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Business Boosters
The operational habits that separate profitable contractors from busy ones
By Cotney Consulting Group. Busy seasons will always come and go. The companies that last are the ones that build habits strong enough to handle the pressure. Being busy has never been the same thing as being profitable. Yet many contractors confuse the two. They measure success by backlog, trucks ...
Local sheet metal shops on the rise: How demand for metal construction is reshaping fabrication
By Heidi J. Ellsworth. Regional fabricators are expanding as metal construction drives new opportunities. Across North America and beyond, local and regional sheet metal shops are seeing renewed growth as demand for metal construction continues to accelerate. From roofing and siding to architectural metal and building envelope systems, the increasing ...
Why distilleries and breweries are choosing metal building systems
By The Coffee Shops™. An MBMA report highlights how metal building systems support production, design and expansion for beverage facilities. The craft beverage industry continues to expand across the United States, creating new opportunities for facilities designed to support production, retail experiences and future growth. According to the “Distilleries ...
Steel coil service centers power the growth of metal buildings and fabrication
By Heidi J. Ellsworth. How service centers are driving speed, customization and regional growth across metal construction. The metal building industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, fueled by demand for durability, sustainability and design flexibility. At the center of this momentum is a critical but often underrecognized segment of the supply ...
Operations will break first
By Cotney Consulting Group. Why most roofing companies are not ready for humanoid robotics. Throughout this series, one theme has surfaced repeatedly: Technology will not be the limiting factor in the adoption of humanoid robotics. Operations will. In earlier articles, we discussed why robotics is moving from digital systems into physical execution, ...
The rise of self-storage and metal buildings: A perfect partnership for growth
By Heidi J. Ellsworth. Explore the trends, benefits and future of metal construction in the self-storage sector. The self-storage industry continues to be one of the most resilient and steadily growing sectors in commercial construction. Driven by lifestyle changes, population mobility and evolving business needs, self-storage has become a critical part of ...
New roles roofing hasn’t planned for: Managing people, data and machines together
By Cotney Consulting Group. These new roles won't eliminate existing jobs. They build on them. Throughout this series, we have focused on readiness, operational discipline, realistic entry points for automation, workforce integration and the systems that will either support or undermine future technology adoption. All of those elements converge on one unavoidable ...
The test of 2026
By Cotney Consulting Group. As the market tightens this year, contractors will need to confront any operational weaknesses in their companies. We’ve been hearing for the last few years about the market tightening, and 2026 is just another chapter in that story. From labor pressure and rising costs to ...
Why roofing service divisions feel busy but struggle to be predictable
By Cotney Consulting Group. When the right structure is in place, service divisions become reliable parts of businesses, supporting both customer relationships and long-term profitability. Most roofing service departments feel busy. Phones are ringing. Technicians are running calls. Trucks are moving all day. Work orders stack up, invoices go out and ...
Rising metal prices in 2026
By Heidi J. Ellsworth. As the Producer Price Index signals renewed pressure on metal contractors, learn what contractors should be doing to navigate rising metal costs. According to Ken Simonson, chief economist for the Associated General Contractors of America, Producer Price Indexes (PPIs) for major construction inputs climbed sharply in January 2026, ...
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