SBCA Innovation Grant Spotlight: FairBuild AI

The 2025 SBCA Innovation Grant has five (5) recipients this year and SBCA is excited to spotlight each of them leading up to the BCMC show where these innovators will showcase their entry on the show floor in Omaha for all of BCMC attendees and exhibitors to see.  

This week’s Innovation Grant Recipient Spotlight is: FairBuild AI.

FairBuild AI empowers component manufacturers (CMs) to analyze and de-risk contracts using a natural language processing model that has been trained specifically on construction contracting issues from the point of view of a supplier. Founded by Kendall Hoyd, Kent Pagel, Tony Misura, and AI developer, PointAI, FairBuild AI was designed with the knowledge and guidance of the industry’s leading lawyers. FairBuild’s software identifies obligations, risks, and exposures in minutes – giving teams clarity and control over contract provisions before problems occur.

“Contract provisions in construction can present huge risks for component manufacturers but contract review, which can be tedious and complex, often gets short shrift. A tool that makes contract review fast and identifies risk quickly has long been needed in the industry,” says Cheryl Lewis, Interim CEO at FairBuild AI. “It’s like Steve Jobs said when he created the iPod: nobody knew they needed it, but once you had it, you couldn’t live without it. We think that’s how people will feel once they experience FairBuild’s powerful AI. They’re going to realize that it makes their life so much easier. Which is exactly what we wanted to do.”  

FairBuild AI is specifically designed for construction suppliers and this industry’s specific language and its unique risks. Time can be short when reviewing project details; Fairbuild provides the analysis and suggested language improvements in minutes. According to Cheryl, who owned and operated a component manufacturing company prior to joining FairBuild, this program quickly puts the user in a position to negotiate productively with their customers.  

“We wanted to launch at BCMC because FairBuild was formed specifically to address the needs of component manufacturers,” continues Cheryl. “That has been our first target market. Together, Kendall, Kent, and I have decades of real-life experience in the industry and wanted to address the pain we know is out there for our SBCA colleagues. BCMC is the perfect place to share our vision. With so many people walking the show floor and stopping by, we can show them how quickly and easily it works. I’ve always loved attending BCMC as a CM, and now I’m excited about the opportunity to be here serving the industry.”  

FairBuild AI will be featured along with the other 2025 Grant Recipients on the BCMC show floor on Innovation Alley. FairBuild AI is located at Booth 1015. After visiting the 2025 SBCA Innovation Grant Recipient booths, head over to the voting booth at Booth 1012 to cast your vote for the 2025 People’s Choice Innovator, which will be announced at the Industry Celebration, at the conclusion of the show, Thursday, October 2.  

“Being a recipient of the SBCA Innovation Grant is a great honor,” says Cheryl. “We applied for the Grant because we want to tell this story. We want to bring attention to this, and we thought this was a great way to do that and help us get the word out.”  

Learn more about FairBuild AI at: fairbuild.ai.