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Cotney Consulting Group
The estimate doesn't end when the bid is submitted
By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group. The estimate is not finished until the final project review is complete and the lessons learned have been carried forward to the next opportunity. One of the biggest misconceptions in our industry is that estimating ends when the proposal is delivered or the ...
When everything is urgent
By Cotney Consulting Group. Managing stress during high-traffic roofing seasons. Every roofing company has a season when everything feels urgent. Phones ring nonstop. Backlogs grow. Crews are stretched thin. Weather windows close fast. Customers want answers yesterday. Busy seasons are good for business, but they’re also when safety risk quietly increases. ...
Your commercial roof is not a storage area
By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group. Commercial roofing materials are durable, but they are not indestructible. A commercial roof is designed to protect the building from the weather. It is not intended to serve as a workshop, storage platform or unrestricted walkway for every contractor who needs access to rooftop equipment. Yet ...
The silica citation nobody sees coming
By Cotney Consulting Group. Why roofing crews are getting flagged, and how you can avoid it. Many roofing contractors are surprised when an OSHA inspector brings up silica exposure. After all, most roofers don’t think of themselves as “silica trades.” They’re not mining, blasting or pouring concrete, silica citations are appearing ...
A full backlog doesn't guarantee a healthy business
RCS Influencer John Kenney says revenue doesn't pay the bills, cash does. One of the biggest misconceptions I see in the roofing industry is the belief that a full backlog automatically means a healthy company. I've heard contractors proudly tell me they're booked six or eight months out, yet when we ...
Winning HOA approval starts with education
MCS Influencer John Kenney says contractors who educate rather than persuade often become the companies HOA boards are most comfortable working with. One of the biggest obstacles homeowners face when considering a metal roof isn't choosing the right panel profile or color. It's getting approval from the homeowners association. I've spoken ...
When wildfire smoke reaches the roof
By Cotney Consulting Group. Wildfire smoke has become an operational concern that many Canadian roofing contractors can no longer treat as an uncommon event. By mid-July 2026, hundreds of active wildfires were burning across Canada, with elevated fire danger affecting several northern and central regions. Smoke from those fires ...
Summer safety starts long before the temperature rises
OCS Influencer John Kenney says that fatigue affects judgement. Every summer, contractors remind their crews to drink water, wear sunscreen and take breaks. That's good advice, but after more than four decades in construction, I've learned those reminders alone don't create safer jobsites. Heat-related incidents rarely happen because someone didn't know ...
The case for restoration: A more profitable alternative for roofing contractors
By John Walker, APOC. Compared with traditional tear-offs and reroofs, roof restoration has emerged as a cost-effective, minimally disruptive and effective option for professional roofing contractors and their customers alike. Reroofing a commercial building can be a cumbersome but necessary task for major structures anywhere. Such projects can last for weeks, cause ...
Building safety that sticks
By Cotney Consulting Group. Turning compliance into culture on roofing jobsites. Safety isn’t just a program, a manual or a meeting. It’s what happens when leadership, training and accountability come together on a jobsite day after day, without exception. Yet, too often in roofing, safety culture gets reduced to slogans and paperwork. ...
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