After decades immersed in the construction industry, Tony Bertagnoli knows firsthand the challenges trade contractors face—and the untapped opportunities technology can unlock. From managing projects to leading digital transformation initiatives at Rexel, Tony has built a career on finding smarter, more efficient ways to get work done.

Now, as a Senior Solutions Architect at Kojo, he’s helping contractors embrace technology to streamline workflows and stay competitive in an evolving industry.

In this blog, Tony shares insights from his construction career, his take on the latest tech trends, and practical advice for trade contractors looking to level up.

Tell Us About Your Career In Construction

As mentioned before, Tony is no stranger to working in construction – especially when it comes to working with or around electrical trade contractors.

“I've actually been in the construction industry for over 20 years, working for engineering firms, architecture firms, and general contractors. The majority of that time I spent on the distribution side working with Rexel.”

Tony went on to explain that his time at Rexel involved him having to take on many different responsibilities.

“Some of my duties at Rexel included inside sales and project management. At one point, I was a switchgear manager. But most of that time, towards the end, I was a digital solutions leader. I was focused on aiding customers adopting a digital footprint within their business.”

What Frustrated You Most In Those Roles?

Battling the status quo was often an uphill battle for Tony. This was certainly the case when he was a digital solutions leader at Rexel.

Moving Electrical Contractors From Paper To Digital Processes

“Getting customers to adopt a digital mentality was really the most challenging part because most contractors are accustomed to such a paper way of life. Making those changes takes time, and in many cases, new technology was a challenge they thought they didn’t have time for mainly because they have all the paper workflows they have to manage, so it was a bit of a catch-22.”

Tony also shared one area in which he was able to get over this challenge.

Identifying a Change Manager‍

“Finding that champion within an organization that would grab this [new tech], commit to learning it, and then relay back those new workflows to the company – showing them there is a better way of doing things was huge.”

How Would Kojo Have Streamlined Your Work?

Here, Tony didn’t point out a specific product feature, but rather our people and approach to construction tech.

“We have such a wide array of customers where we’ve seen their processes – what works and what doesn’t. We’ve seen how their workflows have changed, and often for the better. So we able to use that knowledge to help trade contractors adopt tech much faster and feel much more comfortable with developing a digital footprint in other areas.”‍

The Latest In Construction: What Are You Seeing?

Tony pointed out something that we at Kojo have been bullish on.‍

More Integrations Across Trade Contractors Overall Operations

“I think if anything, it's just going to be a continual rise in that area [technology] where it's going to get to the point where everything that they [trade contractors] do is going to be connected in some way or other to their suppliers, to the manufacturers, to the end users. That's the direction that I feel like everything is going.”

Kojo has been at the forefront of this trend. We have an entire team dedicated to building and maintaining integrations with other construction tech software like Procore, Stratus, Vista, FOUNDATION, and many more.

These integrations connect different areas of a trade contractor's operations, including prefab, AP, and procurement, helping to smooth operations across the board.

What’s Your Go-To Advice for Trade Contractors?

Having worked in the industry for over two decades, Tony kept his advice straightforward.‍

Take a Birds-Eye View Of How You Operate

“A lot of customers don’t know how or why certain processes were put in place. It has just been something they’ve done for years and it's what they learned when they were trained. But they need to take a step back and look because it could be a situation where they have multiple redundancies built into those processes.”

He also mentioned doing something that so many in the industry all to often shy away from.‍

Seek Help From Other Experts In Your Trade

“You know, ask for help, but believe it or not, there's a lot of different organizations, trade organizations that are there to actually help. Kojo works with a number of these organizations. We have tools that can help make things smoother for contractors. We also have the expertise to give advice that’s tailored to how your trade contractor operates.”

Learn more about Kojo, our product, and our team of experts like Lauren here.