be too loud or too opinionated because you don’t want to be labeled as a bitch. But that’s not a daily struggle for men, so I remind myself to never feel guilty because I do it for my values to lead a strong company” says Seitz.
At a young age, construction struck an interest in Seitz’s mind. From helping Dad with projects around the house to taking construction classes in high school, the interest never faded. She graduated from The School of Global Management and Leadership at Arizona State University- West Campus with a focus in Finance in 2003, and went on to working in industries from healthcare and venture capital to politics- leading a campaign for a female candidate.
These experiences instilled values that stem from the business principles she has learned and her sense of compassion and drive to right inequality and injustice. As CEO of American Solar & Roofing, she lets this motivate her when creating initiatives to benefit her employees.
- Healthcare and PTO: Joy believes that healthcare is a human necessity and everyone deserves the right to not only a sick day, but healthy days too.
- Employee Diversification: In the construction industry, women only make up 9% of the workforce. Through Joy’s efforts, American Solar & Roofing is proud to have 19% of our company represented by women.
- Paternity Leave: Only 10% of U.S. companies offer paid paternity leave. As a mother and wife herself, Joy knows the importance of not only the mother bonding with her newborn baby, but the father as well.
From an interest in construction as a little girl to wearing the pants as CEO, Seitz has made her footprint in this industry and is working to build a world where anyone can be a leader regardless of their gender, race or sexual orientation. We have made progress towards equality but there is still a long road ahead, and Seitz isn’t losing hope. The next generation is making more noise than ever before.
