Scott Wolfe Jr.

A husband, dad, & entrepreneur in New Orleans, Scott founded Levelset to even the $1 trillion construction playing field and make payments easier, faster, and more predictable. Levelset is used by thousands of contractors and suppliers nationwide to make payments easier on billions in contract value each year. Scott is a licensed attorney who previously practiced construction law. Recognized by New Orleans City Business as an "Innovator of the Year" and part of their "Leadership in Law Hall of Fame," Scott has been on the Silicon Bayou 100 list every year since 2014, is a winner of Idea Village & Jim Coulter’s IDEAPitch, is the ACG’s reigning Emerging Growth Company, and a Junior Achievement Rising Star.

Articles by Scott Wolfe Jr.

• Construction has a growing problem: Getting paid

  Thursday, October 24, 2019

  For at least half of all contractors in the U.S., getting paid is hard, costly, and time-consuming. That’s according to the 2019 National Construction Payments Report, based on a survey of more than 500 construction professionals conducted by Levelset and TSheets by Quickbooks. According to one survey respondent, "Cash flow is the number one problem we deal with. It is demoralizing and a constant frustration."

• Prompt payment laws: Explaining your right to get paid fast

  Thursday, May 21, 2015

  ​Many are engaged in a global debate about an apparent problem with capitalism. Specifically, that as business organizations get large and powerful, they use their leverage and influence unfairly. This debate is seen across many issues.

• Should you file a mechanics lien claim? 3 things to consider

  Thursday, May 07, 2015

  Those who furnish labor or materials to a construction project have the right to file a mechanics lien claim in the event of nonpayment. This is a remedy first established in America by founding fathers Thomas Jefferson and James Madison to protect suppliers and contractors against a project's financial risks, and the remedy has persisted throughout the nation's history with laws in every state.

• What makes lien waivers unfair?

  Thursday, October 02, 2014

  A few years ago, a Texas contractor got a $20 million judgment against a property owner who was withholding payment. Shortly thereafter, an appeals court unpinned the judgment and awarded $10 million to the property owner for reimbursed attorney fees. What happened?

• Getting paid when your customer goes bankrupt

  Wednesday, September 10, 2014

  Every company has concerns that a customer will file for bankruptcy protection with open receivables, leaving the company high and dry. The dread of receiving a bankruptcy notification is hard to understate. Not only is the form itself dreadful and complicated to manage, but so too is the fear that the account will eventually get written off.

• Technology, innovation required to improve accounts receivable performance

  Wednesday, August 27, 2014

  The economic recession is disappearing and making way for a promising recovery period that challenges financial managers to be creative and strategic in managing their company's working capital. To meet the challenge, business owners and financial managers have access to technology improvements that are finally materializing after decades of promise and interesting data and analytics to help guide decision-making.

• P3 projects: What if you have payment problems?

  Wednesday, August 13, 2014

  Public-private partnership construction projects — commonly referred to as P3 projects — are becoming popular in the construction industry quickly. In fact, President Barack Obama recently took steps to expand the market for P3 transportation projects. This, along with the ordinary national trends, means that you're likely to encounter a P3 project soon.

• The ultimate cheat sheet to improve working capital

  Thursday, July 10, 2014

  The 2008 recession burned a lot of construction and building companies and made them become more financially disciplined. This discipline, however, is being challenged by improving market conditions. Since improving economies present high financial risks, it is more important than ever to understand and improve a company's working capital position.

• The secret way to get paid on aged accounts today

  Monday, June 16, 2014

  ​Most contractors can relate to payment and accounts receivable aging problems. Customers feed out excuse after excuse to delay paying a pay application or invoice in the construction industry.

• 3 mistakes to avoid with accounts receivable management

  Wednesday, June 04, 2014

  Almost anyone running or managing a company, or working in a finance function within a company, knows the challenges with managing accounts receivables. When you pull a cash statement on your business and get to the receivables line, you're just staring at money owed to you, but not in your pocket.

• 4 collection steps that successful construction companies know and employ

  Tuesday, April 22, 2014

  Getting paid in the construction industry is a mess. Construction contracts are riddled with confusing provisions like pay-when-paid clauses or joint check requirements. Mechanics lien and security laws vary from territory-to-territory, and the jobs themselves present scope-of-work issues, inspection problems, and gray areas in change orders.

• 1 secret way you can get paid on aged accounts today

  Tuesday, February 04, 2014

  Most contractors can relate to payment and accounts receivable aging problems. Customers feed out excuse after excuse to delay paying a pay application or invoice in the construction industry. In this article, we're going to explore the cause of payment delay in the construction industry and what companies can do to offset these causes.

• Your 2014 guide to financial risk in the construction industry

  Tuesday, January 21, 2014

  At the start of 2013, many construction industry economists predicted a "rebound" for the industry. While construction spending grew during the calendar year overall, it wasn't quite the rebound originally anticipated. We're now turning the page to 2014, and the industry is excited about lots of positive economic indicators. Are we really on the cusp of a strong market rebound?

• 2014 resolution: Make more money and lose less

  Monday, December 16, 2013

  It's the time of the year for companies to step back from the daily grind and evaluate the prior year's successes and failures, and to plan for the year ahead. Through this process, it's inevitable that you'll pursue your accounts receivable aging report and feel your stomach churn about the money you earned but couldn't collect. The question is why, and perhaps more importantly, how do you correct it and avoid write offs in 2014?

• Mechanics lien: Everything you ever wanted to know

  Tuesday, November 26, 2013

  Material suppliers have unique credit challenges, and the ​mechanics lien instrument is available to meet these challenges. The problem is that the mechanics lien laws are fragmented across the country and extremely convoluted. Learning about all the nuances involved in this area of law is a tall order, but this post will break down the primary need-to-know information about preserving, filing and enforcing a mechanics lien claim.

• Collection strategies: What works to get you paid

  Tuesday, November 19, 2013

  What is the biggest challenge in the construction industry? Many would answer "getting paid." Getting paid in the construction business is an art. The industry suffers from the nation's highest failure rates, works on the lowest net-profit margins and generally must deal with daily work and billing complexities that results in delays, misapplication of funds and a struggling bottom line.

• Should you sign that lien waiver?

  Tuesday, September 24, 2013

  Lien waivers are a popular and confusing topic in the construction industry. Unfortunately, these instruments are encountered nearly every day. Where the promise of payment is concerned, discipline is necessary as lien waiver mistakes come with consequences. This article will serve as a helpful guide through the most common of these mistakes.