Buildforce Acquires Ladder to Consolidate Position as Leading Construction Hiring Platform

The acquisition of Y Combinator-backed Ladder furthers Buildforce's expansion into the Southeastern U.S., where demand for experienced trade workers has accelerated.

Buildforce is redefining how the construction industry sources, manages, and retains its workforce.

HOUSTON, TX—12/18/24— Buildforce ("the Company"), the leading platform connecting skilled electricians with top electrical contractors, today announced it has acquired Ladder, a Y Combinator-backed technology-enabled construction labor marketplace led by Atlanta-based Founder and CEO, Alex Stewart, who will continue on in a leadership role responsible for growing the presence of the Company in the U.S. Southeast region. This strategic acquisition serves as a key milestone in Buildforce's expansion plans in the southeastern U.S. and comes amid unprecedented growth across the construction sector in the region and increasing demand for skilled construction talent.

Buildforce will leverage the Ladder customer base of over 200 customers across six states, as well as its extensive electrician network of over 10,000 pre-screened electricians—the largest in the Southeast. Ladder has seen notable growth since inception, having recently marked its third year in partnership with The IEC Atlanta & Georgia Chapters, a non-profit trade organization, and was presented with the IEC Industry Award for outstanding support of the Atlanta Chapter IEC and the electrical industry in 2022. In addition to launching Georgia in conjunction with the Ladder acquisition, Buildforce launched in Arizona earlier this year and will expand into several additional high-construction volume states in 2025. Contractors in these regions will be introduced to a more integrated, technology-driven approach to talent acquisition and workforce management that drives efficiency and delivers higher-quality project outcomes.

Buildforce was founded in 2019 by Moody Heard, Vu Brown, and Michael Orcutt, who identified a fundamental gap in the construction labor market affecting both skilled tradespeople and contractors. "There are two major problems plaguing the construction labor market. One is that the project-based nature of construction work means tradesmen are constantly 'working themselves out of a job,' meaning high employee turnover. And two, the industry is experiencing a secular decline in the supply of tradesmen relative to surging demand," said Moody Heard, Co-Founder and CEO of Buildforce.

The company was built to modernize construction staffing processes and empower the construction trades as a cornerstone of the U.S. labor market. Through its easy-to-use platform and marketplace-driven approach, Buildforce streamlines the process for identifying, screening, placing, and managing skilled construction professionals on behalf of contractors.

"We are thrilled to welcome Alex and the Ladder platform to Buildforce as we look to further bolster our presence in the Southeast market and create new opportunities for contractors and electricians alike. Alex's wealth of experience across the construction industry will be invaluable to our growth, and we look forward to continuing to shape the future of the construction workforce in one of the fastest-growing regions in the country," added Mr. Heard.

"I am incredibly excited to join the Buildforce team to further its expansion into new markets while staying true to its mission of helping people in the construction trades find more security and fulfillment," said Alex Stewart, Founder and CEO of Ladder and incoming Senior Account Executive at Buildforce. "Buildforce is at the forefront of workforce management for the construction industry, and I look forward to working with Moody and the rest of the talented Buildforce team to drive the business toward continued growth."

About Buildforce

Buildforce is building the first-ever career lifecycle platform for people in the construction trades. Its end-to-end career platform enables people in the construction trades to leverage their skills to maintain consistent work at fair pay and with the benefits of a W-2 employee. Starting with the electrical trade, Buildforce has become the go-to partner, helping hundreds of the largest contractors across its focus geographies connect with this workforce.