The Blue Book Network, also known as The Contractor's Blue Book or simply as The Blue Book, is a
marketing, workflow
software and print media company.
The company name is rooted in the fact that for over 104 years they have published numerous regional buyers guides listing
commercial construction companies, largely
subcontractors
A subcontractor is an individual or (in many cases) a business that signs a contract to perform part or all of the obligations of another's contract.
Put simply the role of a subcontractor is to execute the job they are hired by the contractor ...
and
suppliers. Now twice annually (Spring & Fall), 32 regional
blue book editions are delivered to
property managers,
facilities managers and commercial
general contractors
A general contractor, main contractor or prime contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and the communication of information to all involved parties throughout the course of ...
. It is often compared to a
yellow pages for contractors, given the focus on mini ads within The Who's Who of Building & Construction and the more recent evolution of
search engine marketing.
History
The company traces its roots to when Joseph O'Malley, president of The Society of the Allied Building Trades, first published a
subcontractor's registry for
New York City in 1913. The ''Subcontractors Register for the Allied Building Trades'' was a directory of subcontractors for the New York City area, listing companies by their trade. It was published by Joseph O'Malley (1893–1985) who was later joined by his nephew,
Walter Francis O'Malley
Walter Francis O'Malley (October 9, 1903 – August 9, 1979) was an American sports executive who owned the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers team in Major League Baseball from 1950 to 1979. In 1958, as owner of the Dodgers, he brought major league ...
, as editor.
The 1942 version calls itself: "A Classified List for the Allied Building Trades of Sub-Contractors, Material Dealers & Manufacturers, General Contractors & Builders, Architects — Engineers, Real Estate Management Firms".
In 1999, the company extended its focus to include bid messaging and private project reporting. A private and secure online plan room providing full reporting called BB-Bid was released at no cost to general contractors and property/facility managers. The BB-Bid software (now rebranded as http://OneTeam.build) allows a user to upload a construction project onto the site and message the bid to the subcontracting and supplier community, regardless of their presence in the paid print directory.
In 2013, the company became an
Employee Owned Corporation
Employee stock ownership, or employee share ownership, is where a company's employees own shares in that company (or in the parent company of a group of companies). US employees typically acquire shares through a share option plan. In the UK, Emp ...
with the creation of an
employee stock ownership plan devised by then owner James O'Malley. James O'Malley had been the CEO for over 50 years.
In 2014, they partnered with BUILD to help commercial construction companies secure their targeted domain and appropriate domain name registration.
In 2016, The Blue Book introduced its new regional construction magazines - The Who's Who in Building & Construction (and each edition includes their regional buyer's guide). The magazines are published in both the spring and fall.
In 2019 The Blue Book Network, released Engage, a FREE business communication app built specifically for the US commercial construction industry.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blue Book Network
Marketing software
Workflow applications
Mass media companies of the United States
Marketing companies of the United States