Six years ago Ben Hitson of Redmond began devising a plan to start his own company before finally meeting with partners Jason Dale and Bryant Haley in May 2012 to discuss an idea that is now Laborwest.com. They continued to meet at least once a week for several months, working weekends and long hours to keep the time frame they set for themselves, reaching their launch date in January this year.
Hitson has been in the construction industry since he was young. He started going to work with his father as a child, growing into a worker as the years progressed. During this time he worked for many contractors of all sizes learning every aspect of the drywall trade. “Through this experience I knew I wanted to start my own business. As I watched and learned I began to notice a pattern,” states Hitson. “Every contractor I worked for had a difficult time finding quality workers and struggled to keep them busy once they found them.”
Hitson added that workers faced similar adversities, bouncing from company to company, becoming fearful when the job neared its completion date.
These experiences are what drove Hitson to come up with Laborwest. “Laborwest is my answer to problems we face in the construction industry,” he said. “I will work tirelessly with my partners to grow this into everything I’ve imagined it can become.”
Laborwest.com offers a network where contractors and workers can create profiles that serve as resumes, allowing them to view potential employees or jobs. By creating a group and naming it after a job, Laborwest members can blog, post job opportunities and much more.
Hitson reiterated that it is difficult to keep good workers once a job is complete. Laborwest.com provides construction contractors, workers and the customers they serve with the tools and connections needed to help keep the contact going between contractors and workers, even after a job is complete. The company also offers resources in safety, current news in the construction industry and a social networking menu with specialized groups where you can connect with other members.
The website offers the ability to view profiles, add friends, share photos and videos, create and join groups. “My vision is to become a nationwide database that can be accessed across the U.S.,” Hitson said.
With the help from local businesses, Laborwest.com offers great benefits for becoming a member in their first months of opening its site. The partners feel the website is a great resource, and the possibilities Laborwest.com has to offer will be endless. “I will work tirelessly with my partners to grow this into everything I’ve imagined it can become.”
