Dan Houghton co-founded Buildertrend in 2006 with Steve and Jeff Dugger to solve a persistent, overlooked problem: most residential construction pros were still juggling spreadsheets, emails, and phone calls to manage their projects. There was no streamlined way to estimate jobs, manage schedules, or communicate with customers. After one early customer wrote a $4,000 check on the spot, the three founders had their proof of concept.
They started small: just three employees and a modest office in Omaha. But Buildertrend caught on. Even in 2008—when the Great Recession left much of the industry reeling—they finished the year with 80% growth and began expanding into the remodeling sector. By 2012, they had launched a mobile app for iOS and Android, giving contractors better tools in the field and signaling a shift toward truly modern construction software.
Nearly two decades later, Buildertrend has evolved into one of the most widely used residential construction management platforms, powering over 2 million projects in 100+ countries. That global footprint reflects how deeply the platform has embedded itself into the daily operations of builders, remodelers, and specialty contractors.
As CEO, Houghton has kept the product grounded in real-world needs. He used the platform himself when building his own house, texting his team every time the experience fell short. "This doesn’t make any sense," he told them. The product improved because of it.
He’s also shaped Buildertrend’s internal culture with intention. Many new hires are referrals—friends, former coworkers, even family members. Houghton sees that as a signal of trust. “If you’re not committed,” he’s said, “you won’t scale.” And scale they did: in 2019, the company hired its 500th employee and surpassed 1 million users. And the growth hasn’t stopped yet.
