S2:E45 Trent Cotney - Planning for 2021

By Colin Sheehan, RCS Reporter.

Listen to this podcast to stay up to date with current changes and prepare for those coming in 2021.

In this episode of Roofing Road Trips, RoofersCoffeeShop® partner, Heidi J. Ellsworth chats with Trent Cotney of Cotney Construction Law about the importance of preparing your roofing company’s risk management for changes coming in 2021.

“This has been a very trying year,” said Trent, “But I try to always look at things from a positive standpoint and I’ve viewed this as a year of opportunity. I really think this is a chance for any roofing contractor out there, regardless of whether they’re brand new or established, to embrace this change and to use it as a force to help guide themselves.”

A lot has happened in 2020, and many people, including contractors, feel stretched in several directions. This podcast lists top priorities for roofing contractors, including the regulatory changes that have happened as a result of COVID-19 and the recent election. Contractors can expect changes in the areas of HR and employee management, health and safety and immigration  with the Biden administration coming in 2021.

“What I really recommend that everybody does is take a look at your documentation, at your SOP [or] standard operating procedure for filling out I-9s. Look at your employee manuals, look at your safety manuals and figure out what needs to be done now and be prepared for future changes.”

Besides the change in office, the election also gave way to a handful of states legalizing the use of recreational marijuana, as well as some legalizing or decriminalizing the usage of medicinal magic mushrooms.  

“What that brings is changes in your employee manuals and how you train. It doesn’t seem like that would be a big issue that would affect the workplace, but it does because what we saw early on [in] Colorado [is that] crew members didn’t realize that what happens in the workplace stays in the workplace. You can’t bring a lot of that to work and you need to make sure that you’re educating your employees on what these new laws and regulations are,” said Trent.

Because of all of these changes, both related and unrelated to the coronavirus, the time is now for contractors to get some form of ongoing legal protection and risk support. Cotney’s subscription plan is an excellent way to receive this service, as they update their employee manuals regularly and stay on top of the latest legal changes so contractors don’t have to.

“When I started this company. . .I wanted to create a different environment where the relationship between legal counsel and contractors was mutual [and] proactive rather than reactive. I wanted people to see me as a business partner rather than see me as just ‘that lawyer.’ So, what we did is we designed a subscription plan with the idea that every month you pay a set fee and, in that fee, you get unlimited services depending on which skew you pick. You have your own council in your pocket whenever you need it.”

Listen to the podcast here to learn more about the recent regulatory changes and to prepare for those to come in 2021.