MARKET INSIGHTS
A big idea for startups in Boise Franklin Building Supply leads the charge to incubate a construction-industry hub.
Boise has a rich history of construction innovation.
Levi Smith is no stranger to startups. Before he became the president of Boise, Idaho-based Franklin Building Supply, the native Texan founded an Austin barbeque business that shipped craft briskets
nationwide to what he calls a “discerning base of customers.” More recently, Smith has combined his personal passion for startups and entrepreneurialism with a professional interest in cultivating economic
“Anything we can do to expose our industry and our business to a broader talent pool is helpful to our business.” — Levi Smith, Franklin Building Supply president
growth in Franklin Building Supply’s hometown of Boise. The result of those blended interests is a “vision for a home construction related startup ecosystem in Idaho.” In other words, Smith wants to help make Boise an ipso facto capital of building supply innovation. Think of the connection between Hollywood and filmmaking, or New York City and high finance, and that’s kind of the idea. “When I look at our industry, really no city or region in the United States has laid claim to being the place where construction industry startups, and specifically home-construction startups, call home,” Smith said. “And you need a concentration of talent, resources, capital, and all those things to really create the momentum.” And according to Smith and thanks to events like the upcoming Hacking for Homebuilding event, the pieces are coming together. Businesses in Boise and Idaho are throwing their support into cultivating startup companies that can provide specific solutions, while adding fuel to the general economy. Hacking for Homebuilding, which combines elements of televisions’
36
OCTOBER 2021 HARDWARE + BUILDING SUPPLY DEALER
HBSDealer.com
