Operating in the intersection of regulatory pressure and economic volatility

By Emma Peterson. 

A conversation with Trent Cotney on why proactive policies and operations matter more now than ever. 

Going into 2026, there was a lot of commotion to keep track of, from uncertainty about tariffs to immigration changes and beyond. And now, one quarter into the year, there are even more geopolitics and economic factors to track. It can feel like a lot, which is why we spoke with Trent Cotney, who is a partner at the Adams and Reese law firm as well as the general counsel for leading associations like National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA), for a Coffee Conversations® all about operating in our current market, which Trent describes as “a sort of intersection of regulatory pressure and economic volatility.”  

Trent’s main advice for contractors? Be proactive. He elaborated, “What I want our contractors to do is look at how to be proactive rather than reactive. One of the things I've seen over the years is that almost every single legal issue that a roofing contractor has is a symptom of an operational failure somewhere.” An example of this is OSHA fines. When contractors receive these, there’s probably a safety procedure that failed somewhere along the way. Or when it comes to customer issues, maybe you need to look at your process of vetting customers or your contract provisions to make sure you’re better protected.  

By proactively investing in these things and making sure that your procedures, operations and policies are all in place and secure, you can save your money in the long run. Trent explained, “Shoring up your policies, procedures, operations, contracts and all that can be a lot. But it will save you money in the long term as you won’t be throwing money away on lawyers and OSHA fines and all that reactive stuff.”  

Trent also recommends being proactive in your interactions with the rest of the market. In other words, get involved, make sure you know what’s going on so that you can prepare accordingly. He gave an example of what this might look like, “I encourage everybody to get involved in associations because that’s how I kind of keep my thumb on the pulse of the industry. I wouldn't be able to understand what's going on out there if I wasn't involved in associations. I really think that not only is it the external voice of our industry, but it is, it really helps you understand what you should be looking out for.” 

Listen to the whole recording or Watch the episode to learn more about operating in a proactive manner.