Crazy for ConTech with Jay Martin, AlignOps

Welcome to ‘Crazy for ConTech’ with Romey Oulton, a Q&A focused on the Construction Technology Industry. 

This Q&A series is an opportunity for our Head of ConTech, Romey Oulton, to discuss all things construction technology with key players who are championing innovation and digitalisation in the construction space. 

This week we have been in touch with Jay Martin, CEO at AlignOps

AlignOps solve the problems that keep construction workers in the field from being as efficient and safe as they can be while allowing the management team to understand real-time trends and make real-time adjustments to drive profitability.

What’s a belief you had when starting out your career that you’ve since changed your mind about?

I thought that I had to conform to what was expected of someone in a given role, vs. be the best possible version of myself … and it was exhausting. There are multiple paths to success and having the courage to chart your own can be scary, but ultimately empowering.

How did your upbringing influence how you approach risk?

I am a first generation American and grew up on a farm in a rural area of NY state. My immigrant dad built his dairy operation from the ground up and I was involved in working on the farm from an early age. Getting a first-hand view of the value and necessity of hard work, and seeing that anything was possible from that work (even if you came to this country with very little) is a lesson I have carried throughout my life. The word “Risk” takes on a whole new meaning when you see what others before you put on the line to create a better life.

What’s something you’ve done as a leader that you’re really proud of, but no one saw?

I believe that how you conduct yourself in private (when no one is watching or can call you on what you are doing) should mirror how you conduct yourself when the lights are shining brightly. Treating everyone in the organization with respect, giving them the real opportunity (maybe responsibility?) to disagree with a statement or vision and propose a better path is core to the growth of a team, but also of a leader.

I endeavor to practice this and hold myself accountable if I do not.

What’s one piece of advice you ignored—and you’re so glad you did?

We are often told that we should have a plan and work towards it – which I agree with. Taking the time to plan out what you want to do, how you will get there, and the support that you will need is an important step. However, I also believe that luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity – the implication of which is that you need to allow for serendipity in your life and be willing to take the road less traveled.  The most fulfilling personal and professional momentsI have had in my life have come from a series of seemingly disconnected events that led me to some interesting places. The experience we gain can prepare us for opportunities we could have never have conceived of at the outset of the journey.

If you could have a dinner party with 3 people – dead or alive – who would it be and why?

Jean Moulin, Ferdinand de Lesseps and Harriet Tubman.

I am fascinated by the decision-making process that occurs under pressure, and the innate sense of self that some people possess that allows them to carry on in the face of adversity due to the courage of their convictions (regardless of whether they are  ultimately successful).

What was the problem that frustrated you so much, you had to fix it? Why did you personally feel like you could be the one to fix it?

We have built our business by bringing together 4 of the most forward thinking contech products – BusyBusy, SafetyReports, ToolWatch and FleetWatcher. Each of these was founded by someone in industry that was solving a real-world, field-focused problem. Be it providing owners with a quick and easy way to understand their labor costs at the project level, reducing the time required to ensure that workplace is safe, improving the efficiency of paving operations, or ensuring that the right tools are available to support a project kick off. We stand on the shoulders of the four founders (all of whom remain engaged in our business)…  and take that legacy and responsibility quite seriously.

Was there a moment when you knew AlignOps could be industry game changer?

Not a moment, but the series of moments that occur when you have the opportunity to spend time with customers and see the problems faced in the field, and how we can help to minimize or eradicate those problems. Construction is hard – I tell people that to truly understand why construction is so difficult, try putting your desk, computer and phone outside in the elements for a week and let me know if your productivity ebbs and flows.

We help construction companies create safer worksites, demonstrably more efficient operations, and drive higher levels of productivity and profitability with our suite of time keeping, project management, asset management and materials management solutions – every construction business can get better and safer by using our products – and we in turn get better by being their partners and learning from them.

Company growth plans: 1 year, 3 years, 5 years (i.e.: geographies, products, verticals, headcount, funding)

Our focus is delivering an experience for our customers that allows them to  leverage the power of the individual products in an integrated way – shared users, people, projects, equipment, etc. while continuing to be thought leaders in the construction technology space – creating features and capabilities that will drive the space forward. We are focused on delivering value across many parts of the construction industry, and tying them together so that our customers can get outsized benefits by working with us.

What do you look for in your first 5-10 hires?

There are certainly different traits in individuals that make one more suited to a start-up vs a company at scale, but I think that the core personality traits I look for are the ones that make others excited to work with that individual. I want to surround myself with people that are smarter than me (low bar) but more importantly that exhibit passion, intensity and intellectual curiosity.

Are they willing to persevere in the face of adversity – there is adversity around every corner and I think that the way that one handles a situation is much more related to consistent outcomes than the situations we encounter themselves.
Are they more interested in what they can do in a given situation than what others can/should/will do for them.
Can they be at their most calm and focused when everything around them may seem chaotic?
Can they raise up the people around them and be a force multiplier?

I believe that showing up on time, ready to roll, with a fantastic attitude and a solution-orientation is well more than half the battle of being successful in any role.

How do you think about moat and defensibility in your space?

We don’t spend a lot of time talking about  moats or defending our space. We try to spend all of our time and energy talking about how we can best serve the industry with the underlying assumption being that continuously delivering value to our customers is the best possible moat, and a guarantor of continued growth.