Built by a software builder, in service of the trades.
Grademark was started in Phoenix by K, with 10+ years building AI extraction pipelines for civil engineering plans. The company began with one client. Devco Dirtworks. And a hard problem: how do you turn a 60-page grading plan into a bid in less than an hour?
What started as a custom build for one contractor became a productized platform when other site work contractors saw it run and asked the same question: “Can you build that for us?”
Grademark is independently owned, headquartered in Phoenix, and built for the contractors who actually break ground.
What we believe
Software should fit the trade, not the other way around.
We don't make grading contractors learn the language of structural GCs.
The owner is the user.
If the platform requires a controller or a project engineer to operate, it's not built for site work.
QuickBooks Desktop is not legacy.
It's what runs the industry. Software that ignores it is built for the wrong customer.
We don't believe in SaaS lock-in.
Most construction software charges per month, per employee, per bid. Then they raise prices when you can't leave. We don't work that way. The bid tool starter is a low monthly subscription you can cancel anytime. Everything else is a one-time implementation fee. No per-employee scaling, no forced annual renewal.
Who’s building it
K is building Grademark. Phoenix-based. Background in AI/ML, lubricant distribution analytics, and civil engineering plan extraction. Reachable at [email protected].