Jobsite Unite rolled out on two Dean Snyder Construction sites in the Des Moines area.
DES MOINES—With more than a decade of experience, Jay Olsen knows a thing or two about working on a construction site.
He’s done everything from the “boots-on-the-ground” carpentry work to serving as a project manager, managing as many as five crews on multiple job sites. But no matter his role, Olsen says communication between different roles on the job site has always been a challenge.
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“It was always a constant struggle with my team or for other subcontractors on other job sites,” Olsen told SPN. “It’s something contractors always cite as a problem in planning meetings.”
Enter Jobsite Unite, a mobile and web platform that helps contractors streamline communication between superintendents, foreman, project managers and works to make for a more efficient construction site.
About two weeks ago, Jobsite Unite launched its product, Jobsite Groups, with its first partner, Dean Snyder Construction, on two of the company’s construction projects in the Des Moines area. So far, Olsen says the it’s been going well and the company is eager to expand its work with the startup.
“They’ve wanted to incorporate the service (with more projects) faster than expected,” he said. “We want to take our time and scale, and the industry is asking us to have it ready faster than we initially planned.
“One of the things that’s interesting is I thought they’d be more tentative to introduce the software, and some are, but there are certainly guys already using some types of software out there and they’re seeing the benefits.”
When workers of any level join a job site group, they’re able to see a social media-style feed of the site’s activity and co-workers’ updates as well as having access to a database of contact information for everyone working on the project.
There also is a networking component of the app that allows contractors and different members of the construction team to connect, sometimes, Olsen says, much earlier in a project than normal.
The Jobsite Unite mobile app is free and currently available for iOS and Android. However, a general contractor must purchase and set up specific Jobsite Groups for users to be able to interact with ongoing construction projects.
In March, the startup was awarded a $50,000 loan from the Iowa Innovation Acceleration Fund to refine its product.
