Why AI for Contractors Has to Start Boots On The Ground

Construction runs on experience. Not theories. Not assumptions. Real, lived experience from people who have spent decades on site.

That’s the foundation of how SCELTA builds technology.

What Subverbal IP Means in Construction

Our Chief Growth Officer, John Mill, uses the term subverbal IP to describe the kind of knowledge that experienced tradespeople rely on every day.

David and John Boots On The Ground with Render Construction in London, Ontario.

It’s not written in manuals. It’s not found in training documents. It’s the silent decision-making that comes from years on the tools:

• knowing what “looks off” before there’s a problem

• understanding how conditions affect timing

• noticing patterns that newer workers don’t pick up yet

• problem-solving on the spot

Phil, a contractor with over 25 years in the field, summed it up clearly during early testing:

“If it isn’t Boots On The Ground, I probably wouldn’t use it.”

Building SiteKick Where It Will Be Used: On Site

For the last month, the SCELTA team has been working directly on active job sites and in site trailers with a closed group of contractors.

SCELTA CTO John Langlois Boots On The Ground with an HVAC technician.

This has allowed us to:

• watch how information moves on real jobs

• understand when people reach for their phones

• test SiteKick in live conditions

• adjust based on what crews actually do, not what we think they do

Every update comes from what we see happening on site, not from assumptions.

Ease of Use: If You Can Text, You Can Use SiteKick

One thing we know: Every contractor is comfortable sending texts to get answers or coordinate work.

So SiteKick is designed around that same behaviour. No training sessions needed. No onboarding manuals. No steep learning curve. If someone can send a text message, they can use SiteKick.

That simplicity has guided every decision we’ve made so far.

Why Boots On The Ground Is the Right Way to Build AI for Contractors

Boots On The Ground isn’t just branding. It’s the method.

By putting the product directly in the hands of the people who will use it, gathering direct feedback, and watching how it gets used on site, SiteKick develops in a way that works for the day-to-day realities on site:

• quick decisions

• busy hands

• project PDF and drawings accessible and simplified

• codebooks made searchable and fast

Seeing these conditions firsthand ensures SiteKick is built to function in them.

What’s Next

As SiteKick continues to be refined on live job sites, SCELTA’s focus remains the same: Make AI easy for contractors. Make it practical. Make it fit the way crews already work.

More updates will follow as we continue building with the people shaping the platform every day.