Owens Corning has received the Women’s Choice Award® (WCA) for the fifth consecutive year. Recognizing Owens Corning as “America’s Most Recommended™” shingle manufacturer, the award and accompanying seal are based on a national unaided survey asking American women to select brands they would highly recommend to family and friends.

As the Women’s Choice Award seal signifies consumers’ brand loyalty and support, it also is a powerful indicator of a brand’s commitment to its customers. The award reflects Owens Corning’s ongoing effort to support women in making the best roofing choices for themselves and their families.

“It’s important to note that the findings come from women respondents selected by an independent, third-party source and not from an Owens Corning customer list," said Sue Burkett, marketing manager. "The respondents objectively judged our brand based on the resources and the wide range of beautiful shingles we make available to them. Owens Corning Roofing recognizes and celebrates the influence of women when it comes to exterior style decisions, and this award tells us the breadth of design tools we offer are helping inspire women in their shingle selection process.”

As home improvement decision makers and style influencers, women value the recommendations and referrals of other women. According to the Women’s Choice Award organization, over 90% of female consumers value the opinion of others when making purchasing decisions. The seal represents a trusted, third-party validation reflecting the confidence of women to choose Owens Corning Roofing products for their home.

"With so many choices in the marketplace today, the Women's Choice Award serves as a trusted endorsement and visual beacon of empowerment for women, simplifying the decisions involved in home improvements," said Delia Passi, founder and CEO of the Women's Choice Award. "When she sees the Women's Choice Award seal it provides an unparalleled level of trust and validation, putting her mind at ease – and that's priceless. We congratulate Owens Corning Roofing for their focus on delivering a superior experience to female consumers."

Adams and Reese LLP announced it has joined forces with Tampa, Fla.-based Cotney Construction Law LLP, a full-service legal and consulting firm serving the construction and infrastructure industries, according to its website.

A total of 16 attorneys from the Cotney firm will join Adams and Reese's current roster of 58 construction attorneys and takes the group to 75, making it one of the largest construction practices in the country.

"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 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.

"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 CEO 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 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.

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."

Jeffrey Brooks, chair of the executive committee at Adams and Reese, said as the complexity of business challenges increases in response to a more interconnected global economy, clients are seeking advice at national and international levels.

"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,” Brooks said.

GAF, in partnership with the City of Shafter in California and Project for Public Spaces (PPS), hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the official opening of the Shafter Learning Center’s new expanded learning area. Following the ribbon cutting, members of the community joined in on a celebration event where they explored the expanded facilities, signed up for classes and enjoyed fun and engaging activities.

GAF, a proud member and employer in the Shafter community for more than a decade, as well as the team from PPS and City of Shafter, worked closely with education specialists and community residents to determine the best use of the space. The result is a new learning area that includes additional classroom and meeting space, a new children's library where families can relax and read together, and a new, colorful pavement area using StreetBond that expands the usable outdoor space.

"The people who benefit the most from this are the community. So our students, our parents, the folks that live here in Shafter, who come here and take classes and want a better future, who have dreams for a better future,"  America Niño-Rodriguez, program manager with the City of Shafter Library and Learning Center, told ABC-affiliated KERO-TV.

The expansion project is part of GAF’s social impact initiative, GAF Community Matters, which is focused on making a positive difference as neighbors and partners in the community by leveraging roofing expertise, resources and products to help build resilient communities.

CHESTER, Pa. — Power Home Remodeling (Power) revealed two new policies to support its growing veteran and veteran spouse community, spearheaded by the Power Veterans Initiative (PVI). The nationally-recognized top workplace is offering five additional days of paid time off for veterans to attend any Veteran Affairs (VA) appointments pertaining to preventative care, disability claims, mental health counseling, or any appointment needed with their local VA office. Veteran spouses can also utilize this paid time off if a veteran requires a medical escort.

Additionally, the company is now offering one day off for National Guard and Reserve members to re-acclimate after their required annual training or extended active duty orders to help them transition back into civilian life and work. Power implemented these policies in an effort to not only improve the experience at work for the veteran population, but to support their physical and mental well-being.

“It can be extremely difficult and overwhelming to navigate working with the VA to seek medical care and mental health support coming out of the military,” said Hollie Delaney, chief people officer at Power Home Remodeling and a veteran spouse. “Veterans are dealing with that along with transitioning back into civilian life and work, so when our military affairs team told us that our people needed this, we undoubtedly said ‘yes.’ We’re committed to offering resources and support to our military community.”

The changes are the direct result of feedback from PVI’s Quick Response Forces (QRF) — a rapid response unit common in the military — consisting of frontline veteran and inspired civilian employees who continue to build the initiative, gain employee intelligence and feedback across the business, and improve the experience for veterans at Power.

The move correlates with a shift in how veterans are using services offered by the VA, with a particular focus on mental health. Usage of mental health services from the VA increased 90% from 2016 to 2019, and the VA is projecting an additional 32% increase in outpatient mental health care over the next 10 years, a critical tool to combat the suicide rate among veterans, which is 1.5 times higher than the general population.

After learning of widespread underutilization and cancellation of VA appointments within the Power veteran community for fear of missing work or utilizing too much of their standard paid time off, the QRF developed and implemented these new policies with support from Power’s HR department and executive leadership.