The Blue Book Network, also known as The Contractor's Blue Book or simply as The Blue Book, is a

marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

, workflow

software Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications. The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...

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 Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

companies, largely

subcontractors A subcontractor is a person or business which undertakes to perform part or all of the obligations of another's contract, and a subcontract is a contract which assigns part of an existing contract to a subcontractor. A general contractor, prime ...

and

suppliers A supply chain is a complex logistics system that consists of facilities that convert raw materials into finished products and distribute them to end consumers or end customers, while supply chain management deals with the flow of goods in distr ...

. Now twice annually (Spring & Fall), 32 regional blue book editions are delivered to

property manager A property manager or estate manager is a person or firm charged with operating a real estate property for a fee. The property may be individual title owned or owned under the sectional title, share block company owned, and may be registered for ...

s, facilities managers and commercial general contractors. It is often compared to a

yellow pages The yellow pages are Telephone directory, telephone directories of business, businesses, organized by category rather than alphabetically by business name, in which advertising is sold. The directories were originally printed on yellow paper, ...

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 Search engine marketing (SEM) is a form of Internet marketing that involves the promotion of websites by increasing their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) primarily through paid advertising. SEM may incorporate search engine op ...

History

The company traces its roots to when Joseph O'Malley, president of The Society of the Allied Building Trades, first published a

subcontractor A subcontractor is a person or business which undertakes to perform part or all of the obligations of another's contract, and a subcontract is a contract which assigns part of an existing contract to a subcontractor. A general contractor, prime ...

's registry for

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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, 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 with the creation of an

employee stock ownership plan 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 ...

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. In 2021,

Symphony Technology Group STG Partners, LLC (STG) is an American private equity firm and based in Menlo Park, California. Its predecessor, Symphony Technology Group ("Symphony") was founded in 2002Dorbian, Iris (July 1, 2024) STG Rising: Hailing the Newcomer on the 100. ...

announced a strategic merger of The Blue Book and Dodge Data & Analytics, which the

private equity Private equity (PE) is stock in a private company that does not offer stock to the general public; instead it is offered to specialized investment funds and limited partnerships that take an active role in the management and structuring of the co ...

firm previously acquired from

McGraw Hill McGraw Hill is an American education science company that provides educational content, software, and services for students and educators across various levels—from K-12 to higher education and professional settings. They produce textbooks, ...

in 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blue Book Network Marketing software Workflow applications Mass media companies of the United States Marketing companies of the United States