Tag: <span>Trent Cotney</span>

Tag: Trent Cotney

RT3 member Cotney Construction Law Joins Adams & Reese

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This expansion creates one of the largest construction law practices in the country.


Adams and Reese LLP is pleased to announce the expansion of its nationally ranked construction practice with the combination of Tampa, Florida-based Cotney Construction Law LLP, a full-service legal and consulting firm serving the construction and infrastructure industries with 16 attorneys and professionals located across the United States. These additions join Adams and Reese’s current roster of 58 construction attorneys and takes the group to 75, now one of the largest construction practices in the country. The combination strengthens Adams and Reese’s capabilities in high-stakes commercial disputes and transactions. The combined practice now boasts eight Florida Bar board-certified construction lawyers, as well as two Florida certified general contractors.

The complete list of attorneys joining Adams and Reese today includes:

Trent Cotney
Tray Batcher
Benjamin Briggs
Christie Coston
Jacqueline Feliciano
Roscoe Green
Brian Lambert
Benjamin Lute
Steven McCommon
Hilary Morgan
Brian Oblow
Gabriel Pinilla
Mason Pokorny
Ashlee Poplin
Kyle Rea
Lee Tomlinson


“Our construction practice is a driver for the firm, and client needs are fueling its growth. Our strategic plan calls for doubling down on existing areas of strength,” said Gif Thornton, managing partner of Adams and Reese. “Trent and the Cotney team are national leaders in the construction law space, and their capabilities complement ours. This combination moves us toward dominance nationally and in the Southeast in particular, coinciding with the economic growth in the region.”

The team joining Adams and Reese brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in serving publicly traded companies, private businesses and individuals in transactions and disputes nationally and internationally. Their singular focus is meeting an array of legal, business and consulting needs in the construction space, as evidenced by national rankings by Chambers USA, Construction Executive, Construction Tech Review, Finance Monthly, Forbes and U.S. News & World Report, among others.

“We are excited about this opportunity to add our already deep bench to a national firm like Adams and Reese, whose resources and platform will take us to the next level,” said Trent Cotney, who served as chief executive officer of his firm and now becomes a partner at Adams and Reese. “As advocates for construction clients in the U.S. and around the world, our combined team has a deep understanding of what we must bring to bear when providing the most comprehensive counsel to our clients, and we can better meet their needs through our collective strengths. Our team shares Adams and Reese’s forward-thinking vision and commitment to diversity, which will exponentially grow our combined capabilities.”

The new team of attorneys relocates to Adams and Reese’s downtown Tampa office, located at 100 N. Tampa Street, Suite 4000.

“Every major city nationwide is seeing dramatic changes to its skyline, and the country is ripe with new construction and infrastructure projects that require the experience of trained construction lawyers,” said David Toney, leader of Adams and Reese’s Construction Team and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. “This combination gives us the horsepower to respond to that need both now and into the future.”

“As the complexity of business challenges increases in response to a more interconnected global economy, our clients are seeking sophisticated advice at national and international levels,” said Jeffrey Brooks, chair of the Executive Committee at Adams and Reese. “The successful combination with Cotney will serve as a platform for our continued growth, as well as an exemplar of the partnership we seek in that mission.”

​​​​Adams and Reese, founded in 1951, is a multidisciplinary law firm with over 270 attorneys and advisors strategically located throughout the United States and Washington, D.C. The American Lawyer includes Adams and Reese on its distinguished list of the nation’s top law firms, the Am Law 200. The National Law Journal also includes the firm among the top 200 on the NLJ 500 list of the nation’s largest law firms. Learn more at www.adamsandreese.com.

RT3 member Trent Cotney forms Cotney Capital Corporation to accelerate growth in the construction industry

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Tampa, FL, March 8, 2021 – The Cotney Capital Corporation, a private equity and venture capital company designed to accelerate growth in the roofing and construction industries, is pleased to announce its launch. In addition to offering investment options for growing companies, Cotney Capital also has a revolutionary incubator program designed to partner emerging companies in the construction sector with mentors that will guide them on the path to success.

“When I surveyed the private equity and venture capital markets for construction start-ups, I did not see another company that would be able to combine the resources that we have at our disposal with the decades of experience in the industry. That singularity of focus allows our investees and mentees to gain a competitive advantage. I recognize that the industry is at a tipping point where it must embrace technology to survive. My goal with Cotney Capital is to invest and mentor the future of construction,” said Trent Cotney, CEO of Cotney Capital.

Participants in Cotney Capital’s incubator program will receive hands on training on go-to-market strategies, operations and controlled growth and scaling, among other things. In addition, Cotney Capital has the legal resources needed to assist in any corporate transaction involving a participant’s business.

“I am excited to be a part of Cotney Capital,” says John Kenney, Chief Innovation Officer of Cotney Capital. “In addition to my 45+ years’ experience in the construction industry, I have helped develop many cutting-edge technology solutions for clients that have increased efficiency and accelerated growth. I look forward to being the tip of the spear and working with the bright minds of our future.”

For more information about Cotney Capital, please go to www.cotneycapital.com.

Webinar Recording: Virtualizing Your Roofing Business in Light of Coronavirus

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March 18, 2020 – During this worldwide pandemic, many owners of roofing companies have questions and concerns about their ability to thrive in this uncharted territory.

In this webinar recorded March 18, 2020 you’ll hear the following roofing industry experts share their insights on how a roofing company can virtualize their business to avoid the inevitable impact of the virus.

Marketing Expert: Anna Anderson, Art Unlimited
Sales Expert: Ryan Groth, Sales Transformation Group
Commercial Roofing: Steve Little, KPost Company
Residential Roofing: Ken Kelly, Kelly Roofing
Legal Ramification Expert: Trent Cotney, Cotney Construction Law

Access the Master Resource Document here. 

 

RT3 member Trent Cotney named NRCA general counsel

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Cotney Construction Law (CCL) takes a lead position as the roofing industry advocate.

Cotney Construction Law, the leading national law firm for construction, specialty trades and OSHA law, is pleased to announce the appointment of Trent Cotney as General Counsel for the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA). Cotney and the team at CCL will provide ongoing NRCA member benefits of legal consultation that will include a strong emphasis on proactive support surrounding construction, employment, immigration and OSHA law.

With the appointment of Trent Cotney as General Counsel, the roofing industry will benefit from Cotney Construction Law’s national reach since it is a law firm that employs almost 40 lawyers with 14 offices across the country, all focused on representing the construction industry. With over twenty years representing the roofing industry, Cotney’s passion and focus continues to be on roofing. He has built a law firm dedicated to giving back to the construction industries they serve. “Representing roofing contractors and helping their businesses both proactively and reactively is our focus,” said Trent Cotney. “We understand the law and we know construction so we can help contractors avoid getting into legal troubles in the first place.”

Most of what the Cotney team will do will be pro bono including consulting, articles, research and support of NRCA committees. ProCertification has been the prime focus for Cotney over the last 18 months, where he worked with NRCA committees offering legal advice and consultation that helped determine the structure of the certification and training processes at no charge to NRCA.

“Trent Cotney has been diligently working with NRCA on the ProCertification program which is our top priority,” stated McKay Daniels, NRCA Chief Operating Officer. “We look forward to working with Trent and Cotney Construction Law.”

The CCL team serves as General Counsel or as an affinity partner for Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Association and several of its affiliates, Western States Roofing Contractors Association, Chicago Roofing Contractors Association, Tennessee Association of Roofing Contractors, National Women in Roofing, Roofing Technology Think Tank, Tile Roofing Institute, IIBEC Florida and the National Slate Association.  The firm is well known for their legal content, thought leadership, philanthropy and overall commitment to the roofing industry.

To learn more about Cotney Construction Law, please visit www.cotneycl.com or call (866) 303-5868.

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About Cotney Construction Law

Cotney Construction Law is a national law firm that provides representation for the construction industry. Experienced in the representation of businesses and professionals in construction disputes and transactions, Cotney is a well-known advisor and legal counsel. The firm’s practice areas include construction law, litigation, arbitration, contract review & drafting, immigration, employment, OSHA defense, licensing defense, bid protests, lien law, bond law and alternative dispute resolution. The firm has offices throughout Florida as well as locations in Birmingham, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Grand Rapids, Houston, Portland OR, Nashville, and Boston. For more information, visit www.cotneycl.com.

Cloud Technology and the Construction Industry

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By Cotney Construction Law.

A critical component of the construction industry is the flow of information. On a daily basis, blueprints, daily reports, change reports, and punch lists are passed among contractors, architects, and subcontractors. That’s just a small list of the information that’s being dispersed. If that’s not enough, the construction environment is fast moving and not all parties are in the same location. In years pass, these details made communication slow and hitting project deadlines a matter of chance. Enter cloud technology.

The “cloud” refers to a remote server that stores data and software. From a technological standpoint, the cloud allows construction companies to keep massive amounts of information in a place that is accessible from anywhere that you can establish a wifi or cellular connection. In terms of day to day operation, the cloud is making an impact in a number of areas. That’s why 59 percent of construction companies surveyed by the Associated General Contractors of America and Sage say that they are either using a cloud solution or planning to use one.

The cloud presents a number of benefits to construction companies. Here are a few:

Access to information anywhere. There was a time where plans had to be carried from job site to job site in big tubes. Construction sites are dirty places and items are easily lost. With the cloud, information can be accessed from anywhere with a mobile device. Oftentimes, information is housed in an office, while work is done in the field. Now, information is more easily attained and more accurate.

Real-time collaboration. Similarly, the parties that are involved in a construction project, developers, designers, contractors, and subcontractors are typically in different places. Sometimes different cities. Meeting in person takes time and effort. Phone calls alone leave gaps in information. A cloud solution allows all parties to see construction plans in real time, collaborate on them, and make decisions. It’s a more seamless way of reaching consensus and reduces the types of conflicts that would require the help of a construction law attorney to settle.

Secure data. It may seem counterintuitive that a platform that exists remotely can be more secure than saving files on your own desktop, but the advances in cloud technology make that the case. With many cloud solutions, data is backed up nightly. More importantly, many cloud solution providers use more sophisticated security and antivirus tools than the average user employs on their desktop. Additionally, computers can be stolen or compromised.

Cost-effective solution. Let’s face it, you are going to need a data storage solution at some point. If your company is even moderately successful, you will accumulate a great deal of data. Physical servers are one solution, but they are expensive to purchase and maintain. A cloud solution is much more affordable and is scalable. As your need for data storage grows, so too can your space in the cloud.

As our construction lawyers have noted in previous articles, the construction site is a fast-paced environment. Skilled tradesmen are busy working on various aspects of the project. Materials move back and forth on the job site. Subcontractors work to complete critical components of a structure. All of this is done under strict timelines. However, for the pace at which construction moves, a fundamental part of the process has always hampered it– paperwork. From contracts to change orders, paperwork is a major part of our industry. Collaboration has always been difficult because all parties have to be in the same place. Now with cloud technology, this is no longer the case.

Note: This first published as a two-part article on Cotney Construction Law’s website and can be viewed here.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.

Roofing Technology Think Tank Elects Board of Directors

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The newly elected board of directors will serve terms that range from one to three years in length.

Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3), a group of progressive roofing professionals focused on technology solutions for the roofing industry, announced that it has elected six directors of the board at its May 9 virtual meetup.

 

RT3 was formed to act as a conduit for curating knowledge on technologies that can help roofing contractors and the roofing industry overall.  Formed in July of 2017, the group has grown from twenty founding members to over sixty.  The think tank was officially incorporated in 2018 and now is proud to announce its new board of directors.

 

Heidi J. Ellsworth, Partner, RoofersCoffeeShop.com and Karen Inman, Chief Operating Officer, Antis Roofing and Waterproofing, will serve three-year terms on the board. Steve Little, Head Coach at KPost Roofing & Waterproofing and Ken Kelly, President of Kelly Roofing will serve two-year terms while Trent Cotney, Cotney Construction Law and Tom Whitaker, President of Harness Software will serve one-year terms.

 

The board will support the RT3 mission statement and work to successfully accomplish its objectives to support and advance the adoption of technology within the roofing industry.  According to its mission statement, “Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3), is a consortium of thought leaders exploring emerging technology solutions for the roofing industry, striving to inform contractors by bringing together progressive and disruptive solutions that help build the professionalism and appeal of the roofing industry,”

 

The think tank meets six times a year, four virtual and two live.  Past live meetings included tours of Georgia Tech, BuiltWorlds and the U.S. Capitol.  Future meetings will continue to be held at innovative locations that will help enlighten the group on progressive technologies that can make a difference in the roofing industry.

 

“It is about education and the initiative to understand and then disseminate innovative technologies into the roofing industry,” stated Heidi J. Ellsworth.  “One of the ways to attract the new generation and a diversified labor force is to incorporate the use of technology including robotics, drones, software, cloud solutions and cutting-edge technologies that we are not even aware of yet.”

 

For more information about RT3, visit www.rt3thinktank.test.

RT3 Members Discuss the Current Issues, Trends and Opportunities for Technology in the Roofing Industry

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by Anita Lum

Technology has been at the forefront of nearly every industry for the past decade and roofing is no exception. The industry is ripe for change and has been transforming rapidly as more and more contractors embrace the use of technology in their day-to-day operations. David Huval of National Roofing Partners interviewed Trent Cotney of Cotney Construction Law, Lynn Foster of AccuLynx, and Tom Whitaker of Harness Software, to learn more about the current issues, trends, and opportunities with technology in the roofing industry during the International Roofing Expo in New Orleans.

Both Cotney and Whitaker expressed a current challenge that the whole industry can resonate with – the lack of skilled labor. To combat that need, the adoption of technology in the workplace is critical. Technology can be used to supplement this shortage by doing more with less; there are currently programs geared towards all facets of construction, including project management, work orders and health and safety.

Opportunities for technology in the industry are plenty. With the integration of applications in the workplace, the industry as a whole can really go digital. For instance, smartphones and tablets have become part of our daily lives, so integrating it into our businesses should be the next step. As Foster put it, “…the next couple of years is really going to be the mobile revolution.” This technology will allow instant transmission of information from the field to the office, which is critical to increase efficiency, decrease risks, and drive performance.

Other trends in roofing technology include drones; “Drone technology has gotten so much better over the last few years and it’s going to continue to make a huge impact,” said Whitaker. Cotney mentions the use of blockchain, a new way of engaging in contract payment method, to improve productivity by cutting out the middlemen.  According to Foster, integration is also set take off in the next couple years with “all these different entities getting together on one platform and integrating.” This will ensure much smoother processes by keeping all business information in one space.

While the roofing industry has been slow to adopt the new technology into their processes, this is beginning to change. With the technology tools identified by Cotney, Foster, and Whitaker, roofers can streamline workflows, manage clients, and share projects across the board, and ultimately grow their business.

Watch a recap of the interviews below.

The Future of Construction Site Surveillance: Part 2

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By Cotney Construction Law.

There are many benefits to self-navigating rovers and drones that provide workplace surveillance. In this second part of our two-part series, we will outline some of the main reasons why, if functional, this technology should be embraced by the construction industry.

The Problem with Construction Interiors

When drone technology became highly sophisticated, the devices were seamlessly integrated into the construction industry process capturing data for exteriors. Of course, drones were enhanced with new advancements over the years. With that being said, the interiors of construction sites were never as easy to navigate for autonomous devices until this recent technology circumvented many of these problems. In the near future, rovers could be implemented much to the same effect as drones.

Conquering This Problem

Inspecting construction work that is in progress and in an interior can be very difficult for the inspector. Inspectors can make misjudgments or overlook a problem. These mistakes or oversights can lead to both small and catastrophic accidents.

The precision of a Doxel rover allows construction professionals to confirm that the building process is being performed precisely with all of the components aligned correctly. If the metric data analyzed by the “deep learning” process shows that the progress is off kilter, the contractor can be notified via smartphone of the necessary steps to alleviate this issue. This technology at the contractor’s fingertips is invaluable.

Productive Technology

The deep learning process of this technology doesn’t just stop with the inspection process. An up-to-the-minute metrical analysis allows construction projects to save time instead of going back weeks to fix an unexpected issue. This, of course, results in significant reductions to the budget when certain issues are corrected in a timely fashion. Having an inspection process in real time that evaluates a project, highlights areas that need correction, and keeps an entire scale of a project recorded in measurable data is vital to construction project management. From budgeting to schedule coordination to keeping records on the quality of the project, this technology can find problems before they escalate and keep everybody on the project “in the know” on all of the important data.

Technology That Streamlines the Building Process

As we discussed in the first part of this two-part series, Doxel has created autonomous devices called rovers that can self-navigate around the entire perimeter of the workplace scanning for important measurable data that relates to a construction project. As we discussed in the second section, this intel is then uploaded to a cloud-based system that allows it to be algorithmically measured and processed. In the third section, we educated you on how this “deep learning” data can be sent to a construction manager’s smartphone, so they can review it and be aware of any areas of the work that need to be addressed.

Case Study of LiDAR Technology

Although this rover scanning technology is only in the embryo stage, it has shown promising signs of improving the construction process. In San Diego, CA, Doxel implemented its rover technology into a project where a multistory medical building was being erected. The rover was able to scan the infrastructure in approximately four to five hours each day and productivity reportedly improved nearly 40 percent on the project and the work was completed well under the estimated budget.

Monthly Subscription Fee

Although Doxel’s advanced technology has just been unveiled, the plan is to implement the services via a monthly subscription fee like most cloud-based services. One day in the near future, this technology may be implemented into all large-scale projects. Being able to digitally transfer all the measurable data of a project is an indispensable resource in itself. Any innovation that promotes the production of quality work in a timely fashion should be embraced by the construction industry.

Note: This article first published on Cotney Construction Law’s website and can be viewed here.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.

The Future of Construction Site Surveillance: Part 1

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By Cotney Construction Law.

There’s an unfortunate stereotype about the work being done on construction sites. Well, perhaps we should say the work not being done. The cliché is that a construction site is a place where workers are standing around doing nothing. Although anyone in the construction industry knows that this is simply untrue, the fact remains that the vast majority of projects end up running past their deadline and over budget. Construction companies are always open to looking for ways to avoid this dilemma.

The Penalties That Stem from a Delay

When deadlines are missed, this can result in financial penalties for contractors. Delays can also compromise a contract, affect the bidding process on other jobs, and, in extreme cases, ruin a professional’s reputation.

This two-part article discusses the future of construction site surveillance and how technology may speed up and finely tune the building process. If new processes can lessen delays by closely monitoring the work being performed at construction sites, everyone in the construction industry will prosper.

Groundbreaking Invention

Future projects within the construction sector may be supervised by robotic devices like drones and rovers. As you probably already know, most construction sites already use various types of drones for aerial shots. This footage can provide valuable intel for the exterior of construction projects; however, the interior area of construction sites have lacked advanced autonomous technology that can record, analyze, or inspect the building process of a site. That is until emerging tech company Doxel unveiled its newest, groundbreaking invention.

LiDAR-Equipped Technology

After recently receiving $4.5 million in funding, Doxel’s artificial intelligent rovers can provide construction sites with measured data that is much more precise than your standard inspector with a tape measure. Although the rover looks like an adorable and more sophisticated version of the robotic vacuums homeowners invest in to aimlessly move around their living space, these Doxel rovers are capable of a much more advanced level of technology and can roam pre-coordinated paths that encompass an entire construction site.

These LiDAR-equipped robots can be let loose at the end of a workday and scan entire sites and determine the progress of the whole project.

Digitizing the Industry

The term LiDAR may not be a household name yet, but it will be in the next decade. LiDAR technology is the integral force behind autonomous vehicles’ vision. As digitaltrends.com explains it, LiDAR technology is a “laser-based surveying method” that creates a “depth-based image of the world by shining out laser lights and then measuring how long it takes for the reflected pulse to be bounced back to the sensor.” In non-techy talk, this means that the Doxel rovers possess a LiDAR scanner that allows them to digitize all of a construction site by scanning it. This initiates the process of sending this data to cloud technology and allows the information to be immediately analyzed.

The Deep-Learning Process

The surveying rover is the medium used on the construction site to collect the data via the high-tech laser scanning process known as LiDAR technology. However, once this information is collected it’s immediately uploaded to a deep-learning process that analyzes the measurable results that the surveying rover collected. Utilizing advanced 3D technology, the cloud system algorithmically analyzes the data and determines the overall quality and progress of the work being performed on location. This highly accurate information verifies that the construction work was completed correctly and remained on schedule.

Note: This article first published on Cotney Construction Law’s website and can be viewed here.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.