Mickey, a B2B technology company, launched its Mickey | Contractor Direct division, which will be focused on assisting contractors with building project order fulfillment—from product procurement to shipping updates and online payment functionality.
The company said Mickey | Contractor Direct will aim to be “the ultimate source” for construction firms looking to source lumber, framing, doors, windows, and more for projects. According to Mickey, builders and contractors will be able to track their quotes and contractors and buyers will get a real-time view into the status of their orders, shipments, and invoices through a portal powered by Mickey OS.
“This is a natural extension of the business Mickey has built—from lumber and LBM to now providing full-scale, project ordering capabilities,” Alex Rabens, CEO of Mickey, said in a prepared statement. “We have been helping buyers source lumber and other wood materials since day one. Providing a resource for contractors to source their entire project’s needs—all in one place—will be a game changer for the industry.”
Jeffery Crouse will lead Mickey | Contractor Direct division as the vice president of trading. Grouse has more than 20 years of experience in domestic and international lumber wood trading, as well as panels, EWP, trusses, and other multifamily building materials. Prior to joining Mickey, he served as a contractor direct lumber trader at IdaPac, where he supplied wood products to customers.
“What Mickey has built for MaterialsXchange has certainly changed the way many builders source lumber and other LBM products. The MaterialsXchange platform is a testament to the ingenuity and innovativeness of this industry,” Crouse said. “We want to take it one step further by helping with the entire RFQ process. With Mickey’s new Contractor Direct division, we are building a tech-enabled portal where contractors can upload, manage, and view their material list and contracts as well as payments and live-tracking. Users can manage their projects’ material list—from budgets and financing to fulfillment and delivery,”
According to Mickey, the new company division is also working on automating the RFQ process from bid creation to acceptance and fulfillment. Through the Mickey portal, project managers will be able to see their entire materials list, manage payments and invoices, and get real-time tracking of their orders.
Launched in 2019 with an initial focus on forest products, Mickey built Mickey OS, an operating system that can be integrated into a supplier’s website to handle all aspects of commodity e-commerce transactions. In 2022, the company merged with MaterialsXchange, a B2B e-commerce and digital marketplace for lumber building materials.
