Avoiding contract catastrophes

By Evelyn Witterholt 

Learn how regular contract audits can benefit your roofing business. 

Roofing contractors know that the fine print on their contracts is everything. But after spending countless hours drafting and re-writing your contracts, it’s easy for the little things to fall through the cracks. That’s why it’s never a bad idea to get a second pair of eyes on your contracts before sending them off to a customer. 

In an episode of our CoffeeCast™ series, we spoke with Jon Gardner, senior leader of strategic partnerships at Owens Corning, and Trent Cotney, partner at Adams & Reese, about their latest collaboration. Owens Corning’s Roofing Contractor Network offers various business solutions to their members, including training and marketing resources. After teaming up with Trent, the network now offers free contract audits to any roofing contractor in their network. 

“At the point of the sale, one of the most critical parts that contractor is going to hand to the homeowner is the contract,” Jon said. “At that point, every last word in that document is critically important.” 

With over 25 years of experience in this industry, Trent knows exactly what to look for in a roofing or construction contract. With this partnership, Trent himself will be reviewing the contracts, looking carefully for any issues with the terms and conditions. And it’s all free of charge for contractors in Owens Corning’s Roofing Contractor Network. 

“I have literally spit up my coffee reading some of these contracts. There are a lot of problems. There's some potential statutory warnings that are needed,” he said. “What I'm hoping that contractors really get out of this is an opportunity to fine-tune their contracts, make sure that they're protected and avoid legal problems” 

Listen to the entire CoffeeCast or watch it below to learn more about getting feedback on your contracts.