The dot-coms are coming back.
Last year, we reported on two Websites that hold great promise in the construction industry. One is Textura Corp., which makes it easier for contractors to get paid by automating bank draws and lien waivers. The other is GC Iron, a parts retailer that helps mechanics diagnose problems with their machines so fleets can avoid downtime.
Kurt Fisher (pictured above) has found another way to solve industry problems. He used to work in an electrical-supply warehouse in Denver and grew tired of handling surplus goods that contractors would return after wrapping up a job.
"Every month, I would literally back the dumpster up to a truck and throw it all away," says Fisher, the 39-year-old founder of ZamRay.com, which opened for business earlier this month.
The new site, which is exhibiting at this week's World of Concrete in Vegas, is a marketplace—not unlike Craigslist—for surplus construction goods. Owners, contractors, suppliers and others are invited to search for goods and post old stock for a $25 fee for 90 days (the site currently is free through February).
Construction companies, owners and suppliers throw away and write off thousands of dollars of good-quality, surplus goods every month. Fisher sees his company as a way to help companies recover those dollars while recycling product back into the field.
Fisher spent the last three months getting the site ready for prime time. It is being backed by Westminster, Colo.-based National Energy Services and Investments LLC, a private-equity arm of contractor Northern Electric Inc.
Since ZamRay went online, it has received more than 15,000 page views and 10,000 classified ads, Fisher says. The site also allows people to look for jobs, post resumes and search for professional services.
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