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<channel>
<title>MetalCoffeeShop</title>
<link>https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/</link>
<description>Metal Forum, Classifieds, Galleries and More!</description>
<language>en-us</language><item>
<title>Top October articles: Business boosters and contractor training</title>
<link>https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/post/top-october-articles-business-boosters-and-contractor-training</link>
<description>top-october-articles-business-boosters-and-contractor-training</description>
<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2026 05:00:00 PST</pubDate>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		<img src='/uploads/media/2026/10/top-october-articles-business-boosters-and-contractor-training-pr-photo.jpg'
            alt='TCS - Top October articles: Business boosters and contractor training pr photo'
            title='TCS - Top October articles: Business boosters and contractor training pr photo'
            class=''
            style=' '  width='1080' height='1080'  loading='lazy' decoding='async' /><br><p dir="ltr">By Emma Peterson.</p>

<h2 dir="ltr">We&rsquo;re counting down the 10 most-read stories from The Coffee Shops&reg; to help you stay on top of the latest industry conversations.</h2>

<p dir="ltr">Though it may be hard to believe, October is already coming to a close. And if your month has been anything like ours here at The Coffee Shops&reg;, it&rsquo;s been busy and hard to keep up with!</p>

<p dir="ltr">To make it a bit easier for our readers to catch up on the biggest industry news and stories from October 2026, we&rsquo;ve collected our top ten articles published this past month.</p>

<p dir="ltr">As our readers move into the off-season, we&rsquo;ve seen an uptick of interest in training and business development articles! On the training side, our top ten list includes <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/building-smarter-roofers-with-expert-training" rel="" target="_blank">an article</a> about <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/directory/john-kenney-mcs-influencer" rel="" target="_blank">John Kenney</a> of <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/directory/cotney-consulting-group" rel="" target="_blank">Cotney Consulting Group</a>&#39;s upcoming <a href="https://shopcotneycg.com/collections/roofing-estimating-training/products/advanced-roofing-estimating-workshop" rel="" target="_blank">two-day live classroom training workshop</a> (November 17-18, 2026) and <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/extending-building-life-starts-with-education-and-training" rel="" target="_blank">an article</a> based on a conversation with Rick Johnson of <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/directory/tremco" rel="" target="_blank">Tremco CPG</a> about partnering with manufacturers that back their products up with training.</p>

<p dir="ltr">On the business development side, Emma Peterson wrote three articles for The Coffee Shops&reg; highlighting different ways contractors can set their businesses up for success. <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/a-decade-of-roofing-trends" rel="" target="_blank">The first, which comes in at number 6 on our list,</a> talks about four takeaways from a decade of <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/trends-report-results" rel="" target="_blank">RoofersCoffeeShop&reg; Trends Reports.</a> The other articles, which take <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/going-into-the-last-quarter-of-2026" rel="" target="_blank">spots 3</a> and <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/set-yourself-apart-from-the-competition-at-legalcon-2026" rel="" target="_blank">2</a>, take a look at the state of the economy going into the last quarter of the year and at the <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/directory/nrca" rel="" target="_blank">National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA)</a>&#39;s live <a href="https://www.nrca.net/legal/education/conference" rel="" target="_blank">LEGALCon</a> event, respectively.</p>

<p dir="ltr">As for our <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/nwir-scholarship-opens-doors-for-future-roofing-leaders" target="_blank">top article of the month</a>, it was all about &quot;the certifications, technologies and best practices that help roofing professionals build more fire-resilient structures.&rdquo;</p>

<h3 dir="ltr">Our top ten articles from October</h3>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>10 - <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/the-business-case-for-smarter-construction-recycling" rel="" target="_blank">The business case for smarter construction recycling</a></strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>9 - <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/extending-building-life-starts-with-education-and-training" rel="" target="_blank">Extending building life starts with education and training</a></strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>8 - <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/advocacy-remains-a-roofing-priority" rel="" target="_blank">Advocacy remains a roofing priority</a></strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>7 - <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/building-smarter-roofers-with-expert-training" rel="" target="_blank">Building smarter roofers with expert training</a></strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>6 - <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/a-decade-of-roofing-trends" rel="" target="_blank">A decade of roofing trends</a></strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>5 - <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/goodprojectmanagersthink-three-weeks-ahead" rel="" target="_blank">Good project managers think three weeks ahead</a></strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>4 - <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/nwir-scholarship-opens-doors-for-future-roofing-leaders" rel="" target="_blank">NWIR scholarship opens doors for future roofing leaders</a></strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>3 - <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/going-into-the-last-quarter-of-2026" rel="" target="_blank">Going into the last quarter of 2026</a></strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>2 - <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/set-yourself-apart-from-the-competition-at-legalcon-2026" rel="" target="_blank">Set yourself apart from the competition at LEGALCon 2026</a></strong></p>

<p dir="ltr"><strong>1 - <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/creating-a-more-fire-safe-future" rel="" target="_blank">Creating a more fire-safe future</a></strong></p>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Expert insights that span the pond</title>
<link>https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/post/expert-insights-that-span-the-pond</link>
<description>expert-insights-that-span-the-pond</description>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Nov 2026 05:00:00 PST</pubDate>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		<img src='/uploads/media/2026/10/expert-insights-that-span-the-pond-pr-photo.jpg'
            alt='Cotney - Expert insights that span the pond pr photo'
            title='Cotney - Expert insights that span the pond pr photo'
            class=''
            style=' '  width='1080' height='1080'  loading='lazy' decoding='async' /><br><p dir="ltr">By Emma Peterson.</p>

<h2 dir="ltr">Although roofing practices and regional challenges vary around the world, John Kenney explains why the industry&#39;s fundamental goals remain the same and how contractors can benefit from sharing their experiences.</h2>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.uk/podcast/bridging-uk-and-us-roofing" rel="" target="_blank">In an episode of Roofing Road Trips&reg;</a>, Heidi J. Ellsworth sat down with John Kenney of Cotney Consulting Group to get his insights into the global roofing industry. John is an ideal guest for this discussion, as his 45+ years in the roofing industry have guided him in his work in both the United States and the United Kingdom.</p>

<p dir="ltr">John&rsquo;s story starts with working in the field for a family-run roofing company in the Northeast of the U.S. From there, he worked his way up to estimating and managing projects for the same company. Today, he is the CEO of <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/directory/cotney-consulting-group" rel="" target="_blank">Cotney Consulting Group</a> and &ldquo;works with roofing contractors on estimating operational performance, project management, workforce development and more.&rdquo; He is also very active in a variety of professional organizations, being a member of the <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.uk/directory/international-federation-of-the-roofing-trade" rel="" target="_blank">International Federation for the Roofing Trades (IFD), </a><a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.uk/directory/nrca" rel="" target="_blank">National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA)</a> and the former Institute of Roofing.</p>

<p dir="ltr">When we asked him about what he&rsquo;s seeing that is currently impact contractors on both sides of the pond, he highlighted labour challenges, estimating issues, margin protection and supply pressures. As he put it:</p>

<blockquote>
<p dir="ltr">I think contractors in both markets are trying to find, develop and retain skilled people. I also think they&#39;re trying to estimate work accurately, protect the margins of the businesses and convert a good tender into a well-managed project. And as they&rsquo;re trying to deal with that, they&rsquo;re having to manage changing programs, incomplete information, material lead times, access relations and pressure from clients.</p>
</blockquote>

<p dir="ltr">That&rsquo;s not to say that all the issues that contractors face are universal, as things like hurricane season for U.S. contractors and handling apprenticeships in the U.K. are unique to their regions. But as John put it, &ldquo;While the markets are very unique, at the end of the day, roofing contractors on both sides of the Atlantic are trying to complete quality work, the protect their people, serve their clients and operate profitable businesses.&rdquo;</p>

<p dir="ltr">His advice for contractors on both sides of the pond to overcome these shared challenges? Work together. In John&rsquo;s words, &ldquo;I always have believed that you become better at what you do when you&#39;re willing to take a look beyond your own market and listen to how other professionals approach similar problems.&rdquo;</p>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.uk/podcast/bridging-uk-and-us-roofing" rel="" target="_blank"><strong>Listen to the whole episode</strong></a><strong> or </strong><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8SPWctFG28&amp;feature=youtu.be" rel="" target="_blank"><strong>Watch the recorded conversation</strong></a><strong> to hear more of John&rsquo;s expert insights.</strong></p>]]></content:encoded>
</item><item>
<title>The business case for smarter construction recycling</title>
<link>https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/post/the-business-case-for-smarter-construction-recycling</link>
<description>the-business-case-for-smarter-construction-recycling</description>
<pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2026 05:00:00 PDT</pubDate>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		<img src='/uploads/media/2026/10/contractor-outlook-the-business-case-for-smarter-construction-recycling.png'
            alt='The business case for smarter construction recycling'
            title='The business case for smarter construction recycling'
            class=''
            style=' '  width='1080' height='1080'  loading='lazy' decoding='async' /><br><p>By Emma Peterson.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Woodchuck.ai rethinking how jobsite waste is handled in order to support sustainability goals while creating measurable financial benefits.&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Sustainability has become a key talking point for contractors. As <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/directory/john-kenney-speakers-bureau">John Kenney</a>, the CEO of <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/directory/cotney-consulting-group">Cotney Consulting Group</a> put it, &ldquo;<a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/post/sustainability-in-roofing-moving-beyond-the-buzzwords">Not that long ago, sustainability discussions were limited to a handful of projects...Today, that conversation has become much more mainstream. Building owners are asking about energy efficiency, architects are exploring sustainable design options and municipalities are increasingly adopting standards that encourage greener building practices</a>.&rdquo; And as this demand for more sustainable practices rises, it is crucial that contractors not only consider the sustainability of the products they are installing, but also the sustainability of their building practices.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This idea, of building more sustainable practices in addition to products, is what <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/directory/todd-thomas">Todd Thomas</a> and the team at Woodchuck.ai focuses on. We got the chance to learn more about their work and its benefits on <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/podcast/using-ai-to-rethink-construction-waste">an episode of Contractor Outlook&trade;</a> we recorded with Todd.&nbsp;</p>

<p>What Woodchuck.ai does is bring dumpsters to jobsites. But rather than your typical, throw everything and the kitchen sink into the same place, these dumpsters are designed to be used for material sorting. In fact, they utilize cameras and artificial intelligence software to help ensure that materials are separated properly. Then, when a dumpster is full, the Woodchuck.ai team can collect it, and take that sorted material, whether that&rsquo;s asphalt products or wood products, and recycle it easily because it&rsquo;s already sorted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Todd described how this separating and recycling of materials is such a good thing for sustainability, sharing, &ldquo;We have a finite number of landfills across the United States and if you look at these landfills, they&#39;re often 30-40% wood by volume. And that wood is coming from things like construction site mixed dumpsters.&rdquo; He went on, &ldquo;So if we can get crews to sort their materials, we can keep that wood out of the landfill, extend the life of that landfill and get additional value out of that wood all at the same time.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>And the best part of this whole set up? Not only can contractors feel good about their impact on the environment, it also can give them financial benefits. Todd explained:&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>It might seem like a big change to start sorting materials, but it&rsquo;s something that actually is pretty easy after you do it once and comes with benefits beyond sustainability. For example, we just partnered with a contractor who worked on Ford&rsquo;s EV battery factory in Marshall, Michigan. Over the course of that project, we diverted 10,000 tons of wood from the landfills and instead were able to turn it into 10,000 megawatts of clean electricity. In addition to being an incredible win for sustainability, that diversion also returned a savings to the contractor of $1.6 million!&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>With that kind of savings, it&rsquo;s hard to deny the positive impact the Woodchuck.ai team is providing for both the environment and contractors in the field. As Todd put it, &ldquo;If we can extend the life of our existing landfills by making sure that valuable materials don&#39;t get buried there, it&#39;s a win for everybody. It&#39;s a win for the contractor, it&#39;s a win for the community and it&#39;s a win for whoever was going to have the next landfill next to them.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong><a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/podcast/using-ai-to-rethink-construction-waste">Listen to the whole episode</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmPPSC7BZCI&amp;feature=youtu.be">Watch the recorded episode</a> to learn more about Woodchuck.ai.&nbsp;</strong></p>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Building smarter roofers with expert training</title>
<link>https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/post/building-smarter-roofers-with-expert-training</link>
<description>building-smarter-roofers-with-expert-training</description>
<pubDate>Sat, 24 Oct 2026 05:00:00 PDT</pubDate>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		<img src='/uploads/media/2026/09/cotney-building-smarter-roofers-with-expert-training.png'
            alt='Building smarter roofers with expert training'
            title='Building smarter roofers with expert training'
            class=''
            style=' '  width='600' height='300'  loading='lazy' decoding='async' /><br><p>By Emma Peterson.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>From field installation and project management to executive leadership, John Kenney brings a unique perspective to roofing education.&nbsp;</h2>

<p>This November, right before the holiday season begins, <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/directory/john-kenney-mcs-influencer">John Kenney</a>, the CEO of <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/directory/cotney-consulting-group">Cotney Consulting Group</a>, will be hosting a <a href="https://shopcotneycg.com/collections/roofing-estimating-training/products/advanced-roofing-estimating-workshop">two-day live classroom training workshop</a>. This workshop, <strong>which runs Nov 17-18, 2026</strong>, promises to provide attendees with high-level skills related to project takeoffs, estimating and unit pricing. To learn more about how this training and others hosted by John help professionals improve their expertise and boost their businesses, we brought John onto <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/podcast/investing-in-roofing-skills">an episode of Roofing Road Trips&reg;</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>All of John&rsquo;s trainings are based off of his own 45+ years of experience in the roofing industry. He shared a bit about his experience with us, saying, &ldquo;I started in the field and worked my way through estimating project management, operations, leadership and eventually up to the executive roles. All that experience has allowed me to see the industry from a wide variety of angles.&rdquo;&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>And that wide perspective gave John a clear understanding of where companies often struggle and what they need to change in order to find success. He went into more detail:&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>One of the biggest challenges that I&#39;ve seen is that estimators are taught how to measure roofs and how to price materials, but not how to manage the most important items, which are their assumptions, communicate scope and protect the margins of a company. This is because people see estimating as just a math problem, and not the risk management it actually is.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>In his courses, John helps attendees overcome misconceptions like this. He explained, &ldquo;I work with my classes to help them recalibrate the way they think about sales and estimating... I reframe estimating as a decision-making role, not a takeoff role and from there we dive into things like scope clarity, assumptions, production planning and communication.&rdquo; And at the end of the course, John&rsquo;s students leave with clear, actionable ways to build better estimates and better workflows in their businesses.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Want to learn more about John&rsquo;s training offerings? <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/podcast/investing-in-roofing-skills">Listen to the whole episode</a> or <a href="https://shopcotneycg.com/collections/frontpage">visit the Cotney Consulting Group training page</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Technology may be evolving, but roofing still needs roofers</title>
<link>https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/post/technology-may-be-evolving-but-roofing-still-needs-roofers</link>
<description>technology-may-be-evolving-but-roofing-still-needs-roofers</description>
<pubDate>Sun, 11 Oct 2026 05:00:00 PDT</pubDate>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		<img src='/uploads/media/2026/09/cotney-technology-may-be-evolving-but-roofing-still-needs-roofers.png'
            alt='Technology may be evolving, but roofing still needs roofers'
            title='Technology may be evolving, but roofing still needs roofers'
            class=''
            style=' '  width='600' height='300'  loading='lazy' decoding='async' /><br><p>By Emma Peterson.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>While AI can analyze data and automate repetitive tasks, roofing remains a trade built on field experience, adaptability and professional judgment, skills that technology cannot easily replicate.&nbsp;</h2>

<p>As artificial intelligence (AI) and technological automation continues to revolutionize the way we do office and administration work, many people&rsquo;s natural next question whether they are at risk of losing their job to a robot. To talk about how technology may progress in the future and whether it ends with us all having robot coworkers, <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/directory/john-kenney-mcs-influencer">John Kenney</a> of <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/directory/cotney-consulting-group">Cotney Consulting Group</a> stopped by for <a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/rlw/robotics-in-roofing-2">a Read Listen Watch&reg; webinar</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>John made it clear that he sees the future of technology, AI and robots as support, not substitution, sharing, &ldquo;I can&#39;t even see the workforce in 10 years being even 5-10% replacement. What I do think we will see is human robotic assistance.&rdquo; He went on, &ldquo;I think what you&#39;re going to see robots eventually do is reduce repetitive strain, unnecessary exposure and improve consistency in certain narrow workflows. Think areas like material movement, staging support, repetitive inspections, documentation and safety regulations.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>How is John able to make this statement so confidently? As high-tech and futuristic these new tools might seem, they have limitations. He gave some examples:&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>In roofing, a lot of companies still operate heavily on prior knowledge and improvisations as challenges in the field arise. But robotics and automation can&rsquo;t operate without a structured process, they&rsquo;re not something that can go onto a roof and do that adaptive thinking that&rsquo;s needed... At the end of the day, AI and robots are machinery.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>It&rsquo;s these type of limitations that give John the confidence to dismiss fears of robot replacement. Because at the end of the day, AI and automation are like nail guns and heat torches &ndash; tools that will help the industry grow and improve efficiency, but, as John put it, &ldquo;The skilled judgment of experienced roofers and contractors will always be irreplaceable.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong><a href="https://www.rooferscoffeeshop.com/rlw/robotics-in-roofing-2">Listen to the whole episode</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_DE_s1TzY0">Watch the recording</a> to learn more about automation, AI, technology and the future of roofing.&nbsp;</strong></p>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>The Coffee Shops™ Announce 2026-27 MetalCoffeeShop® Metal Influencers</title>
<link>https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/post/the-coffee-shops-announce-2026-27-metalcoffeeshop-metal-influencers</link>
<description>the-coffee-shops-announce-2026-27-metalcoffeeshop-metal-influencers</description>
<pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2026 03:00:00 PDT</pubDate>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		<img src='/uploads/media/2026/10/mcs-the-coffee-shops™-announce-2026-27-metalcoffeeshop®-metal-influencers-2.png'
            alt='The Coffee Shops™ Announce 2026-27 MetalCoffeeShop® Metal Influencers'
            title='The Coffee Shops™ Announce 2026-27 MetalCoffeeShop® Metal Influencers'
            class=''
            style=' '  width='2500' height='1250'  loading='lazy' decoding='async' /><br><h2>Metal Influencers bring diverse expertise and real-world insight to help contractors navigate challenges, strengthen their businesses and shape the future of metal construction.&nbsp;</h2>

<p>The Coffee Shops&trade;, the award-winning websites where the industries meet for technology, information and everyday business, announces the <a href="https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/meet-metal-influencers">2026-27 Influencers for MetalCoffeeShop&reg; (MCS)</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>MCS Influencers contribute their expertise to MetalCoffeeShop each month through interviews, videos and articles that explore important topics shaping the metal construction industry. Contractors, association leaders and service providers offer a broad range of perspectives, giving readers practical knowledge and a deeper understanding of industry challenges and opportunities. Their insights about emerging trends in metal construction, building a scalable management team and using AI to strengthen business are featured in the site&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/mcs-influencers">dedicated MCS Influencers section</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&ldquo;Our MCS Influencers are helping move the metal industry forward by sharing real-world experience and forward-thinking ideas,&rdquo; said Heidi J. Ellsworth, president and CEO of The Coffee Shops. &ldquo;Their diverse expertise provides contractors with meaningful insights they can use to strengthen their businesses and prepare for what&rsquo;s ahead. We believe in helping contractors, erectors and tradespeople from all parts of the metal construction industry.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>We are proud to announce the following <a href="https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/meet-metal-influencers">2026-27 MCS Influencers</a>:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>John Kenney &ndash; Cotney Consulting Group&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Jon Olsen &ndash; Malco Tools&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Corey Lincoln &ndash; Metal Sales&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Junny Lee &ndash; Sherwin-Williams&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Lee Ann Slattery &ndash; ATAS International&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Anthony Ortega &ndash; Viotell Metal Concepts&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Sasha Demyan &ndash; Metal Building Contractors and Erectors Association (MBCEA)&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Randy Chaffee &ndash; Source One Marketing&nbsp; &nbsp;</li>
	<li>Renee Ramey &ndash; Metal Roofing Alliance (MRA)&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Paul and Emily Marshall &ndash; Mr. and Mrs. Post Frame&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Edward Montemayor &ndash; South Texas Metal Roofing&nbsp;</li>
	<li>David Leinbach - Kaiser Martin Group, MBCEA president&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Travis Sliger &ndash; 4Ever Metal Roofing&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>For more information on the 2026-27 MCS Influencers, <a href="https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/meet-metal-influencers">meet them here</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp;</strong></p>

<p><strong>About MetalCoffeeShop&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>MetalCoffeeShop is committed to being an advocate and supporter of the metal construction industry.&nbsp; With Sherwin-Williams and industry thought leader&rsquo;s contributions, the site supplies consistent information, education and networking avenues for all metal construction professionals. Visitors to the site will not only find education and information but thought-leading editorial, multimedia and Influencer content that elevates the metal construction industry. Like RoofersCoffeeShop, MetalCoffeeShop is &ldquo;Where the Metal Industry Meets!&rdquo; For more information and involvement opportunities, visit <a href="https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/">www.metalcoffeeshop.com</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>About The Coffee Shops&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>Award-winning websites and online communities make up The Coffee Shops. Starting with RoofersCoffeeShop, which launched in 2002, the growth of the sites has been explosive for the construction trades of roofing, metal, coatings and their customers. Currently featuring four sites, RoofersCoffeeShop, MetalCoffeeShop, CoatingsCoffeeShop and AskARoofer, all the sites are committed to advocating for the construction trades by supplying consistent information, education and communication avenues for all contractors, while promoting positive growth, education and success of construction industries overall. Visitors to the site continue to find excellent opportunities for sharing information while participating in important ongoing conversations concerning new technologies, safety and overall construction information and education. The Coffee Shops are &ldquo;Where the Industries Meet!&rdquo; For more information, visit <a href="http://www.thecoffeeshops.online/">www.thecoffeeshops.online</a>.&nbsp;</p>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>The small decisions that protect roofing margins</title>
<link>https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/post/thesmall-decisions-that-protect-roofing-margins</link>
<description>thesmall-decisions-that-protect-roofing-margins</description>
<pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2026 05:00:00 PDT</pubDate>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		<img src='/uploads/media/2026/09/cotney-the-small-decisions-that-protect-roofing-margins-canva.png'
            alt='The small decisions that protect roofing margins'
            title='The small decisions that protect roofing margins'
            class=''
            style=' '  width='600' height='300'  loading='lazy' decoding='async' /><br><p>By&nbsp;John Kenney,&nbsp;Cotney Consulting Group.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Margins are&nbsp;built&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;or quietly eroded&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;through hundreds of small choices.&nbsp;</h2>

<p>When contractors talk about profitability, the conversation usually turns to&nbsp;estimating,&nbsp;labor costs, material&nbsp;pricing&nbsp;or&nbsp;overhead. Those are all important pieces of the equation, but after spending more than four decades in this industry,&nbsp;I&#39;ve&nbsp;come to believe that margins are rarely won or lost because of one major decision.&nbsp;They&#39;re&nbsp;built&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;or quietly eroded&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;through hundreds of small ones.&nbsp;</p>

<p>That&#39;s&nbsp;one of the reasons profitability can be so difficult to understand. When a project underperforms, everyone naturally looks for the big event that caused it. Was the estimate too low? Did material prices increase? Did weather delay production?&nbsp;Those things certainly affect a project, but&nbsp;more often than not, they expose problems that have been developing for weeks.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Profit rarely&nbsp;disappears&nbsp;all&nbsp;at once.&nbsp;It slips away one decision at a time.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I&#39;ve&nbsp;walked onto projects where the estimate was solid, the crews were&nbsp;experienced&nbsp;and&nbsp;the customer was satisfied, yet the financial results still fell short of expectations.&nbsp;Looking back, there&nbsp;wasn&#39;t&nbsp;a single catastrophic mistake. Instead, there was&nbsp;a long list&nbsp;of small operational decisions that, individually, seemed insignificant.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A delivery&nbsp;wasn&#39;t&nbsp;confirmed the day before.&nbsp;A crew&nbsp;waited thirty minutes for equipment.&nbsp;A material shortage required an extra supplier trip.&nbsp;A change&nbsp;order&nbsp;wasn&#39;t&nbsp;documented until the following week.&nbsp;A project manager postponed a site visit because another job demanded attention.&nbsp;None of those moments ruined the project.&nbsp;Together, they changed the outcome.&nbsp;</p>

<p>That&#39;s&nbsp;what makes operational discipline so important. The companies that consistently outperform their competitors&nbsp;aren&#39;t&nbsp;necessarily making&nbsp;better decisions dramatically.&nbsp;They&#39;re&nbsp;making fewer poor ones, andthey&#39;re&nbsp;catching&nbsp;the small&nbsp;issues before they begin affecting production.&nbsp;</p>

<p>One observation has stayed with me throughout my career. Roofing companies rarely lose money because people&nbsp;don&#39;t&nbsp;care. Most of the time, everyone involved is working hard and trying to do the right thing. The problem is that&nbsp;hard work&nbsp;cannot recover every small decision that&nbsp;wasn&#39;t&nbsp;made when it should have been.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Eventually, those decisions begin stacking on top of one another.&nbsp;A delayed purchase order affects material&nbsp;deliveries.&nbsp;Material deliveries affect crew productivity.&nbsp;Reduced productivity changes labor performance.Labor performance affects project schedules.&nbsp;Schedule changes create customer pressure.&nbsp;Customer pressure increases management time.&nbsp;By the end of the project, accounting reports a margin problem.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>But accounting is only measuring the result.&nbsp;The real causes happened much earlier.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I&#39;ve&nbsp;always believed that one of the most valuable habits a contractor can develop is&nbsp;recognizing&nbsp;operational friction. Every roofing company experiences it. Crews&nbsp;waiting&nbsp;for information. Project managers&nbsp;chasingpaperwork instead of managing production. Estimators&nbsp;answering&nbsp;questions that should have been resolved during the handoff. Dispatchers reshuffling schedules because yesterday&#39;s decisions created today&#39;s problems.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Friction&nbsp;isn&#39;t&nbsp;always dramatic.&nbsp;It&#39;s&nbsp;usually quiet.&nbsp;And because&nbsp;it&#39;s&nbsp;quiet, companies often learn to live with it&nbsp;rather than&nbsp;eliminate&nbsp;it.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The strongest operations think differently. They understand that every unnecessary interruption has a cost, even when nobody&nbsp;immediately&nbsp;notices it&mdash;five&nbsp;minutes waiting for a forklift. Ten minutes looking for materialsand fifteen&nbsp;minutes discussing an issue that should have been clarified before work started. Individually, those moments seem harmless.&nbsp;Across dozens of projects over the course of a year, they&nbsp;add up to&nbsp;thousands of lost labor hours.&nbsp;That&#39;s&nbsp;where margins disappear.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I&#39;ve&nbsp;noticed something else over the years. High-performing companies&nbsp;don&#39;t&nbsp;obsess over productivity because they expect people to work faster.&nbsp;They focus on&nbsp;improving&nbsp;efficiency&nbsp;by removing obstacles that prevent people from doing the work&nbsp;they&#39;re&nbsp;already capable of performing.&nbsp;</p>

<p>There&#39;s&nbsp;an important distinction.&nbsp;You can demand more effort from&nbsp;a&nbsp;crew.&nbsp;Or you can create conditions that allow the crew to perform at its best.&nbsp;The second approach is&nbsp;almost always&nbsp;more profitable.&nbsp;</p>

<p>One lesson experience teaches is that operational excellence&nbsp;isn&#39;t&nbsp;built through heroic recoveries.&nbsp;It&#39;s&nbsp;built through consistent attention to details that most people overlook. Strong project managers follow up on open issues before they become urgent.&nbsp;Foremen&nbsp;think ahead instead of simply reacting to&nbsp;what&#39;s&nbsp;in front of them. Estimators communicate assumptions instead of assuming others&nbsp;understand&nbsp;them. Owners create systems that reduce uncertainty instead of relying on experience to fill the gaps.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Those actions&nbsp;don&#39;t&nbsp;attract much attention.&nbsp;They rarely become success stories.&nbsp;But&nbsp;they&#39;re&nbsp;the reason successful companies&nbsp;remain&nbsp;successful.&nbsp;I&#39;ve&nbsp;also found that profitable contractors ask different questions during project reviews. Instead of asking, &quot;Why did we lose money?&quot;&nbsp;they&nbsp;ask, &quot;What small decisions made this project easier&mdash;or harder&mdash;to execute?&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>That question shifts the conversation away from blame and toward learning.&nbsp;Over time, those lessons&nbsp;become&nbsp;part of the company&#39;s operating habits.&nbsp;The organization becomes a little sharper.&nbsp;A little more consistent.&nbsp;A little more disciplined.&nbsp;Eventually, those small improvements begin&nbsp;showing up&nbsp;in financial performance.&nbsp;</p>

<p>People often assume profitable companies have discovered some secret&nbsp;formula.&nbsp;In my&nbsp;experience, the formula is much simpler than that.&nbsp;They&#39;ve&nbsp;become better at protecting their&nbsp;margins&nbsp;one decision at a time.&nbsp;I&#39;venever believed that profitability&nbsp;is&nbsp;created in the accounting office.&nbsp;Accounting tells you what happened.&nbsp;Profitability is created every day in estimating meetings, project handoffs, scheduling discussions,&nbsp;purchasingdecisions, jobsite planning&nbsp;and&nbsp;hundreds of conversations that most people never think about again.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Those conversations shape the work.&nbsp;The work shapes the results.&nbsp;And the results shape the business.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The longer&nbsp;I&#39;ve&nbsp;been in this industry, the more convinced&nbsp;I&#39;ve&nbsp;become that operational excellence&nbsp;isn&#39;t&nbsp;about making one brilliant decision.&nbsp;It&#39;s&nbsp;about making the next small decision a little better than the last one.Because roofing margins are rarely protected by one big moment.&nbsp;They&#39;re&nbsp;protected by hundreds of small ones that nobody notices until&nbsp;they&#39;re&nbsp;missing.&nbsp;</p>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Becoming a building envelope expert</title>
<link>https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/post/becoming-a-building-envelope-expert</link>
<description>becoming-a-building-envelope-expert</description>
<pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2026 05:00:00 PDT</pubDate>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		<img src='/uploads/media/2026/09/cotney-becoming-a-building-envelope-expert.png'
            alt='Becoming a building envelope expert'
            title='Becoming a building envelope expert'
            class=''
            style=' '  width='600' height='300'  loading='lazy' decoding='async' /><br><p>By Emma Peterson.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Why the key to navigating a challenging market isn&rsquo;t tied to price or margins, but rather stronger client relationships and higher-value services.&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Our modern market poses quite a few unique challenges to professionals across the roofing and construction industries. From supply chain disruptions to workforce shortages, it can be hard to position your business for profitability and long-term growth. To learn how contractors can find new opportunities and success in the modern market, we brought John Kenney of <a href="https://www.coatingscoffeeshop.com/directory/cotney-consulting-group">Cotney Consulting Group</a> onto <a href="https://www.coatingscoffeeshop.com/rlw/the-construction-coatings-outlook-5">an episode of CoatingsTalk&trade;</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The main advice John had was to avoid price cutting and lowering your margins. He elaborated, &ldquo;Right now, we&rsquo;re seeing some markets tighten and bid lists grow more crowded as more contractors chase fewer projects. But what I warn everyone is that lowering your margins or price cutting is not the answer.&rdquo; What is the answer, then? John points to being selective and thinking proactively. He shared, &ldquo;What contractors need to do is to find the right type of work that fits the marketplace. There&#39;s always work out there if you are ahead of the market enough to realize it.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>And right now, the right type of work for many contractors is tied to roof coatings and waterproofing. John explained:&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>The strongest opportunities right now are tied to helping owners manage and extend the life of their existing assets. And the truth is, not enough roofers are taking the time to learn and become experts in this. There are some that dabble in roof coatings, but to really find success you need to go and think in terms of the broader building envelope.&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>What does that mean? It means don&rsquo;t just learn how to slap a coating on a roof. Instead, learn how to service that coating and waterproof the rest of the building. As John put it, &ldquo;To succeed today, you need to be the contractor that can wrap all those walls together and provide everything in terms of service and maintenance. Why? Because clients today want more than a contractor, they want an expert who will build a relationship with them and help them with everything.&rdquo; He went on, &ldquo;And for contractors, being that one-stop shop makes you less dependent on one-time re-roof opportunities and sets you up for long-term success, even in a challenging market.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong><a href="https://www.coatingscoffeeshop.com/rlw/the-construction-coatings-outlook-5">Listen to the whole episode</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGKgc56jrZ0">Watch the recording</a> for more advice on navigating modern market challenges.&nbsp;</strong></p>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>Fresh eyes see what experience sometimes misses</title>
<link>https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/post/fresheyes-see-what-experience-sometimes-misses</link>
<description>fresheyes-see-what-experience-sometimes-misses</description>
<pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2026 05:00:00 PDT</pubDate>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		<img src='/uploads/media/2026/09/cotney-fresh-eyes-see-what-experience-sometimes-misses-canva.png'
            alt='Fresh eyes see what experience sometimes misses'
            title='Fresh eyes see what experience sometimes misses'
            class=''
            style=' '  width='600' height='300'  loading='lazy' decoding='async' /><br><p>By John Kenney, Cotney Consulting Group.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Sometimes improvement&nbsp;doesn&#39;t&nbsp;require&nbsp;new technology&nbsp;or expensive equipment.&nbsp;Sometimes it starts with asking a question.&nbsp;</h2>

<p>One of the things&nbsp;I&#39;ve&nbsp;always appreciated about bringing a new employee onto a roofing crew is the questions they ask.&nbsp;Sometimes those questions seem simple.Sometimes&nbsp;they&#39;re&nbsp;inconvenient because they interrupt the routine.&nbsp;Occasionally they even make experienced employees smile because the answer appears so obvious.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Over the years, though,&nbsp;I&#39;ve&nbsp;learned something interesting.&nbsp;Those questions often point out things the rest of us stopped noticing a long time ago.&nbsp;</p>

<p>That&#39;s&nbsp;one of the great&nbsp;ironies&nbsp;of experience. The longer we work in this industry, the more efficient we become. We learn how to solve problems quickly, recognize&nbsp;patternsand&nbsp;perform tasks&nbsp;almost without&nbsp;thinking. Those are valuable skills that only come from years in the field. But every advantage comes with a tradeoff. Familiarity changes the way we look at the jobsite. Eventually, we stop seeing certain things because&nbsp;they&#39;ve&nbsp;become part of the background.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A new employee&nbsp;doesn&#39;t&nbsp;have that luxury.&nbsp;Everything is new.&nbsp;Every process is unfamiliar.&nbsp;Every piece of equipment raises another question.&nbsp;Every&nbsp;morning&nbsp;they look at the project with a completely&nbsp;different perspective&nbsp;than someone who has been roofing for twenty years.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I&#39;ve&nbsp;often watched a new employee ask why materials were&nbsp;staged&nbsp;a certain way or why one access point was being used instead of another. Most of the time,&nbsp;there was a perfectly reasonable explanation.&nbsp;Now&nbsp;and then, however, the question caused everyone else to stop and think.&nbsp;The answer&nbsp;wasn&#39;t&nbsp;nearly as&nbsp;obvious as they first believed.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Those moments have always fascinated me because they remind us how easily routine shapes our thinking. We become accustomed to doing&nbsp;things&nbsp;a certain way, andeventually we stop asking ourselves whether&nbsp;it&#39;s&nbsp;still the best way.&nbsp;That&nbsp;isn&#39;t&nbsp;carelessness.&nbsp;It&#39;s&nbsp;human nature.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I&#39;ve&nbsp;seen companies continue using the same material handling process simply because&nbsp;that&#39;s&nbsp;how it&nbsp;had&nbsp;always been done. Nobody had ever questioned it because it seemed to work. Then a newer employee suggested moving the staging area a little closer to the hoist to reduce unnecessary carrying.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It&nbsp;wasn&#39;t&nbsp;a revolutionary idea.&nbsp;It was simply a fresh perspective.&nbsp;The result was fewer trips across the roof, less manual&nbsp;handling&nbsp;and&nbsp;a safer work area.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sometimes improvement&nbsp;doesn&#39;t&nbsp;require&nbsp;new technology&nbsp;or expensive equipment.&nbsp;Sometimes it starts with someone asking a question everyone else stopped asking years ago.&nbsp;The best&nbsp;foremen&nbsp;I&#39;ve&nbsp;worked with understood that.&nbsp;</p>

<p>They never acted as though experience meant having all the answers. Instead, they created an environment where questions were welcomed. They understood that a crew member who asks why usually&nbsp;isn&#39;t challenging authority.&nbsp;They&#39;re&nbsp;trying to understand.&nbsp;That&#39;s&nbsp;exactly the thinking every company should encourage.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I&#39;ve&nbsp;found that crews become stronger when experienced roofers and&nbsp;newer&nbsp;employees learn from each other. The veteran brings years of practical knowledge that&nbsp;can&#39;t&nbsp;be taught in a classroom. The newer employee brings something just as valuable&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;A fresh set of eyes.&nbsp;Together, those perspectives often&nbsp;identify&nbsp;opportunities neither person would have recognized alone.&nbsp;</p>

<p>That&#39;s&nbsp;one of the reasons I encourage&nbsp;foremen&nbsp;to spend time listening instead of doing all the talking. Leadership&nbsp;isn&#39;t&nbsp;measured by how many instructions you give during the morning meeting. Sometimes&nbsp;it&#39;s&nbsp;measured by the question you choose to ask before work begins.&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>What are you seeing that I might have missed?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>That&#39;s&nbsp;a powerful question.&nbsp;It tells the crew their observations matter.&nbsp;It encourages people to pay attention.&nbsp;It reinforces that&nbsp;one person&nbsp;doesn&#39;t&nbsp;own&nbsp;safety.&nbsp;It&#39;s&nbsp;something everyone&nbsp;contributes to&nbsp;throughout the day.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I&#39;ve&nbsp;often said that the strongest safety cultures&nbsp;aren&#39;t&nbsp;built on compliance alone.&nbsp;They&#39;re&nbsp;built on communication.&nbsp;When people feel comfortable speaking up, small problems are&nbsp;identified&nbsp;while&nbsp;they&#39;re&nbsp;still easy to correct. When they&nbsp;don&#39;t, those same problems have a way of growing quietly until they become incidents nobody expected.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Looking back over my career, I can think of countless improvements that started with a simple conversation. A better way to stage materials. A safer access route. A different sequence for completing the work. None of those changes came from a regulation.&nbsp;They came from people paying attention.&nbsp;</p>

<p>That&#39;s&nbsp;why&nbsp;I believe curiosity&nbsp;is one of the most underrated qualities in our industry. Curious people continue&nbsp;learning. They continue asking questions. They continue looking for better ways to perform the work.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The day we stop asking questions is often the day we stop improving.&nbsp;That applies to safety just as much as it applies to quality,&nbsp;production&nbsp;or&nbsp;leadership.&nbsp;After forty-five years&nbsp;in&nbsp;roofing, I still find myself learning from people with far less experience than I have. Not because they know more about roofing, but because they sometimes notice things&nbsp;I&#39;ve&nbsp;stopped seeing.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>I&#39;ve&nbsp;come to appreciate those moments.&nbsp;They remind me that experience should never close our minds. It should make us more willing to listen, more willing to&nbsp;learn&nbsp;andmore willing to challenge the routines&nbsp;we&#39;ve&nbsp;developed over a lifetime.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The safest roofing companies&nbsp;I&#39;ve&nbsp;known&nbsp;aren&#39;t&nbsp;built around the idea that one person has all the answers.&nbsp;They&#39;re&nbsp;built around the belief that everyone has something worth noticing.&nbsp;Sometimes the most valuable observation on the entire jobsite comes from the person who has been&nbsp;there&nbsp;the shortest amount of time.&nbsp;The smartest companies recognize that before everyone else does.&nbsp;</p>]]></content:encoded>
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<title>An uneven but expanding market</title>
<link>https://www.metalcoffeeshop.com/post/an-uneven-but-expanding-market</link>
<description>an-uneven-but-expanding-market</description>
<pubDate>Sat, 12 Sep 2026 05:00:00 PDT</pubDate>
<content:encoded><![CDATA[
		<img src='/uploads/media/2026/08/cotney-an-uneven-but-expanding-market.png'
            alt='An uneven but expanding market'
            title='An uneven but expanding market'
            class=''
            style=' '  width='600' height='300'  loading='lazy' decoding='async' /><br><p>By Emma Peterson.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Industry veteran John Kenney shares his perspective on the current opportunities and challenges in the construction coatings market.&nbsp;</h2>

<p><a href="https://www.coatingscoffeeshop.com/rlw/the-construction-coatings-outlook-5">In a new CoatingsTalk&trade;</a>, Heidi J. Ellsworth spoke with <a href="http://coatingscoffeeshop.com/directory/john-kenney-mcs-influencer">John Kenney</a> about the state of the construction coatings industry and what is driving its current changes. John is the CEO of <a href="https://www.coatingscoffeeshop.com/directory/cotney-consulting-group">Cotney Consulting Group</a> and has an extensive background in the industry, both being a third-generation roofer and having had over 45 years of experience in the field personally.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>When asked about what he&rsquo;s seeing in the industry, specifically the coatings market, John used the word uneven. He explained, &ldquo;I don&#39;t think you can simply describe construction as good or bad right now. Conditions are varying considerably by geographical and market segment... Overall, I&rsquo;d say the market isn&rsquo;t moving collectively in one direction.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>But even without a clear direction, there are some trends that John has observed beyond the diversity of experiences across regions. One is the expansion of coatings beyond the roof. As he put it, &ldquo;One of the things that I see as far as coating opportunities, they definitely extend beyond the roof; you have waterproofing, walls, decks and other type of protective applications... All this means that, even though backlogs have shrunk in some areas, there&rsquo;s still profitable work in this market.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>What has created this uneven but expanding market? John pointed to deferred capital spending and rising building owner understanding as some of the growth drivers. &ldquo;Deferred capital spending can create many, many restoration opportunities. The need to maintain the assets are not going to disappear simply because the owner delays a larger capital project,&rdquo; he explained. &ldquo;And what we&rsquo;re seeing is a lot of clients who are realizing coatings are the solution to deferring large amounts of spending while still maintaining their properties.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p>As for some of the factors slowing the market, John&rsquo;s main points were about fuel prices that have been impacted by geopolitics, &ldquo;&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>As we all know, geopolitics are turbulent and where we&rsquo;re feeling that is with oil. Specifically, there&rsquo;s less refining capabilities because of all the wars, so the reason why the output is less is because there&#39;s no way of making more. And that pressure is keeping things like oil prices, fuel shortages, diesel especially, and chemical costs high with no sign of coming down. And those high prices and shortages are felt in everything from gas prices and mobilization expenses to delivered material costs and more.&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Overall, John&rsquo;s outlook is hesitant positivity. In his own words, &ldquo;Projects aren&#39;t going to disappear. And I think that puts us in even a better position for what we&#39;re talking about here, restoration, coating, service and maintenance work even with the challenges.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong><a href="https://www.coatingscoffeeshop.com/rlw/the-construction-coatings-outlook-5">Listen to the whole episode</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGKgc56jrZ0">Watch the recording</a> to learn more!&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p>]]></content:encoded>
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