Jeff Booth

WHAT GOT YOU STARTED?

by Burke Campbell 

Published in the Financial Post

 March 2, 2009

Jeff Booth is president of BuildDirect (www.builddirect.com). Headquartered in Vancouver, the online company sells building materials directly to buyers. Jeff Booth tells the Financial Post what motivated him to become an entrepreneur.

Starting out: “Dropping out of college, I found success in real estate, then got into the building industry. I soon realized new technology could eliminate middlemen and reduce costs.”

Revolutionary model: “In 1999, business partner Robert Banks and I founded BuildDirect. Introducing proprietary logistics technology that instantly calculated shipping rates – factoring in road weight capacities, customs clearances, shipping distances, container shapes, and modes of transport, we stripped approximately 50% off the usual retail prices.”

Range: “We sell flooring, siding, tiling, roofing, landscape materials, with our range of products expanding. Basically, we handle everything, shipping from trusted manufacturers directly to our customers, corporations or consumers.”

Resilient: “In 2007, sales reached $50 million, and despite a slowing housing economy, BuildDirect posted record sales in December 2008.”

Grapevine: “I talk up the business on social networks, like Twitter. Many customers find us that way, and word of our quality, service, and reliability has spread.

The best: “I work hard because it’s my passion. With a growing family, I couldn’t have a better life.”

 ~~