WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Amber Hoiska
Vice President , Pac Shield Roof Services
by Dakota Morlan
Amber Hoiska is breaking the glass ceiling of the male-dominated roofing industry , and she wants more women to seize the wealth of opportunities along with her .
Now the vice president of Pac Shield Roof Services , Hoiska credits her success to her early entry into the industry and the mentors who promoted her growth . After attending San Joaquin Delta College while working for Caterpillar in Stockton , then 25-year-old Hoiska took on a credit management role at a roofing supply group in 2004 , which she held for 12 years .
“ This is one of the few industries where you can actually dictate your success with your hard work ,” Hoiska remembers one of her first bosses telling her — a statement she believes to be true , even for a demographic that is underrepresented in the field . “ I ’ m absolutely an example of what is available for women in the trades . Roofing is an example of an industry where you will have a paycheck that is more on par with your male counterparts .” Hoiska has nothing but encouragement to offer when meeting other women who are entering the trades . “ There are great young women at my company now ,” she says . “ They are just head and shoulders above where I was at that age .”
Hoiska has gained experience both behind a desk and in the field , working primarily in finance and sales for several roofing firms . In March 2020 she became the director of sales and marketing at Pac Shield Roofing Services , which specializes in roof installation , maintenance and repairs throughout a 100-mile radius surrounding Modesto . In October 2021 , Hoiska became the company ’ s first VP . Under Hoiska ’ s leadership , Pac Shield is looking to expand its headquarters into Sacramento , where the company has a growing number of projects , including installing roof systems for Sacramento City , San Juan and Elk Grove unified school districts .
“ In my current role , I ’ m really focusing on the company ’ s overall fiscal performance and our internal efficiencies . We are really looking to stabilize the growth that we experienced in both 2020 and 2021 ,” Hoiska says . “ We also saw a lot of impacts ( from ) the destabilizing of these supply chains . I ’ m very focused right now on ensuring those impacts are minimized .”
Hoiska and her family live in Ione , where she enjoys a small-town lifestyle and often works remotely . However , the wife and mother of two has put her skills to work on the homefront , joining the city ’ s planning commission in January 2016 , where she works on the city ’ s general plan and reviews designs for new buildings .
“ Getting more ingrained in the community , I started seeing a correlation between city practices and policies and what ’ s happening in city council meetings and issues in greater Amador County ,” Hoiska says .
Once again , Hoiska found herself in a role that was unusual for a woman under the age of 40 . The commission ’ s only woman member , her expertise in the construction industry has allowed her to confidently step into the
“ I am definitely tenacious . I am not one that gets discouraged .”
chairperson position . Her main focus in leading the council is to nourish development in Amador County ’ s fastest-growing city while preserving its frontier town charm .
“ I am definitely tenacious . I am not one that gets discouraged ,” Hoiska says of her leadership style . “ Water will find the path of least resistance . Being in roofing , it ’ s ironic . I find myself flowing into the spaces that I am able to penetrate .”
Dakota Morlan is a freelance contributor for Comstock ’ s and other publications , as well as editor of the Calaveras Enterprise , a newsweekly in the Mother Lode region . She has won California News Publishers Association awards for her investigative reporting on crime and the COVID-19 pandemic . Read more at dakotamorlan . com . On Twitter @ DakotaNMorlan .
46 comstocksmag . com | March 2022