Tonya Steele, 2021 Honorary Member Honorary Membership is awarded to individuals in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the Association and the industry and are selected by FRSA’s Nominating Committee. Since this award is open to all members, choosing just one candidate each year is difficult. FRSA has been blessed to have many volunteers who graciously donate their time and it’s one of the reasons that we are so successful. Tonya Steele is counted among those members who, for decades, have served our industry. Tonya Steele, owner of Millennium Metals Inc., Jacksonville, has been attending FRSA and industry events since the age of eight. Her parents, Donnie and Nadine Gramling, were loyal supporters of FRSA and active in the industry. At the time, they owned Southeastern Metals Manufacturing and when Tonya turned 18, she began working with her parents, running postage in the mail room, making bank runs and answering phones. Eventually, she worked in inside sales and finally in metal roofing technical services, where she fell in love with metal roofing. In 2000, Tonya, along with her brother, Scott Gramling, started Millennium Metals Inc., where she believes that her business has two assets – a loyal customer base and her employees. Even though Tonya’s customer base is comprised of distributors, it is the contractors who drive the business. Over the years, Tonya has been very active in her local affiliate, the Northeast Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (NEFRSA) and served in many positions. She serves on the FRSA Board of Directors and has chaired the Codes and Regulatory Compliance Committee – in her words, “the most challenging and rewarding position I’ve ever held.” Tonya has served on the Affiliate Council, Unlicensed Activity Taskforce, Disaster Response and Preparedness and
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the Public Relations and Marketing Committees. She also serves on FRSA’s Codes Subcommittee, a small group of hardworking members. While involved with codes issues over the years, Tonya has worked with FRSA to submit and defend various code modifications before the Florida Building Commission. On the local level, she works with Building Code Enforcement on issues that arise from permitting and installation and works closely with contractors on job-specific calculations. She’s a firm believer everyone should look for a way to give back to their industry, which is one of the reasons Tonya received the Earl Blank Memorial Heart Award in 2005. Tonya is as generous with her money as she is with her time. In 2019, she won the Educational Foundation raffle and immediately donated the $5,000 cash prize back to the Foundation. Don’t let her bubbly personality fool you: she is a savvy businesswoman who packs industry experience, financial ingenuity, customer service and exceptional people skills into her five foot tall frame. And what’s even more compelling is her ability to back it with leadership, compassion and knowledge. Along with being an industry leader and business owner, Tonya is a mother and grandmother – a title she wears proudly. Congratulations, Tonya!
FRM