No Software Fit His Shop, So He Built His Own ERP | Zack Boaz | Highridge | The Contracting Compass

Zack Boaz spent about eleven years in IT staffing and consulting before he touched construction. He got tired of the politics, got pushed out for not playing the game, and in 2018 ended up at a pool party listening to friends who worked for a large home builder complain about their suppliers. The complaints were not complicated. Communication. Invoicing. Billing. He asked a question that started a company: if I fixed those things, would you give me a shot. They did. Highridge started in residential warranty work, added commercial facility maintenance, then amenity centers for developers. At the end of 2022 Zack bought a precast concrete plant. When the market cooled he got licensed for water, fire, mold and asbestos work. Along the way he tried four to five dispatch platforms, gave up, went back to Outlook and spreadsheets, then built his own. It runs the whole company now. IN THIS EPISODE How Highridge grew from warranty work into precast concrete and restoration What it takes to get licensed for mold and asbestos abatement Why four to five off-the-shelf dispatch platforms all failed the same way How Zack used an AI platform to build his own ERP inside a year KEY TAKEAWAYS Highridge founder Zack Boaz started the company in 2018 after home builders complained about supplier communication, invoicing and billing transparency. Highridge tried four to five scheduling and dispatch platforms, reverted to Outlook and spreadsheets, then built its own system in-house. Zack Boaz used an AI development platform to build an internal project management tool for Highridge that grew into a full ERP with dispatch, billing and job costing inside about a year. Highridge acquired a precast concrete operation at the end of 2022 and added mold and asbestos restoration licensing after the housing market slowed. CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open 00:27 Meet Zack Boaz of Highridge 00:54 From IT staffing and consulting into construction 02:24 The 2018 pool party that started the company 02:42 What home builders complain about with their suppliers 03:35 Finding a problem worth building a business around 04:42 Growing from residential into a one stop shop 05:20 The 2019 and 2020 housing boom 06:01 Making it easy to work with us 06:20 Expanding into commercial facility maintenance 07:46 Buying a precast concrete plant in 2022 08:50 Why the housing slowdown pushed them into restoration 09:29 What big box restoration companies charge for drying equipment 10:03 Starting a restoration division 11:10 Getting licensed for mold and asbestos abatement 11:36 Hiring 25 years of experience to lead a new division 12:24 Speaking the insurance carrier's language 14:51 What software actually runs a construction business 15:52 Job scoping and crew size math 16:33 Trying four to five different dispatch tools 17:24 Why project management software fails on short jobs 19:09 Using an AI tool to build their own system 21:38 Turning an internal tool into a full ERP 23:59 Managing maintenance on 3,000 rental units 26:03 Where AI takes construction next 29:10 Why AI will not replace the field crew 30:35 Expanding from DFW to Austin, San Antonio and Houston 32:59 Per user software pricing and tools in the field 35:19 Advice for year one in construction 36:30 Getting out of tool hauling faster ABOUT THE SHOW The Contracting Compass is a podcast about the people who build things. I talk with contractors, suppliers and manufacturers across the United States about how they started, how they grew, what broke along the way, and what they use to run the business now. I am Austin Gray. I run Cannon Catalyst, where I help small businesses in the trades put AI and better systems to work on lead generation, estimating, follow-up, and the administrative load that eats an owner's week. ABOUT HIGHRIDGE Highridge is a construction, precast concrete and restoration company based in Dallas Fort Worth, serving Austin, San Antonio, West Texas and Houston. Work covers residential warranty, commercial facility maintenance, development construction and precast screen wall fencing. Website: https://highridge.com/ Instagram:   / highridgeconstruction   LinkedIn:   / highridge   CONNECT Cannon Catalyst: https://cannoncatalyst.com/ Cannon Catalyst on Instagram:   / cannon_catalyst   The Contracting Compass on Instagram:   / thecontractingcompass   What software have you given up on, and what did you go back to? #construction #contractor #generalcontractor #restoration #constructionbusiness #northtexas #constructiontech