🔒CT roofing company builds workforce through second chances

When Vanessa Fusco brings on a new roofer, she doesn’t run a background check.

That’s by design.

As contractors across the country struggle to find workers, the founder of Naugatuck-based roofing and solar installation company Rejoice and Restore LLC has built her workforce from a pool many employers avoid. Nearly all of the company’s roughly 18 employees are in recovery from drug addiction.

“I just didn’t want to be like your average roofing company,” Fusco said. “I wanted to help people and give them a second chance.”

The hiring philosophy has become a defining characteristic of Rejoice and Restore, which has grown rapidly since launching in 2024. The company opened with four employees — Fusco, her husband Steven, one salesperson and an office worker — and generated about $1.3 million in revenue during its first six months in business. This year, Rejoice and Restore is on pace to surpass $10 million in revenue and 400 projects.

Fusco said she also hopes to expand into another state within the next two to three years.

The company, which is profitable, serves residential and commercial customers. Much of its work involves repairing storm-damaged roofs and exteriors and assisting customers with insurance claims.

Rejoice and Restore’s growth has earned Fusco national recognition. She was named the 2026 North American Female Roofing Professional of the Year, a $10,000 award established by Greenwich-based building-products distributor QXO to recognize women making an impact in roofing.

More than 2,000 nominations from across North America were considered this year, according to Chelsea Oesch, QXO’s director of marketing. A committee of industry leaders selected the finalists before the winner was chosen by public vote.

“Vanessa stood out because of her dedication to both her business and her community,” Oesch said. “Vanessa’s story clearly resonated with voters across the industry.”

‘Opportunity to invest’

Fusco’s hiring strategy comes as roofing contractors nationwide continue grappling with labor shortages.

Employment of roofers is projected to grow 6% from 2024 to 2034, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which estimates the occupation will have about 12,700 job openings each year over the decade, many driven by retirements and workers leaving the trade.

The National Roofing Contractors Association has identified workforce recruitment as one of the industry’s biggest challenges.

Fusco said she sees people in recovery as a way to help fill that gap.

“The labor shortage has reinforced our belief that many capable, hardworking people are being overlooked,” she said. “Rather than seeing recovery as a liability, we see it as an opportunity to invest in individuals who are committed to rebuilding their lives.”

Recovery, she added, “does not define a person’s future — their commitment and work ethic do.”

Many Rejoice and Restore employees come through a 12-month recovery ministry at the Fuscos’ church and through Narcotics Anonymous meetings. Steven Fusco, a pastor who speaks at prisons and hospitals, helps identify potential hires.

Two of the company’s project managers are single fathers in recovery. The only two employees who are not in recovery are Fusco’s son and daughter-in-law.

The company doesn’t yet have case managers or a formal recovery support program, but employees can call Vanessa or Steven Fusco at any time. It also doesn’t schedule work on Sundays, allowing parents to spend time with their children.

Sobriety is a condition of employment, and the company will drug-test employees on the spot. Fusco said two employees have relapsed, though those who complete a recovery program are welcome back.

“We don’t completely shut doors because you screwed up once,” she said.

She frames the payoff in both business and personal terms. She said one of the company’s top salespeople, who once panhandled under a Hartford bridge, has generated $150,000 in revenue since joining the company.

Rejoice and Restore is also opening a transitional recovery home in Waterbury, the first of several that Fusco hopes to establish. The homes will provide residents with a place to live while connecting them with employment or volunteer opportunities, she said.

Personal experiences

Fusco’s hiring philosophy grew out of both personal and career experiences.

Her biological father, she said, struggled with addiction and died of AIDS contracted from sharing needles. Steven Fusco is also in recovery.

She first entered the roofing industry around age 19, doing administrative work for one of her older brother’s roofing companies, then spent roughly nine years working in mental health and substance-abuse treatment, including intensive outpatient care.

She later returned to roofing to help her brother’s roofing and solar installation company before striking out on her own.

Solar ultimately led her back to roofing. Because aging roofs often can’t support the weight of solar panels, projects frequently turned into roof replacements. As solar incentives faded and sales became more difficult, Fusco shifted her focus increasingly toward roofing.

She is an outlier as a woman leading a fast-growing roofing company, though Fusco resists the framing. She believes organization, administration and what she described as the compassion women can bring to the trade are competitive advantages.

Five years from now, Fusco said she hopes to replicate Rejoice and Restore’s model through satellite offices, additional recovery homes and continued expansion into new states.

She also believes contractors struggling to hire workers should broaden where they look for talent.

The people in recovery she has hired, Fusco said, are “the most talented people I’ve ever met.”