Meet Bridget Jenkins Wilson | state of Florida Licensed Roofing Contractor & Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bridget Jenkins Wilson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bridget, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Cardinal Roofing has always been a contributor to helping our community by supporting the local schools PTA’s, children’s sports teams and local charity events. Our biggest contribution has been to veterans charities which include Honor Flight of West Central Florida, Flight to Honor Polk County and My Warrior’s Place located in Ruskin, FL. We have a yearly sporting clays event called Shoot for Those Who Shot for U.S. which has raised well over $150,000 through the years for local veterans. You can find all information for this yearly event at www.girlroofer.com. Our newest endeavor has been supporting Angels For Change which assists in getting life saving medications to children in need. Helping the most vulnerable children in our community has been very important to us as a company. I am actually one of the chairs of the upcoming Champions for Change Gala held on Sept 17 at Armature works in Tampa. This is a grassroots charity that has already changed the pharmaceutical industry to ensure certain medications and crash carts are fully stocked to help children and NICU babies survive. You can find them at angelsforchange.org. We know that our support of these charities has made a difference in many lives and we take every opportunity to spread the word about them.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Roofing is one of those industries that can frighten and intimidate people. Our goal is to educate people about their roofs, the issues it may have, and the solutions that can be made. We want to take any fear and intimidation out of the process. We are different in that we don’t use intimidation techniques, pressure people to sign with us or make anyone uncomfortable. We allow our customers to set the tone for how they like to be sold to. The biggest challenge is competing against high pressure, less than ethical companies. We do not promise that shingle roofs will last more than 20 years in Florida (they won’t), or that a homeowner can “get a free roof” from their insurance company. Being ethical can cost us jobs. It’s challenging to have people see our honesty and integrity and think that we aren’t as good as a company who stretches the truth or straight up lies to get the job. We want to be known as the family run, local, honest roofing company that will always give practical and honest roofing solutions.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I grew up in the Tampa Bay area and it’s an amazing place to visit. We would definitely visit the classics. For food stops we would hit La Septima Restaurant for their Ropa Vieja for a quick lunch. Moreno’s bakery would be a stop for their guava pastries and a cafe con leche (among the huge variety of baked goods and cuban bread). Mel’s Hotdogs out by Busch Gardens is a classic stop as well. We would have to visit Ybor City and walk the historical district there, stop in some shops and maybe grab a cuban sandwich from Carmine’s. When I was a little girl, Carmine used to have nicknames for me and my sister when we would go eat there for lunch. He passed away many years ago, but we always think of him when we eat there ( new location, but still the same food). We would visit the University of Tampa and take in the gorgeous architecture and then head over to the Riverwalk and Armature works. As far as parks go, Medard Park has always been a favorite as well as swimming at Lithia Springs. Lettuce Lake PArk has amazing walking trails through nature with high viewing towers to look over the lakes. Taking a bike ride or walk along Bayshore Blvd would be a must as well. A week isn’t nearly enough time to get all of Tampa in, but those would be some of my highlights.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents are the reason I am where I am today. They encouraged and helped me get into and complete my Bachelor’s degree in Education at USF while also having me attend Contractor’s School and obtain my state roofing license. My dad knew that a trade license was just as important as a college degree and would make my background so well rounded that I would always be able to find work. My mom wanted me to have a college degree so I could teach for as long as I wanted. My parents are the smartest people I know and have done very well for themselves without having advanced degrees. They both worked very physically demanding jobs and taught my sister and I our work ethic. There is never an excuse for not working hard. You do your best and keep going in order to find success. Their love and encouragement and constant cheerleading made me believe in myself. I also found a very empowering group of women in my community that are in all different industries. Having them to sound board off of, to learn and grow with has been one of the greatest blessings I could ask for.

Website: www.cardinalroofingfl.com

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Twitter: @813689ROOF

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