In 2025, Building Materials Solutions is an online marketplace connecting contractors, builders, and suppliers with leftover building materials—keeping usable inventory out of landfills and into hands that need it. But this didn’t start with websites, dashboards, or apps. With over 50 years in the building materials industry, the foundation was laid decades ago. It was a simpler time, using newspaper ads, phone calls, and a lot of trial and error. This is how it all built up.
Before the Internet, Before the Apps
A lumber broker in North Central Texas recognized a need in 1985. Customers needed help managing extra material. More importantly, they also needed to deliver supplies quickly during shortages. Determined to find buyers for usable items and suppliers for hard-to-find ones, the lumber broker set the idea to collect and manage builder-submitted ads.
The Hustle
With only a pen, paper, calculator, and a landline on the desk, builders would send details on their surplus construction materials. That lumber broker worked with buyers to achieve their material needs. Many builders would hand in a huge set of blueprints for an entire apartment for a “quantity take-off.” This process determined how much of each item was needed to build the project.
In a time where cell phones were not popular, every sale was in-person. At the time, a newspaper publication, Dodge Reports, now Dodge Construction Networks, would allow us to receive ‘reports’ from specific geographic areas and designate the type and size of construction project we wanted to supply.
BMS in the 21st Century
Between 1985-1990, spending Sales time to help customers offload their excess materials was highly inefficient. The results were normally sales at hugely reduced price; something that wasn’t appealing to builders who expected full value back. After a 30-year hiatus in the materials industry, Building Materials Solutions returned with fresh perspective and better tools. Decades later, the need for offloading surplus materials hasn’t faltered. In 2024, it was time to bring BMS online.
What Changed—and What Didn’t
Over the years, the industry shifted, just not as fast or as dramatically as others. Technology came into play, but many of the same problems stuck around. What changed was how we chose to respond. What didn’t change were the values and day-to-day realities that shaped how we work.
The Building Materials Industry
We’ve seen a shift where value is often measured in savings more than longevity. In today’s market, cost control often takes priority over craftsmanship. While quality still matters, many builders are under pressure to stretch budgets without sacrificing timelines. That is that puts BMS at the top: with over 50 years in the industry, it is a priority for BMS to focus on ways to produce and deliver a quality product more efficiently, compared to other online construction marketplaces.
Core Values that Never Changed: Integrity & Personal Relationships
Integrity and personal relationships were the foundation of earning long-term customers back when business was done face to face. Back then, understanding the needs of each builder and offering cost-saving suggestions created real trust—and that trust often led to repeat business.
While this new platform doesn’t involve those same one-on-one relationships, the principles haven’t changed. Every listing, every transaction, and every user interaction is a chance to provide value; whether it’s through a good deal, a reliable seller, or a more efficient way to find what you need.
What used to happen through personal connections now happens through a platform: still grounded in real experience, just built to reach more people.
Be a Part of Our New Chapter
To us, success means becoming the first place buyers turn when they’re searching for a specific product or a reliable supplier, especially for the hard-to-find materials. It also means giving sellers a straightforward way to move excess inventory by listing on a platform designed with their needs in mind. If BMS can make that process easier, faster, and more dependable for everyone involved, then this next chapter is already a step in the right direction.
We strive to be a part of your construction project management at the start and finish. We are making buying and selling easier, faster, and more reliable. This helps create a better future for material sourcing. We invite the industry to move forward with us.
Our story started in 1985, but we are just beginning. Built on real industry challenges—designed for builders today. Join the marketplace and post your first listing today!