Tom Stuewe, Senior Product Manager at Siplast, has always had an insatiable drive to solve problems, shaping the course of his career.
Tom joined Siplast in 2024 and was drawn to the company's ambitious growth trajectory. "Siplast is under an aggressive growth structure right now," he says. He's excited to help support Siplast's path to growth with his expertise and experience.
With over 17 years of experience in commercial roofing, Tom is well-positioned to lead and grow Siplast's SBS-modified bitumen membranes and liquid roofing product lines. Here's how he made the leap from residential construction to the role he thrives in today.
A Passion for Building
Tom's passion for building and construction, coupled with a highly analytical mindset, has positioned Tom for a successful career in product management. He began at Ohio State University, with an undergraduate degree in Construction Systems Management. The next clear step was residential construction.
He started his career as Customer Service Manager for Pulte Group, Inc., which laid a solid foundation for his future roles. "When I was in residential construction building homes, I was actually part of the service division," Tom explains. "After we built the home, I worked with homeowners to teach them how to use their home and fix any problems they had."
The problem-solving, unsurprisingly, was what appealed to Tom most. "I've always loved the game Clue," he says. "It's all about figuring things out and every homeowner issue felt like that." He shares one anecdote: "Where's this ceiling stain coming from? Oh, it's actually from a roof leak 20 feet away. There's a strange bit of flashing, the water hits a beam, then travels along it before showing up here." That kind of investigative work kept his mind stimulated and engaged.
The Move to Commercial Roofing
The transition from residential construction to manufacturing was natural. "I'm still problem-solving, just in a different facet now," explains Tom. "Instead of homes, it's a commercial roof, and someone saying, 'Hey, we're having this issue, and we need a product that solves it.'" But there is much more investigation at this level. "In commercial roofing, the puzzle is more of a thousand-piece puzzle than the 50-piece puzzle you have in residential," Tom explains.
For his first 12 years in the field, Tom served as a Senior Product Manager at The Garland Company, Inc.—a pivotal period of learning and growth. "I learned about the construction and design of commercial buildings and commercial roofing in general," he says. "I also learned more about chemistry and the technologies in roofing manufacturing." This is the role that cemented Tom's path in the manufacturing side of the industry.
Deepening His Industry Expertise
Following his time at The Garland Company, Tom joined SOPREMA USA where he was a Product Manager. He honed his skills and gained a deeper understanding of business and the go-to-market process. He also deepened his knowledge of material science, product application, market needs, and diverse business strategies.
Throughout his career, much of Tom's professional growth has stemmed from his interactions with end users. "The customers have really shaped my career path and professional education," he explains. "When I was in residential construction, it was the homeowner, whereas in roofing, it's the contractor or maybe the sales representative for the company I've been working for." These real-world and two-way interactions continue to be his greatest teachers.
A great example of Tom's innovative thinking and end-user focus came from a product at his previous company. "I just looked at the packaging and the contractor using it, and said, 'That's not very efficient,'" he explains. Contractors were awkwardly scooping material out of bags, struggling with both handling and accurate measurement. Tom's solution was to make a small change that made the product significantly easier by creating a scoop with measurements, making it more efficient for contractors to use.
Tom's Transition to Siplast
Tom joined Siplast in June 2024. "Siplast is a brand I've known about since I got into commercial roofing in 2006," he says. "When I was hired, I was brought on to take a look at our liquid waterproofing and roofing membrane division, and really expand liquid roofing into the market, and make it more of a main product line."
Tom's love for problem-solving is fully realized in his new role, which he describes as the "hub of a wheel." As the central conduit, he collaborates with every department. "Some days I'm working with finance, some days with customer service, sales, or marketing," he says.
It's a unique role where, as Tom puts it, "We're the efficiency experts. We don't make anything, but we make everything better. That's product management." It's this excitement for continuous innovation—developing new products and refining existing ones—that helps maintain Siplast's position as a market leader.
What He's Working on Today
Some current projects Tom is managing are:
Paraboard HD development: Managing the launch of an innovative 2-in-1 product that combines an insulation cover board with a waterproofing layer, enabling contractors to achieve watertight status faster while protecting new installations during construction.
Liquid waterproofing initiative: Spearheading efforts to expand Siplast's liquid roofing technologies from niche applications to mainstream adoption through education and market development.
Terapro PUR line: Managing the launch of a new polyurethane-polyurea deck coating system for concrete surface protection in both pedestrian and vehicular applications.
Educating Future Builders
Tom's role at Siplast also involves keeping the emerging field of design and construction professionals educated about the lasting power of SBS-modified bitumen membranes. "It may have been around since the 70s," but he'll be "re-educating people on the old-school benefits of multiple plies of redundant roofing" for superior long-term durability.
With the advent of so much technology and single-ply roofing, Tom is dedicated to empowering younger generations. "Roofing is not a one-size-fits-every-building industry—you need to consider the structure, usage patterns, environmental factors, and potential chemical or biological exposure," he explains. "As our industry's workforce gets younger, there's an increasing need to educate about these complex variables affecting system selection."
Part of that education involves reinforcing a simple but powerful idea: "The most sustainable roof is one that lasts."
