Katie Ryan’s journey from managing the chaos of electrical contracting to streamlining operations at Kojo is a story of adaptability and innovation.

As a former office manager, Katie wore many hats—taking on almost every office role an electrical contractor could offer. These experiences gave her a front-row seat to the frustrations that so many of our customers face daily, from tracking materials to managing overhead costs.

Now, as a support specialist at Kojo, Katie leverages her hands-on knowledge to help contractors modernize their operations, proving that embracing technology isn’t just a trend—it’s a game-changer.

We recently sat down with her to hear about her journey from construction to Kojo and advice for navigating through common industry obstacles.‍

Can You Share Your Experience Working In The Trades?

Like so many working on the office side of a trade contractor’s operations, Katie had to take on an enormous amount of responsibilities.

‍“I’m a former office manager for an electrical contractor both in the residential and commercial fields. I managed accounts payable (AP), accounts receivable (AR), all payroll, purchasing across the board, and communications with our vendors.”

For years, Katie was the go-to person when it came to so many aspects of materials management. It's that diverse experience that’s allowed her as a support specialist to connect with so many different customers at Kojo.

What Frustrated You Most in That Role?

Katie was no stranger to the daily frustrations that came with being an office manager at an electrical contractor. There were three big ones that still stick with her even today.

1. Tracking Materials

“At the time, our most common pain points were tracking materials and ensuring that we were not overpaying or consistently receiving the right materials to a job site.

2. Catching Invoice Errors

“We had a very hard time ensuring that our vendors were accurately charging for each piece of material that had been quoted, as well as if each piece of material had actually been received to a job site and actually made it onto that project.”

3. Tracking Ongoing Overhead Costs

“It was also very difficult just to track the overall cost of those items and ensure that we knew where our overhead was and what changed from the project's beginning to the end.”

How Could Kojo Have Made a Difference for You?

Many of the functions that Katie was responsible for, including material purchasing, AP, and vendor communication, are all aspects of what Kojo offers.

“Kojo would’ve been able to help when it came to having transparency and seeing the thread line. Kojo provides that and provides an ability to not only directly communicate with your vendors, but ensure that no communication is lost, know where you left off between you and your vendor and your field and your job site, and just be able to track all of that from beginning to end.”

To summarize, Kojo would’ve given Katie what she needed most – transparency in all parts of materials management.‍

Current Trends in Construction: Your Insights?

One trend Katie and many others have noticed is the ever-prevalent labor shortage for those in the trades. That trend has sparked a common action being taken by specialty trade contractors across the board.

“So I would say that at the moment, prioritizing efficiency and modernization and jumping into the modern parts of technology that have been released and ensuring that you're following those are all huge.”

Essentially, those in the trades are trying to do more with less and using technology as a way to meet that goal.

What’s Your Advice To Trade Contractors Overcoming Common Industry Hurdles?

‍Having seen first-hand how so many trade contractors across the country operate, She knows that following the status quo is a recipe to stay stuck right where you are.

Katie kept her advice concise and to the point.

“I would say be open-minded. At the moment, there's a lot of change going on in the industry. There are a lot of best practices out there. Not all of them might work best for your organization. There's a lot of different things to modernize and move forward, and I would say be open-minded to them.”

Learn more about Kojo, our product, and our team of experts like Lauren here.