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In a supply channel long dominated by lumber producers and sellers, BuyMetrics has emerged as a game-changer in lumber procurement. What began as a small, innovative startup in the mid-1990s has evolved into a cornerstone of the modern wood-frame construction industry. With 94 percent of new homes built using wood-frame construction, the acquisition of structural lumber is mission critical to the industry. BuyMetrics’ goal is clear: to leverage data-driven technology to empower buyers of lumber and other volatile commodities, shift the information advantage long held by the sell side toward the buy side, and level the buying and selling playing field. Today, commodity buyers at firms large and small, including every vertically integrated builder and building products distributor in the Fortune 500, rely on BuyMetrics’ market-proven technology. At the heart of BuyMetrics is its founder and chairman, Valerie Hansen, who was driven by the realization that the tactics and strategies surrounding the purchase of lumber were fundamentally different from those used for other building materials. What sets the purchase of near-pure commodities like lumber and steel apart is price discovery. Commodities are ruled by market forces such as supply and demand rather than committed volume. The core task of the commodity buyer is to discover product availability and pricing anew with each purchase. Because every sell-side offer is made subject to prior sale, lumber market dynamics favor buyers who are fast and well informed. Price volatility presents a major challenge not only for lumber buyers but also for downstream customers, including home buyers. The need for a solution that would empower buyers of volatile commodities led Hansen and Scott Moll, Vice President of Engineering, to build BuyMetrics, an online procurement platform designed to bring control, speed, and transparency to the purchase of lumber and other volatile commodities.
Top Construction Tool Tracking Software 2026
In the construction industry, managing tools and equipment is often a complex and time-consuming task. Missing tools can lead to unnecessary purchases, project delays, and miscommunication among teams. ShareMyToolbox, founded by Chris Wirtz, offers a simple, intuitive solution that streamlines tool tracking across both field and office teams. By making tool management more visible and accessible, ShareMyToolbox is transforming how construction companies handle their assets, improving efficiency and accountability across the board. At its core, ShareMyToolbox is designed to bring clarity and transparency to tool tracking. “What we focus on is unlocking knowledge and making it accessible,” says Wirtz, co-founder and CEO. “When everyone, from leadership to the field, can see the same information, things change. Conversations become more grounded. Decisions get easier.” This philosophy guides the company’s approach to tool management, ensuring that teams are not guessing about tool availability or location, but instead have access to clear, real-time information. One of the key features of ShareMyToolbox is its mobile-first platform, which is designed to integrate seamlessly into existing workflows. Wirtz emphasizes that the ShareMyToolbox implementation process begins by reflecting how companies already operate. This ensures that field teams, who may not be tech-savvy, can easily adapt to the system without requiring extensive training. The platform is simple to use; if someone can use a smartphone camera, they can quickly learn to scan tools, borrow them, or perform audits with minimal effort.
Top Construction and Heavy Material Business Software 2026
Construction and heavy materials operators run on tight margins, where every load, invoice, and transaction directly impacts profitability. Sky Systemz helps operators regain control by unifying payments, reconciliation, and daily workflows into one purpose-built platform. Designed specifically for ready-mix plants, quarries, precast, and asphalt operations, SkyOS connects financial and operational systems to reduce friction, improve visibility, and materially increase margins. “We built SkyOS as a complete operating platform for construction businesses, and our payment optimization technology is helping operators increase profits by up to 20 percent,” says Jason Reed, CRO of Sky Systemz and Fractal. Sky Systemz originally entered the market through merchant processing but quickly uncovered a broader industry problem. Construction companies were operating with fragmented systems, rising transaction costs, and hours lost each day to manual reconciliation. In response, Sky Systemz expanded SkyOS beyond payments into a full operational and financial platform aligned with how construction teams actually work in the field—strengthening controls, simplifying workflows, and driving measurable profit improvement. The Billions Back Initiative At the center of Sky Systemz’ mission is the Billions Back Initiative, focused on returning billions of dollars to the construction industry by eliminating unnecessary fees and operational inefficiencies. Through smarter payment routing, optimized transaction methods, and real-time visibility, SkyOS helps companies reclaim profit that has historically been lost to high fees and disconnected systems.
CXO INSIGHTS
Handheld Applications in Power Grid Construction
Stephen King, Director of Information Technology, Irby Construction Company
Transforming Construction Management through Tech Innovation
Julia Salgueiro, Director of Operations Technology, Preston Companies
An Industry Wide Dilemma: Navigating a Workforce Shortage
Todd McKeever, Construction Manager, Knife River
Leveraging Technology to Streamline Construction Processes
Jimmy Kaphusman, Project Director, M. B. Kahn
Where Safety Really Lives: Between the Plan and the Jobsite
Clint Lee, Safety Director, Great Basin Industrial
IN FOCUS
Empowering Construction Projects: The Impact of Digital Tool Tracking
Construction tool tracking software grows through digitalization, IoT adoption, cost control needs, productivity demands, safety improvements, and more innovative asset management.
Building Smarter: The Advantages of Cloud-Driven Lumber Procurement
Cloud-based lumber purchasing platforms enhance procurement efficiency, visibility, cost control, and supply chain resilience across modern construction projects.
EDITORIAL
Shaping Construction Execution Through Technology
With greater precision than ever before. The companies pulling ahead are those pairing disciplined leadership with technologies that bring structure to data, transparency to operations, and tighter control across procurement, field execution, and financial workflows.
Our cover story features BuyMetrics, recognised as Cloud-Based Lumber Purchasing Platform of the Year 2026, for transforming lumber procurement in one of construction’s most volatile supply categories. Built on real-time market data and configurable workflows, BuyMetrics improves price discovery, accelerates decision making, and restores buyer control in fast-moving markets.
Operational accountability and asset visibility are addressed through ShareMyToolbox, recognised as Top Construction Tool Tracking Software 2026. Its mobile-first platform simplifies tool tracking across job sites and offices, reducing loss, improving utilisation, and strengthening preventive maintenance without disrupting established workflows. Complementing this focus, Sky Systemz, recognised as Top Construction and Heavy Material Business Software 2026, is modernising financial operations for ready-mix, quarry, and heavy materials operators. Through its SkyOS platform, the company unifies payments, reconciliation, and daily workflows, helping businesses recover profit lost to fragmented systems and rising transaction costs.
Executive perspectives further ground this issue in real-world execution, shifting the focus from platforms to the people responsible for applying them at scale. Stephen King, Director of Information Technology at Irby Construction Company, explains how handheld applications have become essential field tools in power grid construction, improving safety, accuracy, and responsiveness through close collaboration with crews. Extending this execution-first mindset upstream, Dave Mueller, Director of VDC at Stellar, highlights how Virtual Design and Construction bridges design and delivery, reducing rework and improving sustainability through shared data and coordination.
Together, these stories point to a clear direction for construction technology. We invite readers to explore this issue and engage with the leaders defining the next phase of construction performance.
Copyright © 2026 All Rights Reserved | by: Construction Tech Review
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