Woman celebrates 12 years of successfully operating her construction business

CINCINNATI (WXIX) -One woman who built her own construction business from scratch after embarking on a new path is now celebrating 12 years of operation.

Terri Kruse, owner of Lady on the Roof, works and operates in the Greater Cincinnati area. She is one of the few women working in construction.

Kruse started her journey in 2013 after working in the insurance industry for 30 years.

After working in the insurance industry, she was forced to build a new path for herself in her 40s with two children.

“It was fight of flight syndrome, where I knew that I had to go out there and make the same type of living I had made in my previous occupation,” Kruse said.

So, she used her insurance industry background and sought guidance from her family, who have construction experience. Kruse honed her roofing and siding skills, eventually opening her own business specializing in permanent roofing solutions.

She says she now has a profound love for what she does.

“I’m a show-up kind of girl. I don’t quit. I aim to please. I want to make my customers happy,” Kruse explains.

Kruse says she stands out most because of the quality of her workmanship and the care she takes for her clients.

“We follow a process from beginning to end. So I communicate how the process is going to start, what it looks like in the middle of construction, renovation, and the post wrap up,” Kruse explains.

She says she takes great pride in demonstrating to her children and other women that determination and hard work can lead to success in any career path.

“I feel like a woman-owned company, and it is my job to inspire young men and women to consider the trades. It’s not just digging ditches like a lot of people believe. It can It can be in an office. It can be out of an office,” Kruse explains.

She recalls a time when she felt she was making a significant impact.

“I came out of the grocery store the other day, and someone had put on my truck. Thank you for inspiring women in construction. Never stop. I was taken aback by the fact that they tore off a piece of paper and wrote that note, and stuck it on my windshield. It really does motivate me,” Kruse said.

With that being said, Kruse’s goal is to turn her small business into a franchise and to help others who want to start a construction business.

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