Our Story

I Build America (IBA) is a movement dedicated to showing the importance of construction to our modern life so that the people in construction take pride in the value they bring, the general public recognizes that value, and young people learn what a purposeful and rewarding career in construction can be.

IBA was started by Mike Rydin, the founder and CEO of HCSS, a construction software company. Mike thinks the world should know about the amazing work his construction customers do. Much like the military, construction workers do challenging work– often under tough conditions that most of us don’t want to do – so that we can have a good life.

Like the military, construction work can be dangerous, with trucks constantly driving around, buckets swinging cranes that can collapse, trenches that can cave in, cables that can snap, tools and other objects that can fall from long distances, and dozens of other dangers. There is a certain sense of camaraderie among people working together to do difficult things and keep each other safe.

The conditions are often tough: bitter cold, extreme heat, ice, mud, and long hours. For those actually doing the physical work, there should be a sense of pride that they are working hard to make a home for someone to live and raise a family, a water line to bring water to that home, or a road to make it possible to transport goods or allow people to freely move around the country. Everyone supporting construction should recognize its value to America.

America needs more people to go into the construction trades as well as into construction engineering and construction management. We want everyone to recognize that this is a challenging but rewarding career that gives its participants a sense of accomplishment knowing that they bring real value to America.

I Build America is a place to share stories and ideas that show the value of and pride in construction. There is a store on the site with promotional materials that help people across America recognize the construction industry and the positive impact it has. The idea behind the I Build America clothing and other merchandise is to have people ask you what that means. We want you to tell them what you do and, as a result of the materials on this site, you are able to articulate the value of what you do.

Our ultimate goal is that young people will see construction as the wonderful career that it is so more of them will want to be a part of it.