Kern County Builders Exchange

What Kern County Builders Exchange does

Kern County Builders Exchange is a member-driven construction trade association founded in 1929 and headquartered in Bakersfield, California, serving 500+ member companies across the regional building industry. Its core product is a 24/7 Online Planroom that distributes project plans, specifications, and addenda to members, supplemented by a searchable Member Directory of 500+ firms, a Job Board, an Employee Onboarding Program, and long-running annual events with 60+ consecutive years of sell-out attendance. The organization also operates a Professional Services Group that bundles HR, safety, marketing, and financial-services partners into the membership offering, and participates in Golden State APEX, a partnership that extends government-contracting access across four California counties (Kern, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura).

The exchange sits inside a statewide network of 22 builders exchanges that collectively process approximately 17,000 plans each year, providing cross-region bid visibility. Its underlying technology is a web-accessible planroom and directory platform with member authentication, document distribution, and event-registration capabilities; there is no indication of AI/ML, machine-learning models, or proprietary data-science components in the public material reviewed.

The business model is a non-profit association structure funded by a mix of recurring membership dues (the primary revenue stream), paid training and seminar programs, ticket and sponsorship revenue from events, and fee-based blueprint and copying services tied to planroom usage. Go-to-market is relationship-driven within the local construction community, with member services layered to increase per-member value and retention rather than pursuing transactional volume from individual customers. The stated staff footprint is four employees at the main office: Executive Director, Programs/Planroom Administrator, Planroom/Office Manager, and Assistant to the Executive Director.

Name

Kern County Builders Exchange

Legal name

Kern County Builders Exchange

Website

https://kcbex.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Kern County Builders Exchange is a Bakersfield, California construction trade association, founded in 1929, that serves 500+ member companies through a 24/7 online planroom, member directory, job board, events, and a Professional Services Group of partner providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Industry Association Services

NAICS

Construction (23)

SIC

Non-Operating Establishments (9995), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction Management (Agency/Owner’s Rep) (IMAFAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

New Construction & Builder Sales (BPAJAAAB)

Keywords

• Construction industry association
• Online planroom services
• Contractor bidding platform
• Construction networking events
• Professional services coalition

Headquarters

HQ city

Bakersfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees providing access to planroom, referrals, training, PSG services, and networking events.
2. Training and Seminars: Safety seminars, OSHA training, and industry-specific educational programs offered throughout the year.
3. Event Revenue: Ticket sales for signature events including Lamb Fry, Golf Tournament, BBQ, and Builders & Brews networking events.
4. Blueprint and Copy Services: Blueprint copying services for members needing project documentation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kern County Builders Exchange is a member-driven construction trade association that provides 24/7 online planroom access to commercial and public works project plans and specifications, a searchable directory of 500+ member companies, a Professional Services Group (PSG) delivering HR, safety, marketing, and financial support, government contracting assistance through the Golden State APEX partnership, and signature annual networking events. The organization aggregates plans from awarding bodies, project owners, general contractors, and architects to streamline the bidding process for the construction industry across Kern County and throughout California.

Product overview

Kern County Builders Exchange operates as a member-driven association serving the construction industry since 1929. The core offering consists of an Online Planroom (24/7 access to construction project plans and specs) and a Member Directory (searchable database of 500+ construction businesses). These are supplemented by the Professional Services Group (PSG), a coalition that bundles Employee Onboarding, safety training, HR consulting (via Absolute HR), marketing (via Cypress Avenue), and financial bookkeeping (via Springstead Solutions). Additional services include a Job Board, Golden State PTAC for government contracting assistance, Events Calendar with annual traditions like the Lamb Fry and Golf Tournament, a Training Room for member use, Blueprint & Copy services, and a Scholarship Program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Professional Services Group (PSG): First coalition of businesses exclusively supporting Kern County's Construction Industry, providing HR, safety, and marketing services
• Arthur & Hansen
• Absolute HR Consulting
• Cypress Avenue
• Springstead Solutions
• Golden State APEX

Products and services

• Online Planroom A 24/7 online platform where members access plans and specifications from construction projects in Kern County and throughout California, streamlining the bidding process by bringing projects from awarding bodies, project owners, general contractors and architects together in one searchable location.
• Member Directory A searchable database of over 500 member companies representing every facet of construction and construction-related services, organized by category and location to facilitate networking and referrals.
• Professional Services Group (PSG) A coalition of services exclusively designed for the construction industry, providing HR consulting, safety training, marketing, and financial management support through partner organizations.
• Employee Onboarding Program A cost-effective employee onboarding service covering Sexual Harassment training, CPR/First Aid/AED, OSHA 10 for Construction, and required paperwork such as tax documents and live scans.
• Job Board A free job posting platform for members to find local employees, with access to view posted resumes for qualified candidates in the construction industry.
• Golden State PTAC (Procurement Technical Assistance Center) Procurement Technical Assistance Center providing no-cost one-on-one counseling to help businesses access government contracting opportunities, serving Kern, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties.
• Events Calendar Education and networking events including the Lamb Fry, Golf Tournament, BBQ, and Builders & Brews events held throughout the year for industry networking.
• Training Room A private training room available for member booking, seating 35 classroom style or 60 without tables, with optional catering services available.
• Blueprint & Copy Service Office services including blueprint copying and internet access for members needing to obtain construction documents.
• Scholarship Program Advanced education scholarships for members, their families, and employees' families to educate and motivate youth in the construction industry.

Quantifiable outcome

• Process 17,000 plans annually through statewide network
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Absolute HR ConsultingcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOfficial Human Resources partner for KCBEX Professional Services Group. Provides back-office operations support including compliance, employee paperwork, prevailing wage management, and public works administration. Serves nearly 30% of KCBEX membership. Located in KCBEX office.
• Arthur & HansencoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSafety training and compliance partner providing highest quality safety training and resources for KCBEX members. Offers safety seminars throughout the year and subcontractor management support. Located in KCBEX office.
• Cypress AvenuesupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPart of PSG - micro-media agency specializing in social media management and digital media marketing for construction industry. Located in KCBEX office.
• Springstead SolutionssupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCertified Profit First firm providing bookkeeping, virtual controller services, virtual accounting oversight, and strategic financial consulting. Located in KCBEX office.
• Golden State APEXcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerProcurement Technical Assistance Center located inside KCBEX offices serving businesses in Kern, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties. Provides no-cost one-on-one counseling to help members access government contracting opportunities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Los Angeles County Contractors Association (CALCC): Long-standing Southern California builders exchange providing planroom, member directory, and advocacy services to contractors — comparable membership-association model serving a different California region.
• Sacramento Regional Builders Exchange: Regional builders exchange in California serving general contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers with planroom access, networking events, and member services — direct functional analog to KCBEX in the Sacramento region.

Broad incumbents

• Associated General Contractors of America (AGC): One of the largest US construction trade associations with local chapters providing networking, training, and project information services. Overlaps with KCBEX on training and member services at a national scale.
• Dodge Construction Network: Established provider of commercial construction project leads, plans, and specifications with national coverage. Overlaps with KCBEX planroom service at scale and competes for contractor attention on project discovery.
• Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC): National construction industry trade association providing advocacy, training, planroom services, and member benefits. Competes with KCBEX for member mindshare and offers overlapping services at a much larger national scale.

Emerging players

• ConstructConnect: Construction project intelligence and bidding platform providing project leads, plan distribution, and preconstruction tools. Competes with KCBEX planroom by digitizing the bidding information flow that builders exchanges traditionally hosted.
• BuildingConnected (Autodesk): Digital bidding platform acquired by Autodesk that centralizes invitation-to-bid workflows and project information for general contractors and subcontractors. Competes directly with KCBEX's online planroom on the digital side of project discovery.
• PlanHub: Construction bidding network aggregating project plans, specs, and addenda for subcontractors and suppliers nationwide. Directly competes with the planroom function that KCBEX provides regionally.
• iSqFt (ConstructConnect): Online plan room and bidding network serving subcontractors and general contractors with digital access to project documents — a direct functional comparator to KCBEX's online planroom.

Regional players

• San Diego Building Trades Council: Regional construction industry association in Southern California providing training, member services, and apprenticeship programs. Comparable membership-association model serving a different California geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KernCountyBuildersExchange
• Instagraminstagram.com/kerncountybuilders
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kern-county-builders-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kern County Builders Exchange