Who We Are
Shapcott Lauber is a contractor-focused advisory firm that helps privately held general and specialty contractors win the right work, strengthen operations, and grow and protect their margins. Our Discoveries, Business Coaching, and Fractional Advisory services give owners honest answers and a clear plan for profitable, lasting growth.
Business Coaching
Shapcott Lauber's Business Coaching helps privately held general and specialty contractors turn Discovery findings into results. Through regular working sessions with owners and their leadership teams, we build accountability, install practical systems, and track progress until the business runs more profitably and depends less on the owner.
Fractional Advisory
Shapcott Lauber's Fractional Advisory services give privately held general and specialty contractors senior-level expertise without a full-time hire. We step in as part-time advisors on finance, operations, or growth, guiding decisions, strengthening your leadership team, and keeping the business on track toward stronger margins and lasting value.
Decisions that Affect Profit
Construction growth is not only about winning more work.
More work can create more risk if the business lacks the systems to support it.
Our clients often split thinking into two worlds:
The field and the back office. Growth depends on connecting the two.
The field sees real conditions.
The office sees contracts, budgets, billing, insurance, and reporting.
When those sides communicate well:
Decisions improve. Decisions that affect profit.
And that's our aim for a contractor to scale profitably.
OUR WHY
We believe the people who build our communities deserve to build something that lasts for themselves, too.
Too many contractors pour decades into their companies, only to end up with long hours, thin margins, and a business that can't run without them.
We exist to change that, so every owner who takes the risk gets a company that rewards them, supports their people, and has real value when it's time to step back.
Our Discoveries are Focused on The Business of the Business
The business of the business is everything behind the work itself: people, operations, finance, controls, sales, marketing, AI, and exit strategy. These eight areas are connected, so a problem in one usually shows up in another. We map the whole company, trace issues to their root, and build systems, methods, and controls that fix them in the right order, so your margin and value grow.
Then Tailored on the Business Side of Construction
The business side of construction starts long before the first shovel and doesn't stop at closeout. From first contact through qualifying, estimating, contracting, executing, billing, and closing out, we strengthen every stage of the job. Underneath it all, the right people, clear controls, smart automation, and a plan for exit keep the whole business running, so every closed job builds more margin and lasting value.
From First Contact to Close
The business side of construction starts long before the first shovel and doesn't stop at closeout. From first contact through qualifying, estimating, contracting, executing, billing, and closing out, we strengthen every stage of the job. Underneath it all, the right people, clear controls, smart automation, and a plan for exit keep the whole business running, so every closed job builds more margin and lasting value.
Key Focal Points We Help Tackle
Estimating with Better Cost History
Your best estimating tool is the jobs you've already finished. When you compare every bid to its final job cost, patterns appear: where labor runs long, where materials creep, and where you leave money behind. Better history means sharper bids.
Managing Cash Flow During Growth
Growth eats cash before it makes cash. Bigger jobs mean bigger payrolls, material buys, and retainage held longer. A 13-week cash forecast, tied to your billing schedule, shows trouble weeks ahead so you can grow without straining your credit line.
Turning Change Orders Into a Clear Process
Change orders shouldn't be a fight at the end of the job. A clear process covers who approves changes, how they're priced, and when they're billed. Get it in writing before the work starts, and you protect margin and relationships.
Building Stronger Subcontractor Relationships
Your subcontractors can make or break your schedule, quality, and margin. The best ones have options, so they choose who to work for. Clear scopes, realistic schedules, and steady, on-time pay make you the contractor they show up for first.
Segments We Dive into With Our Clients
Our clients work across commercial, multifamily, residential, and design-build construction, plus the specialty trades that make every project possible. The work looks different in each segment, but the business problems are the same: winning the right jobs, protecting margin, keeping cash flowing, and building a team that doesn't depend on the owner for every decision. Whatever you build, if you're privately held and ready for more control, we can help.
✓ Residential Remodeling Renovation
✓ Light Commercial Construction
✓ Multi-Family Renovation
✓ Industrial Warehouse Construction
✓ Custom Home Builders
✓ Tenant Improvements & Interior Buildouts
✓ Retail, Restaurant & Hospitality Build-Outs
✓ Healthcare & Medical Office Construction
✓ Church School & Institutional Projects
✓ Restoration & Insurance Repair
✓ Design Build Firms
✓ Commercial Public Works
Insights
Running a construction company is complicated enough without guessing where the problems are. We look at the whole business, from how you win work to how you run jobs, track costs, and lead your people. Then we boil what we find down to a few clear priorities. You don't get a stack of theory. You get plain answers about what's working, what's leaking profit, and what to fix first, so you can make decisions with confidence and spend your time where it counts.
Testimonials
"Before working with Shapcott Lauber, I knew our revenue but not which jobs actually made money. Now we review job costs every week, catch problems early, and our margins are holding from bid to closeout. I sleep better at night."
Mark T.
Commercial General
Contractor
"Our crews were always busy, but the office was chaos. Bill helped us set up a weekly labor meeting and clear roles for our PMs. Field and office are finally on the same page, and our overtime is way down."
Dana R.
Owner, Electrical
Contractor
"As a second-generation family business, we had no real plan for succession. Shapcott Lauber worked one-on-one with our senior leaders and gave us a clear roadmap. For the first time, the company doesn't depend on me for every single decision."
Steven M.
Family-Owned
General Contractor
We were bidding everything and winning the wrong work. The Discovery showed us exactly where we were losing money. Now we use a go/no-go process, our hit rate is better, and our estimators spend time only on jobs worth winning."
Carlos V.
VP of Operations
Mechanical Contractor
