Interview of Tomeka Thomas

Episode Summary:

Episode Summary:

What started with a funny story about a bridal boutique turned into a powerful conversation about purpose, leadership, and building a business in an industry where women are still too often the exception.

In this episode, I sit down with Tomeka Thomas, owner of The Roof Clinic, to talk about her unexpected journey from insurance to commercial roofing CEO. Tomeka shares how her experience in claims, construction estimating, and catastrophe adjusting helped her see a major gap in the roofing industry, and how that insight eventually led her and her husband to “go to the dark side” of construction.

We talk about marriage, motherhood, government contracting, mentorship, business development, and what it really takes to lead with both strategy and heart. Tomeka’s story is full of humor, honesty, grit, and the kind of wisdom that only comes from building something step by step, relationship by relationship.

This conversation is a reminder that purpose is not always obvious in the moment, but sometimes every experience is preparing you for the next door you’re meant to walk through.

Insights from this episode:

• Career paths do not have to be linear to be purposeful
• Sometimes your past experience is quietly preparing you for your next opportunity
• Building a business with your spouse requires clear lanes, trust, and boundaries
• Relationships are not a side part of business development, they are often the foundation
• Commercial construction requires both technical knowledge and strong communication
• Mentorship can help open doors that feel too overwhelming to walk through alone
• Leadership means staying close enough to the work to understand the people doing it
• The right systems and processes can protect both the client and the business
• Women in construction bring valuable perspective, leadership, and representation
• Taking the next step often starts with asking, “What would that look like?”
  

Quotes from the show:

• “What if all of this is purposeful?” — Tomeka Thomas, InPowered Women Podcast
• “Business falls on relationship.” — Tomeka Thomas, InPowered Women Podcast
• “There’s heart in knowing your product.” — Tomeka Thomas, InPowered Women Podcast
• “I don’t do business with anyone I don’t like, know, and trust.” — Tomeka Thomas, InPowered Women Podcast
• “You can do this too.” — Tomeka Thomas, InPowered Women Podcast
• “Sometimes the next step starts with someone asking a question and you being willing to take a look at it.” — Tomeka Thomas, InPowered Women Podcast
• “You cannot be so far removed from the work that you no longer understand what is happening in the field.” — Tomeka Thomas, InPowered Women Podcast
• “You can be here. You should be here.” — Tomeka Thomas, InPowered Women Podcast

Episode Transcript:

Sharon Lee:
Hi, and welcome to the InPowered Women Podcast. I’m Sharon Lee with Pinnacle Strategic Advisors, and we are so glad you are here today. And before we get started, though, I want to thank our sponsor. So, Always Open Garage Doors. Co-owned by Dawn Matthew and her husband, and we want to thank you for supporting today’s episode. Their team provides reliable garage door repair and installation with the kind of service homeowners truly appreciate. Dawn, we are grateful for your support of women leaders and the InPowered Women podcast.

Sharon Lee:
Yes! I want to welcome Tomeka Thomas with The Roof Clinic. How are ya?

Tomeka Thomas:
I’m wonderful, Sharon, how are you? Glad to be here. Thanks for having me.

Sharon Lee:
Well, I am… you’re always welcome here, for sure, and I… we always have some really fun conversations, so I’m really excited to see where this is gonna go. So… but, to get started. What are you… what are you doing? You are, you know, you’re co-owner of The Roof Clinic. We’re gonna start over on that one. Little time? So, to get started, tell us a little bit about yourself.

Tomeka Thomas:
A little bit about me. Well, first off, I’m a mom. I am a busy, busy mom. I’ve got a 17-year-old in the 11th grade, and I’ve got a… about-to-be 13-year-old in the 7th grade. She turns 13 May 18th, so I’m a busybody right now, trying to plan, wish me luck, folks, a Pink? and plush… Slumber party. everything blown out pink, and I have a hex code of… specific color pink that it has to be, and dare I deviate from that cover, that color, my head is going to be wrapped around, I don’t know. So, I’m in planning mode. Pinterest boards, websites, inspiration, it’s gotta be perfect. So, wish me luck, ladies.

Sharon Lee:
So, somehow, God spared me, and I had boys, and I am a boy mom through and through. I… I feel like I could probably handle that, but I just think I was spared from having to handle that. I mean, and like, I’ve got a middle schooler, and so I’m thinking, these girls I mean, they… they know what’s what. They don’t mess around. You know, they’re… you would just, like, even to see a drill sergeant, you just go talk to a little 7th grader.

Tomeka Thomas:
Well, I tell you what, she is her mother’s child, because I received a full itinerary, Sharon, of… from arrival, 4.30, it’s just a night. It’s just one night, but I have a full page and a half itinerary of all the festivities that will be going on. So, I was overwhelmed when I read it, but I appreciated the organization of it all, because it’s so well thought out, and she told me, she said, Mom, I would just be done if it doesn’t happen exactly to the T, so… and then she… she closes by saying, but surprise me, though. Surprise me.

Sharon Lee:
And, by the way, here’s a list alphabetized on ways you can surprise me. I can just think.

Tomeka Thomas:
I’ll tell you what, and I cannot go without saying I was expressing my overwhelm with some of my business friends at lunch, and they were hearing me, and they said, you know, I… we wouldn’t mind planning that for you. I said, excuse me? It was, like, little birdies in my ear. Oh? Yeah, just… forward it over, and so two of my good friends, I sent it over to them, the itinerary. This is easy, and one of the ladies is like, I’ve always wanted a girl, let me live through you, I’m gonna take care of this, and so they took that little baby off of me, so now I’m just doing what I do well, delegating, reviewing, and writing a check.

Sharon Lee:
Yeah.

Tomeka Thomas:
me.

Sharon Lee:
Yeah, so, like, holds your heart when you write that check, because I can only imagine.

Tomeka Thomas:
But I do have to make sure all the specifics are exactly right, because if not, it would… it would be bad, Sharon, it would be bad. I understand.

Sharon Lee:
And we want you to live to fight another day. We don’t need you to go down in a big, like, I don’t know, explosion of pink.

Tomeka Thomas:
Yeah, exactly, that’s it. So, alongside that, you know, and then they’re in track season, so we’re doing that as well. So there’s some other piece, and then, of course, you know, I’m a wife, so I’ve got to do all my wifely things, and my husband and I work together, so whatever’s happening at home, we have to make sure we have a nice little boundary so that we can get to work as well. That’s a whole other discussion.

Sharon Lee:
Right? Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
And then there’s business, of course. And, with the weather, business, is booming, but weather is not allowing us to… we’ve created a backlog because of the wintry weather, so it’s like we’re waiting for that nice little break of seasonality so that we can just hit the ground running, so… Everything’s good, and everything’s busy.

Sharon Lee:
That’s… good and busy is always a good thing. Although I have to, interject. I don’t know if it was the first time we met, but it was early on, and I said something about, how did you meet your husband? Because you mentioned that you all both own the business, and… and there’s this whole little Bridezilla story that makes me laugh. Every time I think about it, so you gotta tell the story.

Tomeka Thomas:
Oh, boy, are you… okay, Sharon, here we go. Don’t judge me, ladies, but I’ve got to share the story. Sharon loves the story.

Sharon Lee:
Yay!

Tomeka Thomas:
So I was at university where my husband is from, down in Middle Georgia, and I worked at a bridal boutique. I had the privilege of selling beautiful wedding gowns to beautiful brides, and I did that throughout college. It was such a super cool job! So, brides would come in, we would do fittings, I was the manager of the bridal boutique, and I was in finals in the back office, kind of studying while the girls were up front working. And I had a bridal party. My husband and his cousin were a part of that bridal party, and they needed to be fitted for a suit, so…

Sharon Lee:
Well, and I thought he was the groom part of the bridal party when you first told me the story, and so I’m going, wait, what? So, anyway… So keep on going with the story!

Tomeka Thomas:
He was not the groom.

Sharon Lee:
He was not the groom.

Tomeka Thomas:
just there to be fitted. So the bridal party was my particular bridal party, and so the front office called me back, one of my dearest friends. She called me, she said, hey, I need you to come up, this bridal party is here to be fitted for tuxes. And I’m like, well, just go ahead and handle it. You know, I’m back here studying for my finals and doing payroll and things like that. She said. Well, no, I need you to come up, and she’s like, and one of the guys that’s being fitted is So beautiful, so handsome.

Sharon Lee:
And I’.

Tomeka Thomas:
I’m like, well, all the more reason you should do it. Right. And she’s like, well, it’s your bridal party, you have to do it. And she’s like, and you need to make a segue where I can meet them. Okay, so I begrudgingly came up front, did my job, and his cousin, he had a little bit of a gut, so I was cracking jokes, being friendly, of course, with him, and I said, you gotta suck it in, buddy, so I can get the proper measurements for you. And he started laughing, and my husband thought that was hilarious, so he busted out laughing. And we got the measurements, and so it was time for them to check out. And, my friend is kicking my shins underneath the countertop, like, this is your moment to make the intro, you know, do what you’re supposed to do as a friend. And so… I’m like, I don’t really want to do this, I just want to get him paid out and get to the bag. And he slides me over his phone number, and he says, hey, are you over at the college? And I’m like, yes. He was like, you probably need someone to help you study. And I’m like…

Sharon Lee:
Probably, yes.

Tomeka Thomas:
Not really. And so then my friend stomps my toe really hard, and I’m like. And she was like, he said, I’d love to, you know, help you study, or, you know, get coffee or something. And I’m like, okay. And she’s like, oh, moment wasted. He’s interested in you, so…

Sharon Lee:
Right?

Tomeka Thomas:
Long story short, that has been the running joke of our friendship, you know, that she’s married now, I’m married now, and she was like, you know, your husband’s life, Eric, would have been completely different if just you had made a better call there, but here we are. So it’s the running joke whenever we have couples dates and dinners and things like that, that the whole situation could have looked completely different had he made another decision. We have a good time with that. We have a very good time with that. But that is how I met my husband.

Sharon Lee:
So you’re not technically a bridezilla, you didn’t technically, like, steal him from a wedding party, but it sure just feels like it, and it just makes me laugh every time I think about it, so…

Tomeka Thomas:
Not at all, not at all. Yes, and we are actually celebrating our 25th year this year.

Sharon Lee:
Oh, congratulations! That’s fantastic! I mean, and that is a true testament to you guys, because working together, being married, all the things, parents, blah blah blah. And still surviving for 25 years. Hats off. That’s, that’s, that’s no joke right there. So you need to, like, really blow it out and do something big.

Tomeka Thomas:
Yes, we are. It definitely is a story in and of itself, but I will tell you, a lot of couples, when they find out that we’re working together, like, oh my gosh, if I wanted my marriage to last, that’s probably.

Sharon Lee:
We were laughing.

Tomeka Thomas:
I need to do. But I will tell you, it’s not for everyone, Sharon, but when you find that it works, it only strengthens everything else around it. If you can find a good mojo and really understand the lanes and the boundaries, it works beautifully, and it just makes you appreciate the marriage even more so.

Sharon Lee:
Well, okay, that’s good, that’s good, because I’ve always said, don’t even build a house together, you know? So, building a business, OMG, that is, that’s… that’s hitting it hard, so… But now, okay, what is your business? Let’s talk a little bit about The Roof Clinic, about, like, just… just what it is.

Tomeka Thomas:
Sure. So, The Roof Clinic is a roofing construction company. We specialize in commercial. and residential roofing. We started off in residential 14 years ago, and did that hardcore for about 3 years, and then, catapulted into government contracting on the commercial side. Which then led us into private sector commercial, spanning between the two. And we cover all of Georgia, including any neighboring states. So, you know, your Carolinas, Tennessee, Alabama, as well. And we do anything and everything involved with roofing, so that’s roofing replacement, of course, emergency repairs. That would be, preventative maintenance of the roof, so maintenance plans, emergency services, and, of course, GovCon work. governmental contracting work. So, if it’s a roof, and it needs to be replaced, we can handle it for you.

Sharon Lee:
And so, I’m… I’m envisioning, you know, you’re surrounded way back when by all these beautiful wedding gowns and all of these tuxedos, and all you could think of is, oh, if only I could be sweating it out on the top of a roof right now, my life would be complete. So it just… so therefore, you’ve just… you’ve just hit the pinnacle of your, of your existence, right? It all just fell together nice and easy, right?

Tomeka Thomas:
That is a wonderful story. And not mine. You need to Absolutely not, Sharon. That is not my story. you know, I have to just kind of scroll it back a little bit and say, when we talk about the construction industry, period. very few and far between do you find someone that said, this was my life story, I just, you know, I had the whole pathway set out, this is my vision. Most of us fall into this. We met someone that was wonderful in it, that inspired us, and so my story is, I started off in insurance. So it was kind of a lateral move, if you will, but there was some… Trajectory to getting there, for sure.

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
going to high school just like everyone else. My parents had it panned out, I made good grades, I was a hard worker, studied well, went off to university, rinse and repeat. My major was criminal psychology. So, I wanted to be the, councilperson who studied your Jeffrey Dahmers, your Ted Bundys.

Sharon Lee:
Wow, no thank you. Okay, okay.

Tomeka Thomas:
to do. I love the behavioral science. Around all of that. So, I had this whole mindset of, yes, that’s what I’m gonna do, I’m gonna write a book about these people, behavioral… I’m all about mental health, and all the things. And so I’m in year four, and I go talk to my career counselor, because it’s time to, you know, graduate, and he was like, yeah, you need to get a whole PhD if you’re going to do that.

Sharon Lee:
Find time to hear that little nugget, right?

Tomeka Thomas:
She’s like, you need to be thinking about grad school and next steps, and then there’ll probably be school beyond that and beyond that. I’m like, whoa! No, I’m ready to work. I’m ready to make some money, be an independent person, get from under my parents’ wing, and do my thing. I don’t want to go to school anymore!

Sharon Lee:
app.

Tomeka Thomas:
I said, tell me what I can do with the credits that I’ve gotten. What’s a lateral move to get out of here? And he looks over mine. Credits, and he was like, well, you could be a social worker. No. And no disrespect to social workers. Right, exactly. It’s very important work. For sure. Very necessary work, but not for me.

Sharon Lee:
No.

Tomeka Thomas:
So I say, okay, fine, sign me up.

Sharon Lee:
Just to get your degree and get.

Tomeka Thomas:
Yes, and get on the ground running! So, I graduated with that, and with a minor in psych. So, I went and applied for my first social working job, and it was governmental work, and it was like, oh gosh, I want to say, like. $23,000 a year.

Sharon Lee:
Is what it was called.

Tomeka Thomas:
That job description floored me, all the things that I was going to be doing. I felt like my life was going to be on the line. I’m like, I don’t think I want to do this. Right. Long story short, I never stepped foot in a social working office. I never did it. I went back to what I knew, selling bridal gowns, right? So I applied to one of a very prestigious bridal salon in Atlanta. I will not name names, but they did have their own show for a bit.

Sharon Lee:
Okay.

Tomeka Thomas:
I was their boutique buyer, and I got to travel, oh, because I’m a military brat, I don’t know if I ever told you that, but I’m a military brat. We traveled all my life, so, you know, moving every two, three years was never an issue. It taught me very quickly how to learn and adjust and meet new people, so I did that for, quite some time. Met some wonderful people, sold some beautiful gowns, but the travel was… gut-wrenching, how much I was gone. And on the flip side of that, my husband was also on the trucking side of things. he was gone all the time, so having a relationship and all of this, it just… it didn’t measure up. And so one day, he was like, we’ve got to figure out how to stay home. We need to find something where we’re… we’re more home. And I’m like, yeah, I don’t know what that would look like. So, at this time, we’re not married.

Sharon Lee:
Okay.

Tomeka Thomas:
I’m… I have a roommate who’s my sorority sister, and she was like, well, I was flyer. Let’s go be insurance adjusters. I said.

Sharon Lee:
Let’s just go be that.

Tomeka Thomas:
I don’t know, this is an informational, we should just go and see what it’s about. She was in banking. She hated her job, she wanted to switch as well. So we went to the informational. It was through State Farm. That was my humble beginnings, and they told us about this wonderful job where we could learn how to tear buildings down and estimate building them back up. Come join our team, full benefits, salary was wonderful. a great career, so we had a test for it. I said, okay, I guess the natural thing to do is go test. So we went and tested. I passed the test. That test was hard. I passed the test, my roommate did not. But don’t feel sorry for her, because she’s a very prominent banker, and she.

Sharon Lee:
Just.

Tomeka Thomas:
Very well now, so she’s fine. And that catapulted me into the insurance industry, so I did that. I started off very much boots on the ground, traveling still, though.

Sharon Lee:
steal…

Tomeka Thomas:
traveling, and I was a catastrophe adjuster, so I bounced around everywhere, working on very types of claims. Hurricane Katrina, ground zero-type jobs.

Sharon Lee:
Was this just southeast, or was this literally, it could be anywhere in the United States?

Tomeka Thomas:
It started off anywhere, but then I got a relocation to just manage Southeast.

Sharon Lee:
Okay, which is still a lot of, square footage.

Tomeka Thomas:
And, you know, we get a lot of the weather, too, so… yes. And so I worked my way up into executive management through various carriers. I did not stay with State Farm, I went to various carriers, and, ended up having, shy of a thousand or so employees under me, from adjusters to middle management to executive, and, rebuilt vendor programs, all the things. So I thought that was going to be my career, but. let me… I don’t want to tell Eric’s story, because that’s not what we’re about, but along the way, he was able to start doing roof inspections for insurance claims, so that’s important to know. We’re both in this world of insurance and building construction, so that’s how we… Got the background in it. One day, Eric comes home and says. What if all of this is purposeful? I said, what do you mean? He said. I’m out, you’ve been out, we’re constantly trying to… being recruited by these general contractors. Architects were meeting all these major, construction-type companies, and they’re saying, hey, you know you’re on the wrong side of the fence on this, right? If anyone knows insurance, there’s insurance, and then there’s the construction side. And we call… the insurance folks will call the construction side. You’re on the dark side. You know, I said, Eric, are you thinking about us going to the dark side?

Sharon Lee:
No!

Tomeka Thomas:
And he was like, why not? And I just… it made me start thinking. I said, what would that look like if I were to do that? what would that look like? And I started thinking about all the things that I’m constantly seeing on the insurance sides that are bottlenecks. What is the problem? And constantly, it is. Insurance claim. construction estimate, poor property owner in the middle just waiting for their check for you guys to try to figure out how to meet in the middle. Can’t agree. And where I found that the most is in roofing claims.

Sharon Lee:
Okay.

Tomeka Thomas:
There would be a roof loss. Roofer would come out and write a bid, they would be using the wrong estimating software, they would be gouging prices, putting in things that had nothing to do with anything, and then as they arbitrate and argue it out, the poor person in the middle is just sitting, waiting, trying to get their building replaced or repair, whatever’s needed. Right. I felt like I knew enough about both sides that I could speak the language, write the proper estimates, and get to settlements quicker. So, while I was exchanging with my husband, trying to figure out if we were to enter this, what would it look like? I said, it would have to be roofing claims. And he was like, exactly. He said, I was hoping you would get there. It would have to be roofing claims, because that could have very well been a GC. did that equally as well, but I wanted to be more niche, and very strategic about what area I went into, so I’m like, okay, what would that look like as far as developing this? And, I just started picking up the phone, telling people what my mindset was, and they ate it alive. Oh my gosh, that would be great.

Sharon Lee:
Really?

Tomeka Thomas:
long tail… these long-tail claims that are running 90, you know, 180 plus days, because we can’t get the settlement because the contractors can’t speak our language. We’re having to go back and do repeated inspections to validate this bid, and the poor property owner is they’re just suffering.

Sharon Lee:
just stuck.

Tomeka Thomas:
long-tail process that’s going on. When are you gonna start? When are you gonna start? Let us know. And I’m like, okay, so as I’m talking to people, they’re literally writing my business plan for me about what this would look like, what.

Sharon Lee:
resources.

Tomeka Thomas:
I would need, and I just kind of collaborated all that together, and I said, we’re gonna do this. And so, I let them all know that I had gone into business, done all the background business paperwork, and the phone was ringing off the hook. I really didn’t get any time to kind of go into it. It was like, you’re here, we need you, we need you now.

Sharon Lee:
Ow.

Tomeka Thomas:
We were getting bulk claims from carriers on working their files and everything. And at this point, I just started off residential. I’m like, I kind of know that inside and out.

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
estimate commercial, but I don’t know what the business side of that looks like. So that first 3 years, heavy residential. But I knew there was another piece of the pie that I wasn’t even tapping.

Sharon Lee:
And at that point, where you… and you’ve always been based in Georgia, right?

Tomeka Thomas:
Yes.

Sharon Lee:
And so, were you getting beyond Georgia as far as residential, or would you, like, try to start small? Which makes sense. You already… it sounds like you already had plenty of… You know, potential right there, so…

Tomeka Thomas:
Yeah, the volume was very heavy in Georgia, so there was no need to be looking outside of that. But my inbox… I mean, when you set up a company, you’re going to immediately start getting all these solicitations and whatnot, and I started getting these inbox. inboxes from government, saying, you know, it looks like you are a minority contractor, would you be interested? And they find you when they find.

Sharon Lee:
Lee!

Tomeka Thomas:
business, and I’m like, oh my gosh, government? No, shelf it, I don’t want to deal with that. No, I can’t imagine what they would want, but it was repetitive all the time, getting, you know, questions to come to their trainings and talk to us more, start off in Gwinnett County. So… I looked at… I happened to actually have some time, and I read the email, and I’m like, what would that… again, what would that look like?

Sharon Lee:
Would that be sticking in residential for government work, or you would be not only going into government work, but you’re also bridging over the gap to commercial at that point?

Tomeka Thomas:
It would absolutely be commercial.

Sharon Lee:
Commercial, I figured, okay.

Tomeka Thomas:
And so… No plan, no thought process, just an inquiry. As you can see, all this stuff just starts someone asking a question.

Sharon Lee:
Yep. Yep.

Tomeka Thomas:
And me entertaining it. So, I called the number. It was, the Gwinnett Small Business.

Sharon Lee:
is going to.

Tomeka Thomas:
something, I can’t remember what it was. And I said, listen, I’m getting your emails constantly. What would this look like? And they said, we’ve got a ton of different programs, we could set you up with a Georgia GPAC, they do training and mentoring. Just learn the landscape. just learn the landscape. And I found a wonderful mentor. I love her still, and we talk frequently still, and she took me by the hand and said, you can absolutely do this. I will walk you through it.

Sharon Lee:
Wow.

Tomeka Thomas:
exactly what we did. We spent a lot of time together, we’re family friends, things of that nature. And, she sent me through training, and I started bidding governmental contracts, so much so she would go back through and redline. And this is a free program, so yes, we are friends, but anyone can go to Georgia GPAC and do this. And get themselves a mentor and learn the landscape of doing governmental contracting. So I did that. bid a ton of bids before I got a yes, okay? So, a lot of practice, but in year three and a half. I won my first one.

Sharon Lee:
he could…

Tomeka Thomas:
we did a building, a historical building down there, and Sharon, honestly, I have not looked back since. I have not looked back since. I continued to do governmental work, and then I was like, well, if you can do government, you certainly can do private sector. That’s a third of what they’re asking for. So, I have not looked back at residential since, but I do want to say this, I preface this by saying my humble beginnings are residential. and my staff, we will never turn away a residential client. Folks know that we’re out there for residential, so if they need our services, they’ll reach out or refer someone. But I do my marketing, and my… my eye is very much set on the commercial sector, because it’s just a different beast, and I actually enjoy it. I love doing commercial-grade work and governmental work. So that is our wheelhouse of what we do. But, I mean, long story short, that is very much how we got there. It was someone asked a question, and I took a look at it. Someone asked a question, and I thought about it.

Sharon Lee:
That’s the question.

Tomeka Thomas:
and I started doing it.

Sharon Lee:
Right, right. Well, and the question that I remember asking you is, do you have a pink hard hat? Because if you see the person with the pink hard hat on the job site, you know that they’re the boss, so…

Tomeka Thomas:
I don’t have a pink hard hat, but you have intrigued my interest, so I may have to invest in doing that, and I will tell you, I am a boots-on-the-ground kind of gal. You know, we’ve been doing this thing as… this is our 14th year, but I feel like your staff respects you even more when they know you… you’ve come from where they are.

Sharon Lee:
That’s right.

Tomeka Thomas:
Add value to what they’re doing at in an expert type of way, so it’s nothing for me to climb a building, get on the ladder, show up on the job site. If OSHA’s there, I’m going to be there, and they know that. And I want them to know, listen, I’m not far removed. I can do this stuff, I can speak to you about it, and so, I don’t ever… want to be that far removed, where I’m on the 15th, 16th floor of anything, and people are sending me messages, and I cannot relate to what’s happening in the field. And I feel like, I mean, I’ve said this time and time again, if it becomes to that point where I want to be that far removed, I probably need to be thinking about something else.

Sharon Lee:
move on.

Tomeka Thomas:
Because, there’s heart in knowing your product.

Sharon Lee:
well, and I, in my past, I have been on many, many roofs, and one thing that I noticed is your facility manager that is getting you on the roof, a lot of times, is scared of heights, and he’s just, like, going, here’s your ladder, go on, you know, hit that little latch when you get to the top, or whatever. So, have you found… that’s just a random question, but have you found that as well?

Tomeka Thomas:
Oh, absolutely. Even in the claims, even in the insurance industry. And I think they’ve gotten so far, I don’t want to say removed, but… Working smarter, we’ll call that. Working smarter, not harder. They’re flying drones now, they’re hiring us to go out. They are not climbing anymore. Safety reason, I think, for the company, a liability reason, but they’re just at the desk kind of writing the bids, but they need folks that really understand the product to write them and be their eyes and ears to really write a genuine thought process or scope of what’s going on. Facility managers, property managers are absolutely the same. They’re there to service the client in-house. They do not want to get up on that roof. It’s a safety issue, and… they haven’t been trained to know what they’re looking for. So yeah, I will say, you know, everyone has their thing that they should be doing to service a client, but it’s not their wheelhouse, so they should be hiring someone like us, that is going to go up there and tell them and be the eyes and ears for them. So yeah, they’re not climbing.

Sharon Lee:
They’re not climbing, they’re not climbing. Well, and if you are, what does that mean that your true… I mean, so you can do the claims, you can look at those RFPs and respond. You know the types of damage, or the types of things that you’re looking at, so you know what you’re quoting, blah blah blah. You can be the boots on the ground up there. But truly, in your day-to-day.

Tomeka Thomas:
Yeah.

Sharon Lee:
Where do you spend your time?

Tomeka Thomas:
Reviewing contracts.

Sharon Lee:
Oh, fun!

Tomeka Thomas:
reviewing contracts. No contract. So, I am owner, but I guess my operational title would be Director of Operations. No contract is approved until I put some eyes on it and sat down with legal, so as much as I don’t enjoy it. I am good at it, and I know what work I want to take on versus what work is not a good fit for us. So, I’m looking at those very much heavy hitter. I’m very much, top-down, too, so while we have a team member of 10 in the office that work with us, we’ve got 7 crews, so that are spanned across the states that we work in, and all of those crews have a superintendent. Now, the field piece, managing the crews and the superintendent, that’s Eric’s wheelhouse, but dealing with the architects, all the… the paper pushing, the detailed the, OSHA stuff, all the stuff that makes everyone’s head hurt, I definitely have my hands in that, because I want to make sure we’re crossing our T’s and dotting our I’s. If we take on the wrong contract, it could really cost me my business liability and all that involved, So, that really is my operational piece in doing that. The marketing piece, we have someone in-house for that, but they’re gonna run it by me. How does this feel? Does it have the right branding? Does it have the right tone?

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
Another critical piece that I do is business development. I want people to know my business based on my face. I am considering.

Sharon Lee:
No.

Tomeka Thomas:
and I’ve been flipping a coin back and forth of maybe bringing on a BDR person, a business development person, but I do… I never want to lose sight of people hearing my tone and seeing my face relating it to the brand. So before I would even consider that, that person would probably have to be alongside me for a year or so, just learning how I approach things. For me, everything is relational.

Sharon Lee:
Yes.

Tomeka Thomas:
is not transactional for me at all, and I may have been your friend, you know, 3-4 years before we actually get to the business of you needing a roof, because it’s not a matter of if, it is when you’re placing your roof, but I’d rather know more about your family, your mindset, your business, you know, and so… It takes a certain… mindset and understanding that business falls on relationship. I don’t do business with anyone I don’t like, know, and trust, so why would I expect for someone just to, you know, pick my bid because it’s the cheapest and do business with me? Right. It’s because you’re doing it with me.

Sharon Lee:
That’s right, and when you say it’s the cheapest, I mean, there’s a lot of zeros when it comes to commercial roofing, and so that does require a lot of trust. But it’s interesting that you say that about, like, if you did bring on a business development person, and, like, how you would go about that tutelage, if you will, and bringing them up to speed. But it’s great to hear, like, that that is kind of your mindset throughout the organization. You know, you mentioned having different crews in the different states that you represent. Each one, each one of them has a crew leader, if I heard you right. And, you know, I know we have talked in the past about the fact that, you know, I had had crews in the past, and, you know, we would be, you know, one phone call away. But they didn’t necessarily have that person on site, and so they did not have someone to advocate for them. And so, inevitably, that’s where problems arise. You can have, you know, these people that are perfectly trained, they know exactly what they’re doing, but it’s just that they don’t know how to interact with the owner, or whoever happens to be on site, and then something happens, and they’re going, how do I handle this? And so, for you to actually put those processes in place. I mean, I… all I… I don’t know that I have a question going on here, I’m just basically saying kudos, and it’s great that that seems to be how you were setting up all the different facets of your business.

Tomeka Thomas:
Yeah, for sure. And the reason why we have a crew superintendent with every crew is, we learned this very early on doing commercial, it becomes a wish list very quickly. We have these specifications that are very finite. I mean, when they draft these plans, Sharon, they’re to the T. You’re gonna do this at this time, this at this time, this has to be laid this way, and so our contract is in agreeance that we will abide exactly by how the engineer and architect designed this thing to be. But what happens… The property owner, or even their project managers. sees it and progress, and says, you know what, what if we did it this way? I think this…

Sharon Lee:
While you’re here, could you just… and it’s that just that gets you into trouble every time.

Tomeka Thomas:
It is, it is, and while in their mind they’re thinking that might be a better flow, there was absolutely a reasoning when they built the specifications of why they wanted this building to look this particular way, and don’t even get me started on historical buildings. They have to be. You cannot deviate. That’s the whole, you know, can of worms that you’re opening. So, having the crew superintended there, because they could go over to the crew and say, I want you to do that TPO at, you know, 17.5 centimeters off of so-and-so, and the crew would… they’ll do it.

Sharon Lee:
Yeah, absolutely.

Tomeka Thomas:
And it’s like, no, and now the onus is on me. Well, your crew did it. And then the property owners are saying, but that’s not what we told you to do. This is what the specifications did. Did we do a change order? So our superintendent there is to have that conversation. And maybe we do end up changing it, because it was a wonderful thought, but there’s a roundtable that has to happen. Exactly. In order to approve that, change orders need to be written, documentation has to be presented before we make those large-scale changes, because It may be small in their mind, but I’m sure there’s always a big price tag that’s behind it, and the owner is not going to be pleased.

Sharon Lee:
Right, right. Well, you know, and that is a perfect segue into, you know, and I don’t mean, like, an issue on a job site, but I mean, just throughout your career, as things progressed from being in the bridal world, to being in insurance, to being in this, and to being in that. I mean, you know, you could very easily talk about your successes, and that everything was this linear, beautiful step up to the top. After the top, and I love how you’re shaking your head, but let’s talk about some things that… where you went, okay, wait, I didn’t sign up for this, or hold on, I’m questioning everything that, like, should I have really done this? I mean, there’s got to have been some areas where you’re going. alright, what am I doing? So, alright, let’s get some… let’s get some realness into the conversation.

Tomeka Thomas:
Okay, so Sharon, we skipped a whole bucket of time. You know, I just told you how we got from point A to the end of the thing, but, before I got into roofing. Remember I told you there was a ton of traveling that was going on in the insurance side of things, okay? So, and it was wearing me thin. It was really wearing me thin, but it was a wonderful job, great pay. It checked off all the boxes, but I was worn out. I ended up getting pregnant, and Placed on bed rest by my daughter.

Sharon Lee:
Boom!

Tomeka Thomas:
Because he said, listen, The baby’s stressed! You’re stressed. And I’m like, no, I’m not, I’m fine. I’m working good. Everything’s wonderful. What do you mean? I feel great. He was like, you’ve got to slow down. He said, and I know that you want. I’m putting you on bed rest. And I’m like, no, you can’t put… No, and that’s the…

Sharon Lee:
That is, like, the kiss of death to that Type A personality, right? I completely understand.

Tomeka Thomas:
And so I asked him, I said, what is that gonna require? He said, you to sit down. You cannot be jumping on these planes. in all these board meetings, you’ve got to slow it… slow it down. Right. Okay, well, maybe they can let me work from home on my laptop. So, I presented it to my boss, he said, if the doctor says bed rest, I want you to disconnect completely. And I’m like, and do what? He was like, rest.

Sharon Lee:
Like, my brain does not compute this, I don’t know!

Tomeka Thomas:
So my boss is over here saying, you’re gonna rest. The doctor’s saying, you’re gonna rest. So I guess I’m gonna rest.

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
I took a timeout. And there was… I’m about to give a plug, there was this book that had been sitting on my shelf for 5 years, Sharon.

Sharon Lee:
Okay.

Tomeka Thomas:
The name of the book is Ready Made Woman by Shante Feldham.

Sharon Lee:
Hang?

Tomeka Thomas:
nothing else going on, so I suppose I’ll… will dust, you know, break the dust off of that and read it.

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
8-week series. I pulled it off the shelf, it literally had dust on it.

Sharon Lee:
Wow.

Tomeka Thomas:
Blew it off. I said, okay, guess I’ll read this thing. Popped the DVD in. and went to town. It was an 8-week series. I completed it in a week, because once I cracked it open, I could not put it down.

Sharon Lee:
Oh!

Tomeka Thomas:
doing it throughout the night. I was like, oh, I love this. The main thing I remember about that study, they said, take out a sheet of paper, draw me a pie chart of your life. What’s happening? I drew my circle, 95% was work.

Sharon Lee:
Right. Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
This little 5% left was everything else.

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
Family, child, husband, it’s crammed into one.

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
called out in tears. I said, God is not pleased. This is not balance.

Sharon Lee:
It’s not the way that it needs to be.

Tomeka Thomas:
But you’re not gonna realize that until something or someone makes you have a hard pause.

Sharon Lee:
That’s right, you gotta step back, or look at it from a totally different perspective.

Tomeka Thomas:
I did. So, I was in tears, and I said, oh my gosh, God is not pleased. I’ve got to change that. Now, one thing about me, Sharon, is when I see something is wrong, I’m very aware. Once I get in my awareness moment.

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
Nothing for me to switch gears.

Sharon Lee:
Okay.

Tomeka Thomas:
You need the light bulb to shine on it, right?

Sharon Lee:
Right? Get those eyes open.

Tomeka Thomas:
the light bulb was shining. I said, he’s not pleased. I’m gonna quit my job.

Sharon Lee:
Of course you are! So…

Tomeka Thomas:
Eric comes home, and… I I put the sheet of paper on the table at dinner. He was like, what is this? He said, whatever it is, it’s not balanced.

Sharon Lee:
Oh, the pie… this is the pie chart, he’s sitting.

Tomeka Thomas:
I’m sorry.

Sharon Lee:
Absolutely not balanced. Yeah.

Tomeka Thomas:
That’s my life. He was like, You gotta do better.

Sharon Lee:
Okay! Thanks, buddy!

Tomeka Thomas:
And I’ll do you one better. I’m quitting my job. He said, and he laughed, he said, you’re not quitting your job.

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
I said, I’m quitting my job. And then I will figure out how to make this more balanced. So… Call my boss. And… Sharon, you and I have talked. I don’t think I’ve told you this, have I? Any of this story?

Sharon Lee:
This piece of it, no. I am, like, intrigued.

Tomeka Thomas:
Yeah, so I called my boss, and I said, when I called him. I took a pause, and he was like, oh no, oh no.

Sharon Lee:
I think…

Tomeka Thomas:
Oh, yes!

Sharon Lee:
Oh, he knew!

Tomeka Thomas:
I said, I’m not coming back.

Sharon Lee:
Hmm.

Tomeka Thomas:
He was like, you are coming back, and you just take more time. What do you need, another 30 days? What do you need? Is it… is it childcare? What do you need? I said, no, I’m not coming back.

Sharon Lee:
Right?

Tomeka Thomas:
He was like, take 60 days.

Sharon Lee:
Anything!

Tomeka Thomas:
Work it out. So, I did, I took the 60 days. So you’re saying it out of your mouth, Sharon, but you don’t really believe what you’re saying, right? I know that I need to quit my job, but am I really gonna quit my job?

Sharon Lee:
Yeah.

Tomeka Thomas:
So now I have 60 days to try to fix it myself.

Sharon Lee:
And, you know, we saw what you did with this one week of idle time. You completely go through this whole thing, you know, your whole life turns upside down, so 60 days, I mean, my goodness.

Tomeka Thomas:
It’s a lifetime for me.

Sharon Lee:
I was gonna say, the whole world can be turned on its head.

Tomeka Thomas:
For sure. And so I said, okay, I’m gonna give myself 60 days. I need to be absolutely certain that I’m not just doing something gut-wrenched. Is this really thought through, right? Exactly. And so in that interim, that’s when Eric comes home talking about, what if all of this is purposeful?

Sharon Lee:
Tap of.

Tomeka Thomas:
discussion. And so the wheels are spinning.

Sharon Lee:
But…

Tomeka Thomas:
But I’m not there yet to go to the dark side, okay? I said, well, maybe if I hire a nanny, she can, you know, make me feel better about all this, and there’ll be better balance, I can be more at home, all the things. So, I went on this nanny adventure. I interviewed, like, 25 nannies. Only liked 2 of them.

Sharon Lee:
Yeah.

Tomeka Thomas:
And I hired them. So now, fast forward 60 days. It’s time to go back to work. I’m on my… I’m not physically back in the office, but they’re doing debrief calls to bring me up to speed on everything that’s been going on since I’ve been out.

Sharon Lee:
Sorry.

Tomeka Thomas:
So, I’m doing… this is day one, Sharon, of debriefing, trying to get my mind set, get back into the gear of things. The nanny shows up. And she’s doing her thing, I’m doing my thing, but I’m at home, and I had also worked out some arrangements where I am not gonna be traveling as much either. So I’m like, I got this thing figured out. Nandy’s gonna be here, I’m gonna be working home, like, half the time. Pie chart’s certainly gonna shift. Yes. Well, the nanny goes on break at noon, She didn’t come back.

Sharon Lee:
It never comes back. I knew you were gonna say that. Oh my gosh.

Tomeka Thomas:
I’m calling her Nan. I’m calling her Sharon. call, just rolling me the voicemail, rolling me the voicemail. I call the other nanny to come as backup. She doesn’t even answer. So, I’m like, I have to be back on my calls at whatever time it was, you know?

Sharon Lee:
This is day one!

Tomeka Thomas:
day one.

Sharon Lee:
It’s happening!

Tomeka Thomas:
I got baby in one hand. And I’m on a conference call, baby’s crying. It’s a mess. It’s just messing.

Sharon Lee:
Absolutely.

Tomeka Thomas:
Trying to make it through. So after I do that for about 45 minutes, I just hang up on the call, because I’m overwhelmed.

Sharon Lee:
Done, yes.

Tomeka Thomas:
I’m done. And I look at my child, and then I look up, and I say, God, you could not be more clear. You could not be more clear.

Sharon Lee:
Thank you.

Tomeka Thomas:
it now.

Sharon Lee:
Yeah, yeah.

Tomeka Thomas:
enough already.

Sharon Lee:
The sledgehammer has landed right here on top of my head, I got it!

Tomeka Thomas:
You’re not going back to that job. Figure it out. So, I get through the day. Eric comes home, I tell him about my day. And by this time, we’ve been having those purposeful conversations. He was like, I think it’s very clear what we need to be doing.

Sharon Lee:
So…

Tomeka Thomas:
I called my boss seriously this time, and I quit, and I don’t want extensions, I don’t want a week, I don’t want anything, it’s done.

Sharon Lee:
Yep, yep. Oh, you know, it’s so funny, and I’m going, yeah, everything was so smooth, this little walk to the top, and you’re like, okay, I got a little story to tell you right here. And so, that was before you started roofing.

Tomeka Thomas:
Yes.

Sharon Lee:
And so… what is the time period here? So you… so you completely are jobless, he’s still doing his thing, he’s still estimating, roofs and all of that, right? And so… Where did you go from there? Because clearly you did not stay a stay-at-home mom.

Tomeka Thomas:
Oh.

Sharon Lee:
Did you for a while?

Tomeka Thomas:
I did. You did for a while. Okay. That was miserable. That is not for everyone. You know, kudos and hats off to the stay-at-home moms!

Sharon Lee:
Oh, honey.

Tomeka Thomas:
They’re… they’re not… they are working.

Sharon Lee:
That is a…

Tomeka Thomas:
turn off.

Sharon Lee:
No. Yeah.

Tomeka Thomas:
compensation large or big enough for that role, and I said, this is not for me. I did that for about 30 days before I threw in the can with that. You know, and I’m like, okay, roofing company starts now, I have got to get going, I cannot do this. I felt like my brain was dripping out of my ears, just all the baby talk.

Sharon Lee:
Right? I gotta do…

Tomeka Thomas:
I gotta interag with some adults here.

Sharon Lee:
Yep.

Tomeka Thomas:
So, yeah, that’s not for me. But yeah, it was about a 30-day window before I really, in the meantime, like, while the baby’s sleeping, I’m putting things together for the business, but before I started getting contracts and work was about a month into it.

Sharon Lee:
Okay. Yeah. And so, but during that time is when you really decided you were going to go into roofing? Like, that is that moment, or were…

Tomeka Thomas:
Yeah.

Sharon Lee:
Okay, okay.

Tomeka Thomas:
Oh yeah, when I… when I called and made my official designation, I knew that insurance was done, and that I was about to start my own business. Of course, I had to figure out the specifics of that, but I knew I’m going to start my own business.

Sharon Lee:
So, how long until your husband joined you? Was it at the very beginning, or did he, stay at the company that he was at at that time?

Tomeka Thomas:
So we gotta be smart, because bills need to be paid.

Sharon Lee:
Agreed. Agreed.

Tomeka Thomas:
Yes, you go over there and you do that. We’ll do this. And, I would say… 3 months, I really needed him to pull into it, because it was…

Sharon Lee:
Already.

Tomeka Thomas:
A lot was going on very quickly. A lot was going on very quickly, so I needed the help.

Sharon Lee:
Oh, that is so fantastic. So, so he joins a few months later, and then… at what point did you bite the bullet and go, we actually need an employee, or, like, how did growth look for you?

Tomeka Thomas:
8 months, I… I had a real issue with, control. So I had to learn, I cannot do all this stuff.

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
Not do it well.

Sharon Lee:
And not do it?

Tomeka Thomas:
I can get it done, but it’s just, it’s not going to be efficient. I’m not building operational value to this, so I trudged on. I trudged on for about 6 months, just he and I, trying to make it. And… I remember we had two projects going at a time, and Eric would be at one, I would be at the other, and then we got a third gig that came in. He was like, who’s gonna manage that one? I said, it’s… we gotta hire somebody. We just need to hire somebody. And so that’s when we found our first crew chief, because we were working the first two crews ourselves. We found our first crew chief, and then I saw how easy that was, and I’m like, I can take on more projects the more crew chiefs I have. So it started off with finding crew chiefs. building crews, and then the paperwork is going to drown you, so then you have to find someone to help with that. So you’re almost thrust… I would have to say I was thrust into finding additional people to help. It wasn’t like, okay, I guess we should go hire this. This is a staff itinerary that we need. It was like, no, we’ve got to find someone, and we need to find them now.

Sharon Lee:
Well, and it sounded like not only did you need to find someone right then, but you found some good people, and that is not an easy thing. Is there any… what’s the secret sauce that you’re putting on there to find your good people?

Tomeka Thomas:
Well, I will say that culture is important. Eric and I were super particular about what we wanted this thing to feel like, and how we couldn’t deviate from that. Right. We have a family mission statement, and it kind of flows into how we handle business, too. And whenever I’m interviewing, even today, Sharon. Even today, with interviewing and projects. I read my mission statement, and it’s my decision maker. If it doesn’t fit, I don’t need it, I don’t want it. I’m okay with saying no. It’s a hard boundary for me. And, it’s a rinse and repeat. So, it’s worked well for us. He does the same thing as well. We read our mission statement, I’ve got it right here in my office in front of me, and nothing… it’s my guardrail, it really is.

Sharon Lee:
Are you gonna read it for us, and so that we can hear what your mission statement is?

Tomeka Thomas:
Do you want to?

Sharon Lee:
I do! Okay.

Tomeka Thomas:
Our mission is to grow closer to God, support each other’s dreams, and strengthen our bond through open communication and shared experiences. Guided by the Word of God, we strive to lead with compassion, serve others selflessly, and build a lasting legacy of integrity and unity.

Sharon Lee:
Nice.

Tomeka Thomas:
So, when I’m talking to a potential team member, crew, I look at body language. when I… when I share my mission with them. if I get that glossed-over look, like, I wish she would hurry up, or whatever.

Sharon Lee:
Mmm.

Tomeka Thomas:
Sure, or they’re too quick to answer, absolutely. You know, I’m looking at all of that. If it doesn’t resonate with them. Like, oh, I love how you mentioned about integrity. This is… and they can give me a story that supports how they’ve been integrity-bound.

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
those are my decision makers. If I’m looking at a project, and it looks like there are going to be, you know, 4 or 5 different companies on it, and I look at those companies, and I know some things about that company, it’s not a good fit for me. all money is not good money. All money is not my money, so that’s just not in a good alignment for me. I’ll pass on the project. I’ve passed on tons of projects, and will continue to do so, because it’s got to be a long-life partnership alignment, and I want folks to call me back, because I did a good job And I did it with really bound character and integrity on anything that I touch… anything that we touch. So, I will share my mission statement often, just to see what kind of… body language I get from them in interacting. And in this business, we do something called pre-qualifications. I do want to say that. Where we go through this big laundry list. When we’re trying to connect with general contractors, facility managers, property management companies, all the things. They have their checks and balances too, right?

So, while on paper we may look spectacular, after that is an interview. they’re interviewing me, I’m interviewing them. And while there have been many that I’ve paired with, there have been just as many that I have it. For the very same reason. And I will… stand by doing business that way, because I haven’t come this far, just connecting with anyone and everything. There has to be some type of alignment going on for this thing to last long term.

Sharon Lee:
Right, right. Oh, that, that is… So amazing. That is so amazing. And you know, it’s interesting, too, so you’re, you know, talking about your people in place, processes, and how you’re building out the team, and the plan, and all of that. But, you know, you go back to your roots, where you really had some mentorship. So, where does mentorship play where you are now? What do you do as far as trying to… mentor any others, either that are trying to enter the field, or maybe just new hires, or do you have a plan for that, or do you kind of just say, hey, this is something that’s important to me, and I do it on an individual basis?

Tomeka Thomas:
Both, actually. So, both. Mentorship is huge. So, at the beginning of March was Women in Construction Week. Okay, we get our own little week. And then, of course, we’re in Women’s History Month, so now we have our month, right?

Sharon Lee:
Yeah.

Tomeka Thomas:
But again, going back to how I got here, there… in my day and time, there was no pathway to construction.

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
And the needle has not moved much since. Okay, so if you don’t meet someone, they introduce you to the sector, it just flies right over your head. It’s lucrative, and it’s fun. Now, I am starting to see in universities where they have construction management programs, which is. Wonderful. It is. But this stuff is still very new.

Sharon Lee:
You know, it is.

Tomeka Thomas:
So.

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
It’s about… Going into the elementary schools, I’m starting that young, getting involved with the STEM programs, construction is STEM-oriented.

Sharon Lee:
Absolutely.

Tomeka Thomas:
He is. We are in a program like Block Kids, where they do competitive, STEM, they get box Legos, and they’re judged on them creating, building something. That inspires that whole mindset, you know? Going into the high schools and, coming on career day, and just, when they see a woman that says, I’m a roofer, it’s like, what?

Sharon Lee:
What!

Tomeka Thomas:
Unicorn has entered the room. You know, and they’re intrigued. So, it’s a great conversation starter.

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
Okay? So, being out and about, and I’m here, I’m here, you know, and trying to have coffee and dialogues. Yes, we do exist, and you can do this too. We’ve got a dear friend that just wrote a book, Dr. Irish Horsi, she wrote, you can be here, it’s for women.

Sharon Lee:
Stop me.

Tomeka Thomas:
instruction. You can be here, you should be here, and if you don’t start showing up. We’re gonna be non-existent.

Sharon Lee:
Yep.

Tomeka Thomas:
women specifically, but construction pipeline overall is taking a hit in folks taking on this career, and I think electricians are… are seeing the same numbers, like a dwindling number of electricians coming through the pipeline and doing the work. So, folks, if you want these buildings to stay up, and they might stay on, introduce your children to the construction industry relative to this, or… what?

Sharon Lee:
Right. And there’s so many different… parts of the construction industry. And, you know, if you don’t want to sling a hammer, you don’t have to. You could still be… you can use your mind instead of your muscle, and be a big contributor to the construction industry.

Tomeka Thomas:
It is. Construction management is layered very heavy. I say this all the time, when I’m at the dinner table with my kids, we go through this hunt of questioning everything. When we’re in the car driving, we question everything. Who put that bulb there? How did that pole get there?

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
Why is that window there? There’s a job scope.

Sharon Lee:
Accidental?

Tomeka Thomas:
plan behind every product that we see, hold, and touch.

Sharon Lee:
Oh, that is so, so true. I was at a conference yesterday, and I was sitting at the table with this man, I did not know him, we were just talking, you know, what is your business? And he ran a manufacturing facility, and he said, well, you know how you’ve got, like, cardboard boxes, and they have to have that adhesive on there to keep the pieces of the cardboard together? And so I just assumed he was a little glue dude, right? Okay.

Tomeka Thomas:
Yes, sir!

Sharon Lee:
So, no, he actually manufactured parts in order for the glue to be… and I was like. it… could that be any more obscure? And you just think. But, I mean, everything has to be packaged. I mean, that is… and so… and if you don’t have your glue, and you’re not able to adhere that package to… So, you are exactly right. I mean, you do need to… you know, you don’t just add water and a building go up next to you. I mean, there’s so many pieces that have to be done in order for that to happen.

Tomeka Thomas:
So what I have my kids do is I say, I want you to reverse engineer that thing. If something piques your interest, just look at it, reverse engineer it. And the beauty is when you can’t figure out how it got there. Who’s doing that. Now you’re researching that. That is a job, or a business. Right? And so, when we take the time to reverse engineer everything. You’ll find this job that’s beautiful that no one knows about.

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
It’s unique and different, and off to the races you go.

Sharon Lee:
I like that, I like that. Well, and speaking of unique and different, and kind of where things are going, so let’s fast forward to now, and think about, okay, you’ve… you’ve done this, you’ve done this, you’ve gotten residential, and you’ve moved on to commercial, and you’ve gotten government work, and all that kind of stuff, so what’s the next… Step. What is that next vision for the future?

Tomeka Thomas:
Oh, boy. I want to write a book. And, I don’t know what that’s going to entail. It will certainly have something to do with Husband and wives working together. I think there’s so much fruit there. And equally important, so this is, like, two books that are on my mind, it’s about, you know, entrepreneurship in general. What’s… there’s no blueprint to this thing.

Sharon Lee:
Nope.

Tomeka Thomas:
But there are definitely a lot of clues along the way. So without giving away, what I want to do, I just want to say that if… if you’re good at stuff, because that was one thing about me, Sharon, I found that whatever I put my mind to, I did it… I was always exceptional. I did it well, I just needed to focus on it. So I could wear all these different hats and do everything that I touched well. And I found in my business, all of those attributes they’ve been purposeful, you know? So… if there’s something to the women out there, if there’s something that… you have a passion for, you enjoy, or you’re just finding that whenever I’m in this situation, I just elevate. I’m a rock star. That is a business. I’m sorry, it’s a business.

Sharon Lee:
It is. It is.

Tomeka Thomas:
We didn’t do it for a corporation? And that’s fine.

Sharon Lee:
And that is fine.

Tomeka Thomas:
Or you can do it for yourself and truly build legacy and branding.

Sharon Lee:
Right.

Tomeka Thomas:
And it does not have to be perfect to start.

Sharon Lee:
Oh, that is…

Tomeka Thomas:
Wait on perfection.

Sharon Lee:
Never gonna…

Tomeka Thomas:
the line, and hope you don’t pass away first, because that’s how long it’s going to take. Just get going. Get going, and learn the building blocks while you’re in it. It’s so much more fun that way, anyway.

Sharon Lee:
Oh, it is, it is. But you know, there’s a couple of things that you’re right. I mean, like, men and women are wired so differently that we want every little box checked and everything done and say, okay, now I can do it, you know? And then… but you find, such as, all of a sudden I’m pregnant, blah blah blah blah. you figure it out, and when you’re… when you’re thrust into that moment, you figure it out. But a lot of people will sit back, and I think it’s confidence. And I think that the more that you do interact, the more that you do get mentored, you know, ask those questions, and just open your eyes to what’s around you. It can give you that confidence, because you go. Ian, that’s Mark! I can do that, or whatever it is, or what you were talking about with your passion. I… I love doing this. I’m going to be passionate about it. Therefore, I can find a way to turn this into something. I’ve just gotta… figure out the angle and all of that.

So, anyway, well, so we do need to start wrapping this up, so… I know, I… this is like we… or maybe we should just have a sleepover and just keep on talking, so… Absolutely, absolutely, Karen. But let’s talk about, like, just one little thing, and that is, when you do step away from being the owner and founder, and operations director, and RFP writer and all of that, and you just want to have an enjoyable weekend, or a, you know, a trip, or whatever. What is it that you really like to do to say, okay, I truly can decompress if I do this? What is that?

Tomeka Thomas:
Oh, it’s reading.

Sharon Lee:
It is raining.

Tomeka Thomas:
I’m constantly reading.

Sharon Lee:
Now, is that reading to learn, or do you actually, every once in a while, go, you know what, I just want a good mystery, and… or whatever?

Tomeka Thomas:
No, no, it’s the first. Okay, so I’m a nerd. I’m sorry, Sharon, I’m a nerd. Reading is joy for me. And finding topics that… I don’t think I would be interested in getting a good book around it, and I now have this newfound interest. I want to learn, though. If I’m learning, I’m having a fun time for me. That is fun for me.

Sharon Lee:
Okay, okay.

Tomeka Thomas:
We were… we were at an event where we did the Core Confidence, and I met the lady who does the dragon, boating.

Sharon Lee:
I wouldn’t have…

Tomeka Thomas:
book on dragon boating.

Sharon Lee:
And now you’re gonna be…

Tomeka Thomas:
Where’s.

Sharon Lee:
I’ll see you on the Olympic circuit down the road.

Tomeka Thomas:
This is what I’m saying, Sharon, like, if someone mentions something and I don’t know about it.

Sharon Lee:
Yep.

Tomeka Thomas:
I want to know more about that. So now I have a book here, and I’m reading about drag boating, and I’m like, this is so cool! And that is fun for me. I’m not trying to start a business, I’m just intrigued. And now I can have a knowledgeable conversation with her. She… I’m going to one of her dragon boating races, because I’m entertained! So, that’s just me. You can find me reading something weird.

Sharon Lee:
I thought with your background and the whole, like, criminal justice, I thought you were gonna say mysteries, like, you’ve got to be the one that figures out whodunit, you know, and all that stuff. So when you said that, I’m going, oh, okay, that’s not where I thought you were gonna go.

Tomeka Thomas:
Well, now that you mention that, okay, so now you’re gonna laugh about this. My sorority, they make a big joke about me. I am the one who, I don’t care what the series is. what the storyline is, and this holds true for you too, Sharon. I challenge the group to challenge me on this. Okay. I can tell you the whole storyline and who murdered who by episode 2.

Sharon Lee:
Oh! Challenge needs.

Tomeka Thomas:
If you will.

Sharon Lee:
Amon!

Tomeka Thomas:
Two, I can tell you, end of story. I’m so good like that. So…

Sharon Lee:
Amazing. Okay, alright, you guys.

Tomeka Thomas:
I win bets, I win prizes, it’s my thing. I just… Nothing has surprised me yet, so writers in the entertainment world shoot, if you will, but I can tell you by no later than episode 2, usually sooner, but give me to episode 2 to tell you exactly how this thing’s gonna flow, and who did it.

Sharon Lee:
Oh my gosh, I just love it. Do you know what I would love to do? I would love to put you in the room with my 82-year-old mom, and, like, you guys break down Murder, She Wrote, because that Jessica, she’s always at the wrong place at the wrong time!

Tomeka Thomas:
I love stuff like that. I love stuff like that.

Sharon Lee:
Oh, that’s so fantastic. Okay, well, we… next… when we go for our sushi date that we’ve been talking about doing, we’re gonna break down some kind of episode, some… some sort of, program. We’re gonna… we’re gonna put you to the test. This is gonna be good. I’ll do my homework. Well, I tell you what, if somebody’s out there and they are just totally intrigued with your story, they want to get to know you and say hi, what’s the best way to get in touch with you?

Tomeka Thomas:
You can find me on… I hate to do this, all the social platforms, and of course, that would be at TheRoof Clinic, but my email address, please, just reach out. Tamika, T-O-M-E-K-A, at theroofclinic.com. Reach out, find me on LinkedIn, the same name. connect with me. A coffee and chat is always my thing. It starts there, just having a conversation. Does not need to be roofing-related. I’d like to get to know you, learn your story, and if we need to support each other, if it’s a good fit, it will naturally make its way in. Let’s just have a conversation.

Sharon Lee:
That is fantastic. So I will put a link to your LinkedIn profile in the description, so people can find you if they want to reach out, but.

Tomeka Thomas:
Thank you.

Sharon Lee:
Regardless, I knew this would be a fun conversation. Every time we’re together, I just… I need to have a little bit more of you, so this was just another little something-something along the way, so thank you for… for being here today, taking a little time out to tell your story. This is fantastic.

Tomeka Thomas:
Sharon, I think this podcast is necessary. Thank you for feeling called to put this together, and just having a place where women can powwow and reflect and have support. Thank you for having me, really.

Sharon Lee:
Oh, and we can have a little fun along the way, as a matter of fact, so…

Tomeka Thomas:
That’s it, that’s it.

Sharon Lee:
Alright, well, thanks again for being here, I really appreciate it.

Tomeka Thomas:
Thank you! Take care!

Sharon Lee:
Thank you for listening to InPowered Women. If you like what you heard, please give us a five-star review and subscribe to the show wherever you listen to your podcast and share with those you think can benefit from this information. Please email all questions, suggestions, and compliments to sharon@pinnaclestrategicadvisors.net. The InPowered Women podcast is produced by the podcast production company and executive produced by Sharon Lee.
Thank you for having me.

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Sharon Lee:
And thank you to everyone listening. We’ll see you next time on the InPowered Women Podcast.

Thank you for listening to InPowered Women. If you like what you heard, please give us a five-star review and subscribe to the show wherever you listen to your podcast and share with those you think can benefit from this information. Please email all questions, suggestions, and compliments to sharon@pinnaclestrategicadvisors.net. The InPowered Women podcast is produced by the podcast production company and executive produced by Sharon Lee.

This episode was produced and managed by Sharon Lee.