Databuild prides itself on its in-depth understanding of the marketing challenges that face the various segments of the construction industry which is why the company is delighted to be celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Databuild supplies the most up-to-date construction project information possible through cutting-edge technologies. Clients are able to grow their businesses by using Databuild’s project information which is tracked from planning, through tender and award phases.
However Databuild has come a long way since June 1974, when it was founded by husband and wife team Peter and Matilda Burger in the garage of their Bryanston home. Matilda remembers “I did the phoning during the day and the typing etc. at night. We covered domestic and non-domestic projects - whatever was obtained from the municipalities. If I was not able to find an address in the telephone directory, I would call the pharmacy in the related suburb and ask them if the homeowner was a client of theirs. Very antiquated, but it worked. Of course there were also telegrams delivered in those days, so if nothing else worked, I would send a telegram.” The company and team rapidly grew but the hard work and dedication in servicing clients was still as prominent as ever. In 1992, as technology was developed, new computer systems made it possible to sort information according to clients’ specific selections and projects were manually faxed to clients.
In 1996, Peter and Matilda decided to immigrate to America and Databuild was sold to a newly listed company called BillCad which specialized in construction software. In 2002, Morag Evans, MD of Databuild at the time and now CEO and Malcolm Moodie, CEO of Centric Group brought Databuild and it became the first of seven companies in the Centric Group.
Databuild went online in 2005 and launched Webleads (recently upgraded and now known as Databuild Online) which allows clients to access specific information from anywhere via the internet. And as technology continues to move forward, this year Databuild launched its new iPhone app DatabuildAnywhere. Morag Evans, CEO of Databuild says “Through collaborative efforts, we have always ensured that our clients get the most accurate up-to-date information available to enable them to take their business to the next level of growth. Innovation is in our lifeblood and we will continue to explore new technologies, methods and approaches for the next 40 years.”