Not your father's Blue Book

Concrete Producer, The, August, 2004 by Tom Bagsarian

Imagine life with only the Internet and printed publications like you're reading right now had not been invented. Then one day, we're introduced to newspapers, magazines, books, and catalogs. "What a great idea," we'd say. Now, we can read in the park, on the front porch, or on the bus or train on the way to work, when we had only been able to read on a PC or Mac before. Who knows? They're so compact, some people may even want to take these things into the bathroom to read.

As convenient as the Internet is, it's important to remind ourselves that an important place still exists for the printed word on good old-fashioned paper. The Blue Book of Building and Construction is an example. The Blue Book has been a staple of the construction industry for the last 91 years, supplying a comprehensive database of materials suppliers, general contractors, and subcontractors. The information was always just fingertips away. More than 730,000 copies were distributed this year.

The Internet version you can find at www.thebluebook.com has been around since 1997, and follows the same formula that has worked so successfully for the printed version, but is more current. Qualified reader--materials suppliers, contractors, and specifiers--receive The Blue Book for free. Parent company Contractors Register Inc. makes money on the advertisements.

"We're not doing anything different today than when the company started," says Michael Tartaglia, marketing manager for The Blue Book. "The mission is still the same. The tools we're employing are different. We try to put the advertisers in front of the right market and the right audience at the right time."

We're giving producers more exposure and opportunities than ever to put their companies in front of potential bidders and owners, says Tartaglia. "We're giving the user more tools to access the concrete seller and giving the concrete seller more opportunities to expose his business to that user."

Sales tool

This is almost like giving producers' sales teams their own individual Web sites. Users select a region from a pulldown menu and type a keyword either for a company or product category. They then are asked to refine their search from the results. This gives a list of companies. Users then click to see The Blue Book advertisement, the link to the Web site, and a profile. The profile contains the address, contact information, geographical area served, type of projects (public or private), the various Blue Book classifications, and examples of recently completed projects.

The PowerSearch search engine was introduced recently. A PowerSearch entry box is at the bottom of each classification page. For a quick search, select "Popular Power Searches" or enter a keyword or phrase. The search engine then scans all Blue Book display ads, profiles, and Web pages (if available) to deliver the specific information that had been requested.

PowerSearch demonstrates The Blue Book's commitment to provide our users (contractors) with the most advanced technology available to find the information they need faster, easier, and smarter, according to Mark Griswold, The Blue Book's director of software development. "We are confident this will result in shorter search times, increased productivity, and additional opportunities for Blue Book users and customers."

Another feature is BB-Bid, a two-way online bid management system where general contractors can send and receive invitations to subcontractors to bid on projects. The general contractor sets up private plan rooms, allowing access to the Blue Book database and manages the purchasing function of their projects online.

Visit www.thebluebook.com for more information.