SubBase: Construction Supply Streamlined

In Part 2 of this conversation, Eric Helitzer returns to share the war stories, tough decisions, and hard-won insights that shaped SubBase into what it is today. From early stumbles to refining SubBase’s pricing model and vendor experience, Eric pulls back the curtain on the strategic pivots that helped the company scale.

Dig into Eric’s fundraising journey, what it took to win investor trust before a single order was processed, and why fear can be a powerful driver for innovation. 

Chapters
[Start] War Stories and Lessons Learned: Eric opens up about the early mistakes in SubBase’s rollout.
04:55 From Visionaries to Real-World Proof: An inside look at how Eric secured early investment, proved out real ROI, and scaled SubBase into a national solution.
08:27 Excel Isn’t the Enemy, It’s the Competition: Eric unpacks the surprising challenge of competing with “the way it’s always been done,” and why the 10X rule is essential.
12:09 Building for the Entire Workflow: Eric walks through SubBase’s invoice module, how it automates line-item reconciliation, and why full-system value is what drives adoption.

Links and Resources

• SubBase Website
• Eric Helitzer on LinkedIn
• Procore – Construction Management Software
• Henry Harrison Interviews Eric Helitzer
  YouTube

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, host Henry Harrison sits down with Eric Helitzer, founder and CEO of SubBase, to explore the deep-rooted inefficiencies in construction procurement, and how SubBase is strategically rethinking them from the ground up. Eric shares how growing up in a multi-generational construction family shaped his perspective and ultimately led him to build software for the very industry he was raised in.

This interview highlights the real-world challenges of construction tech adoption and why SubBase’s “boots-on-the-ground” origin story makes it uniquely positioned to tackle them. Eric walks through the early days of developing the platform, the value of starting in the field, and how streamlining workflows can drive massive returns across teams.

Chapters
[Start] A Builder from Birth: Eric shares how his upbringing in a construction family and his education at the University of Florida led him to develop a passion for the built world.
05:05 Procore, Pushback, and a Lightbulb Moment: Eric recounts how early exposure to Procore gave him a glimpse into what was possible and sparked the idea for SubBase.
10:06 Why Construction Tech is Tough to Sell: From custom builds to entrenched workflows, Eric explains the barriers that make construction a complex space to innovate in.
13:41 Layman’s Terms, Real Results: A simple but powerful explanation of what SubBase actually doesnand how it delivers measurable ROI to field crews, vendors, and accounting teams.

Links and Resources

• SubBase Website
• Eric Helitzer on LinkedIn
• Henry Harrison Interviews Eric Helitzer
  YouTube

Eric Helitzer, founder and CEO of SubBase, teams up with Jared Taylor of The Slice of Construction fame, to unpack the realities of procurement inefficiencies in the construction industry, and the tech-forward solution his team is bringing to the table. With roots in a third-generation builder family and deep industry experience, Eric shares how his career journey led him to launch one of the most promising procurement platforms on the market.

Get a behind-the-scenes look at how SubBase was born out of real-world job site pain points and developed with direct customer feedback. Eric dives into why adoption in construction tech is notoriously difficult, what it means to be "gently disruptive," and how AI and data transparency are setting the stage for a smarter, faster, and more connected future in subcontracting.

Chapters
[Start] From Concrete to Code: Eric shares his background in construction, his early exposure to subcontractor workflows, and the moment he realized the industry needed a better system.
04:53 Gentle Disruption and Tech Adoption: How SubBase reduces friction for field teams and eases the transition from pen-and-paper systems to AI-backed automation.
09:34 Trends That Are Reshaping Construction: Eric explains how connectivity, AI, and predictive data modeling are creating a more responsive and efficient procurement future.
11:50 What’s Next for SubBase: Eric previews how the platform is growing into a full-cycle procurement ecosystem.

Links and Resources

• SubBase: https://www.subbase.io/
• The Slice of Construction: https://sliceofconstruction.com/

Invoice processing in construction has always been a pain point—manual, error-prone, and painfully slow. But that’s finally changing.

In this episode of The SubBase Show, we explore how Douglas Orr Plumbing is using AI-powered automation to streamline accounts payable from inbox to approval. Marcus Spiegelberg shares how their new system reads invoices automatically, matches them line-by-line with purchase orders, flags discrepancies, and routes everything for approval—no spreadsheets, no chasing paperwork. What used to take days now takes minutes, and it’s not just more efficient, it’s transforming how their team works.

Joined by Brian Kian from Foundation Software and SubBase founder Eric, we break down what real construction AP automation looks like, why integration is everything, and how this shift unlocks strategic insights into cash flow, vendor performance, and budget forecasting.

Whether you're still buried in manual invoice matching or just starting to explore automation, this episode shows how technology is finally catching up to one of construction’s biggest back-office problems—and what the real ROI looks like when your invoices start processing themselves.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why manual invoice matching is draining time and money from contractors
• How AI reads, matches, and routes invoices automatically
• What integration with accounting platforms like Foundation really enables
• How automation improves visibility, decision-making, and vendor relationships
• Why credit card will-call purchases still need smart tracking systems

Featuring:

• Marcus Spiegelberg, President, Douglas Orr Plumbing
• Brian Kian, Construction Tech Advisor, Foundation Software
• Eric, Founder, SubBase

Key Quote:

"SubBase allows us to use AI. It compares the invoice to the purchase orders line by line and lets us know if there’s any dissimilarities or issues." — Marcus Spiegelberg

What’s the real ROI of construction technology? For Marcus Spiegelberg of Douglas Orr Plumbing, it’s not a spreadsheet full of assumptions it’s simple: “Every minute lost costs a dollar.” In this episode of The SubBase Show, Marcus walks us through how this benchmark reshaped the way his team evaluates technology. From reducing PO processing time to eliminating the infamous “receiver hunt,” Marcus shares how Douglas Orr is buying back hours of wasted effort and turning them into tangible savings across field, office, and accounting teams. Joined by Brian Kian from Foundation Software and Eric from SubBase, we break down the compound impact of automation, integration, and visibility. You’ll hear why most contractors calculate ROI all wrong, and how connected system, built specifically for construction, are now giving forward-thinking firms a true strategic advantage.

If you’re evaluating new software or trying to justify tech upgrades to your team, this episode will give you the language, logic, and lived experience to make the business case. In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why "every minute lost costs a dollar" is more accurate than most ROI spreadsheets
• How simple workflow changes can save thousands in time and labor
• What makes integration with tools like Foundation critical to actual ROI
• The compound effect of automation across procurement, accounting, and the field
• How to future-proof your operations through connected systems

Featuring:

• Marcus Spiegelberg, President, Douglas Orr Plumbing
• Brian Kian, Construction Tech Advisor, Foundation Software
• Eric, Founder, SubBase

Key Quote:
"You don’t eliminate that position—you just allow them to do their job better." — Marcus Spiegelberg Let me know if you’d like alternate titles, or want to spin this into email copy or a LinkedIn post!

Every construction company knows the pain: the field needs materials, the office is chasing paperwork, and somewhere in between is a costly black hole of miscommunication. In this episode of The SubBase Show, we zoom in on a problem that drives subcontractors up the wal, constant confusion about material status. Marcus Spiegelberg of Douglas Orr Plumbing breaks it down with brutal clarity: “There was no visual.” Without real-time visibility, even the best foremen are left waiting, guessing, and asking the same question over and over again—“Where’s my material?” 

This isn’t just a rant. It’s a playbook for change. Marcus, alongside Brian Kian of Foundation Software and Eric from SubBase, shares how smart construction teams are closing the communication gap with purpose-built tools that actually work. From real-time updates and instant digital receivers to seamless accounting integration, this episode shows how a simple shift in workflow can buy back hours of lost time and turn your procurement chaos into a competitive edge. If you're still using 2x4s as message boards, you won’t want to miss this one. In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why traditional material requests are broken from the start
• How real-time updates eliminate the dreaded “where’s my material?” calls
• What smooth field-to-office communication actually looks like
• Why integration with accounting platforms is critical—not optional
• How to measure ROI by the minute (literally)

Featuring:

• Marcus Spiegelberg, President, Douglas Orr Plumbing
• Brian Kian, Construction Technology Expert, Foundation Software
• Eric, Founder, SubBase

Key Quote:
"We don't eliminate that position. You just allow them to do their job better—with more eyes wide open." — Marcus Spiegelberg

The construction industry is bleeding money, and most of it is happening between the field and the office. In this episode of The SubBase Show, we dive into the $97 billion problem plaguing subcontractors: the outdated, manual workflows that govern material procurement. From scribbled notes and missing receivers to endless email threads and invoice chaos, the lack of real-time visibility and automation is crushing productivity on both sides of the job site. You'll hear firsthand from Marcus Spiegelberg, president of Douglas Orr Plumbing, who breaks down how much time and money is lost on materials before a wrench even turns.

But the tide is turning. With insights from Brian Kian of Foundation Software and Eric from SubBase, we explore how contractors are finally bridging the gap with smart, purpose-built technology. Discover how modern workflows—built for the way construction actually works—are cutting delivery delays, reducing calls, and transforming back-office efficiency. If you're tired of asking “where’s my material?” and ready to move from chaos to control, this episode will show you what’s possible when your field and office are finally in sync.

• Why the disconnect between field and office is the #1 source of waste
• The true dollar cost of manual workflows (spoiler: it's higher than you think)
• How top contractors like Douglas Orr Plumbing are slashing delivery turnaround times
• What modern, automated workflows look like in the field
• How to bridge tech adoption gaps without disrupting your crew

Featuring:

• Marcus Spiegelberg, President at Douglas Orr Plumbing
• Brian Kian, Construction Technology Expert at Foundation Software
• Eric, Third-Generation Builder and Founder at SubBase

Key Quote:
"We're always buying back time—whether that’s the plumber’s time, the purchaser’s time, or the accounts payable time." — Marcus Spiegelberg