CLEVELAND, Feb 19 – Trade Hounds, the largest social marketplace for contractor tradespeople in the U.S., has acquired WRANGLD, a SaaS platform designed to streamline commerce between distributors, contractors, and owner/end-users. This strategic acquisition will equip nearly 400,000 Trade Hounds users with new digital tools to enhance efficiency and productivity in the construction industry.
The integration of WRANGLD’s technology into the Trade Hounds platform will enable contractors to manage their work more effectively. For over three years, WRANGLD has provided time-saving estimation and proposal tools, allowing contractors to focus on their core work rather than administrative tasks.
JD Dyke, former co-founder and CEO of WRANGLD, expressed enthusiasm about the merger.
“When we look at the road map of Trade Hounds and WRANGLD coming together and the tools that we can provide together to help contractors, it is very exciting to know this is where the future is going and how this is going to help the industry,” he said.
Addressing a Key Industry Pain Point
A recent Trade Hounds user poll highlighted inefficiencies in the industry, with 72% of respondents reporting that they frequently switch between multiple platforms for job estimation, proposals, scheduling, invoicing, and collections. This fragmented workflow slows down operations and increases frustration among contractors.
Trade Hounds and WRANGLD aim to address this issue by consolidating essential business tools into a single platform, reducing time-consuming inefficiencies and streamlining operations for both contractors and distributors.
“It's often tedious to make one simple order,” Dyke explained. “If you're doing multiple orders a day, it slows down progress. That is kind of the norm that we've accepted in the industry, and that's something that we definitely look to change.”
Enhancing the Buying Experience for Contractors
Industry data shows that about 70% of Trade Hounds users visit a distributor branch at least once a week, and over half purchase materials from four or more distributors. However, fewer than 10% described their experience using distributor websites and apps as seamless.
Recognizing this challenge, Trade Hounds recently introduced a supply house connection feature, allowing users to leverage AI to quickly locate and optimize product availability at nearby distributor branches. The acquisition of WRANGLD will further improve this feature, ensuring that contractors can complete purchases more efficiently and get back to work faster.
Trade Hounds CEO David Bauders emphasized the importance of removing friction from the procurement process.
“As distributors think about helping their customers to win more business, it's so important to take that friction out of the process because the contractor who proposes first often wins the bid,” he said. “So, for distributors who aren't participating in these workflow tools, they're basically making it harder for their contractor customers to win those bids.”
Building a National Commerce Platform
Trade Hounds' acquisition of WRANGLD signals a broader shift in the company’s mission. Initially launched as a social media app for skilled tradespeople, Trade Hounds is now evolving into a fully integrated construction ecosystem. The company is working with manufacturers and distributors to develop a national commerce platform for construction materials, supplies, tools, and parts.
This expanded platform will enable contractors to access a comprehensive digital tool belt for managing every aspect of their workflow, from procurement to invoicing. Dyke will join Trade Hounds CTO Jon Clark and his team to integrate WRANGLD’s capabilities into the Trade Hounds app and website.
Digitization and AI to Close the Productivity Gap
Despite the growing availability of digital procurement tools, more than 70% of Trade Hounds users still rely on phone calls, spreadsheets, emails, and even pen and paper for key business functions such as estimating, proposals, job management, billing, and collections. This gap presents a significant opportunity for Trade Hounds to introduce automation and AI-driven solutions that can increase contractor efficiency and profitability.
Bauders highlighted the urgency of addressing the industry’s productivity challenges.
“There's a real labor shortage coming, and we're not getting enough people into the skilled trades fast enough to even make up for people who are retiring, let alone all the expanding needs because of infrastructure projects nationally. In addition, extreme weather, infrastructure investment, data centers, and such are really accelerating the demand for more construction, upgrade, and repair,” he said. “I think the big opportunity is to increase productivity. We can start to help each person working streamline and automate tedious workflow steps while better serving the end customer. And then to be able to digitize and incorporate AI, I think we have a real opportunity to close the productivity gap.”
By merging WRANGLD’s technology with its existing platform, Trade Hounds aims to revolutionize the way contractors and distributors interact, ultimately fostering a more efficient, digitally-driven construction industry.
About Trade Hounds
Trade Hounds is the largest social marketplace for the construction industry in America. Nearly 400,000 tradespeople use the free app to watch install tutorials, share industry expertise, and connect with nearby distributor branches for product sourcing. Originally launched as a social media community for skilled workers, Trade Hounds has expanded to serve the entire construction ecosystem, including contractors, manufacturers, and distributors.
Distributors share product catalogs to streamline purchasing, while manufacturers use the platform to introduce new products and receive real-time feedback from skilled professionals. With precise user-targeting capabilities based on zip code, job title, trade, and industry, Trade Hounds helps businesses effectively reach and engage their target audiences. To learn more, visit Visit Trade Hounds.
Originally reported by Kacie Crown in Construction Dive.