Roofing Legal Expert Shares Thoughts on Industry Trends

By Evelyn Witterholt. 

In a recent podcast with Trent Cotney, we got the inside scoop on what is trending in the roofing industry. 

The roofing industry is an ever-changing one, and with new trends popping up every day, it’s hard to keep track of what could be important to your business. In a recent podcast, we got to speak with Trent Cotney, partner at Adams and Reese, about his thoughts on the state of the roofing industry and what trends he is noticing. 

Trent has over 20 years of experience working in the roofing industry. He currently works with Adams and Reese, a national law firm that specializes in construction. Trent also serves as general counsel for the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), the Western States Roofing Contractors Association (WSRCA) and the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (FRSA). Needless to say, he knows quite a bit about the state of the roofing industry. 

On the podcast, Trent shares that he recently attended the International Roofing Expo (IRE) and what trends he noticed the most there. He said, “I think more and more contractors are using sub labor, so (I got) a ton of questions about how to use them, what kind of documentation you should have, how do you protect yourself, what's legal, what's not legal.”  

Trent also shared with us the rise of private equity he’s been seeing in the industry. He believes that private equity has been looking at the roofing industry as a solid investment because the industry is doing so well currently. But he urges roofing companies to be careful about who they work with. 

“A lot of times private equity gets into a space if they're strictly to invest, it works great. If they want to start taking over things operationally, and they don't have any experience in roofing, I've seen it go horribly,” he said. “So it's about creating the right partner, making sure that you're teaming up with somebody that you know has got your business interest in mind.”  

Listen to the entire podcast to learn more about the current state of the economy and the roofing industry.