Episode Summary:
Drew chats with Glen Tipton, Director of Solution Engineering at BuildOps, about bridging the gap between install and service in the fire protection world. They dive into how BuildOps’ new partnership with Inspect Point is helping contractors streamline project management, inspections, and compliance. Packed with insights on recurring revenue, workforce challenges, and real-world tech adoption, this is a must-listen for anyone in fire life safety looking to level up operations.
Full Transcript:
Drew Slocum
All right, we are live. Glen, how are you doing today?
Glen Tipton
Great, great to see ya.
Drew Slocum
How's the weather out in Boise?
Glen Tipton
Beautiful, no complaints—especially coming from Texas where it's hot a
s could be. So it's nice to have the seasons here.
Drew Slocum
Yeah, I don't understand. We have a lot of people down in Florida and Texas, and they’re always gloating in the wintertime. But you don't hear from them in the summer, you know?
Glen Tipton
No, no, they're all inside, soaking up the AC. You also don't get the nice winter activities there. At least here, when it snows, I can go out and make some turns on the mountain.
Drew Slocum
Yeah, that's great. Well, thanks for coming on the Fire Protection Podcast today. I’ve wanted to have you on from BuildOps for a while. I saw the recent news this spring with the unicorn status—hitting the $1 billion mark. I’d love for you to introduce yourself and the company to the Fire Protection Podcast and the fire protection world.
Glen Tipton
Yeah, absolutely. I lead our solution engineering team here. We're the technical counterparts on the presale side. BuildOps, for anybody listening who isn’t familiar, is a field service management platform and a project management platform combined. The idea is that folks can do the install on a new construction project, and when that’s finished, they turn it over to an inspection and preventive maintenance team that manages the building lifecycle from then on.
Drew Slocum
Yep, that’s great. I’ve been in the industry for a little over 20 years, and the install side of fire protection has always been huge. Over the last 10 to 12 years, the service and inspection piece—which drives service—has become more valuable. Install has always been there, but there's more focus now because it’s recurring revenue. There's been nothing to blend both sides together, not just in fire, but in all trades. You guys are one of the first to do that.
Glen Tipton
Yeah, it’s interesting because it all starts with install. That’s where your submittals and design documents are. It makes sense for the project manager—before they leave that job—to act as a salesperson and say, "While I’m turning over closeout documents, let’s set you up for inspections and maintenance." The install is just step one.
Drew Slocum
On the install side, you’ve got the design—I’m super familiar with that. SpecPoint just made a nice acquisition with a fire alarm design platform. But after design, you have project management. What are the key components of a project management suite?
Glen Tipton
We focus on self-performing trades—MEP, fire life safety, overhead door, etc. You come in and do full document control, critical path method scheduling, cost and resource loading, full job costing, drawing management, and forecasting. It’s a full-blown install and new construction suite.
Drew Slocum
Got it. So if you're doing forecasting, is there estimation or CRM? CRM is big for getting projects, especially for service.
Glen Tipton
Yes, there’s a CRM. Estimators can create opportunities, track through the pre-construction process, then turn it over to project management. We don’t currently offer full estimating tools like on-screen takeoff, but we track opportunities and activities. When you win a project, it becomes active, and then flips into maintenance and inspections.
Drew Slocum
Gotcha. So on the install side, talking about technicians—have they shifted to mobile or is it still a pretty manual process?
Glen Tipton
We want them focused on installing, but we enable them with tools like photo capture, daily reports, and time and material logging. That gets documented and rolls into cost tracking and payment applications.
Drew Slocum
Yeah, cost tracking is critical. I remember in install, you'd get random POs, then a cost overrun, and suddenly the contractor’s upside down.
Glen Tipton
Exactly. Manpower is also key. We do full manpower planning. Construction and inspection teams are often siloed, even when borrowing labor back and forth. Our platform consolidates that view—you can see labor for inspections and upcoming projects all in one place. It gives self-performing contractors powerful control.
Drew Slocum
Manpower management is critical, especially with labor shortages in trades. The service and inspection side often needs more knowledge of code. How do you manage that blend?
Glen Tipton
Fire life safety is where it's most intense because of the regulations. Install guys mostly follow drawings—they’re not always thinking about the regulatory side. So yes, it’s heaviest in fire life safety.
Drew Slocum
Yeah, it’s a codified industry—more so than mechanical, plumbing, or electrical. MEP trades always get compared to fire, and they seem a bit ahead. Any innovations on the MEP side?
Glen Tipton
I’d say there’s a lot of overlap. But yes, we see more IoT integration on the MEP side—automated jobs, inspections, alerts. It exists in fire life safety, too, but the codes and approvals make it harder to implement.
Drew Slocum
Right—like Google Nest and HVAC controls don’t have to be listed the same way. Fire devices do.
Glen Tipton
Exactly. In MEP, it's about comfort, temperature, humidity, and triggering responses. Less about code, more about metrics.
Drew Slocum
Even residentially, HVAC and plumbers now all use apps. Ten years ago, they didn’t. Now they're invoicing from the field.
Glen Tipton
Absolutely.
Drew Slocum
With install, design, project management—how does it all translate to the service side? Are contractors leaning more into that recurring revenue?
Glen Tipton
Everyone wants recurring revenue. The top ENR contractors hit that list by doing large installs. But installs are risky—labor shortages, shrinking margins. You can recover from a bad install if you’ve got 10-15 years of service revenue. Most people want to grow that side but don’t know how. That’s where BuildOps shines—run the project, flip it into service, manage agreements, and understand what’s profitable.
Drew Slocum
Yeah, having CRM for both install and service is key. Recurring revenue keeps the lights on, regardless of the economy. Fire life safety is code-driven—you have to inspect it, unlike HVAC. Officials are adopting compliance tech too. So I know we’re working on things together—really excited about what we’ll roll out. Where does inspection fit in the overall workflow?
Glen Tipton
Within BuildOps, it’s been a gap, which is why partnering with you all at Inspect Point is huge. We’ll keep up with forms, track deficiencies, dispatch, notify—really streamline inspection to closeout. It’s very powerful.
Drew Slocum
Yeah, and each fire life safety sector has unique workflows—extinguishers vs. alarms vs. sprinklers. Forms-only solutions have been a band-aid. You’ve realized that, and I’m glad we’re finally blending it all.
Glen Tipton
Totally. I used to try and position forms as a solution, but they vary by jurisdiction, change often, and become digital dead-ends. Then there’s double entry. It’s not efficient. So BuildOps teaming with Inspect Point lets each of us do what we do best, together.
Drew Slocum
Yeah, we’re solving niche problems—healthcare, manufacturer nuances. Our roadmap is deep because we’re a niche inside a niche. You cover all trades, but partnerships let you go deeper.
Glen Tipton
Love it.
Drew Slocum
Where do you fit in the tech stack? Are you the core system?
Glen Tipton
Yes, we think of ourselves as the platform. We’re a best-in-class operational ERP. We don’t have a general ledger—we integrate with your ERP, inspection platform, IoT systems. We collect and analyze the data, provide dashboards and reports. Our play is to integrate with everything that helps contractors be more efficient.
Drew Slocum
It’s great to see a solution that handles both install and service. Super excited about where this goes. You guys have been great to work with. Before we wrap up, I always throw in a few surprise questions. I’ve seen the wild stuff from your user conferences. You’ve had Mike Tyson and Jocko Willink—what’s that about?
Glen Tipton
Yeah, Tyson was wild. I grew up watching him. One of my core memories is his fight with Holyfield—my parents bought it, we were all hyped, and it was over in like 12 seconds. Mike was surprisingly sweet and thoughtful—totally opposite from what you'd expect. At BuildOps, we value grit. Tyson fits that—he overcame so much to become a champion.
Jocko fits our military theme—our CEO is ex-military. Jocko brings that discipline. I’ve tried the 4 a.m. thing—it’s not for me! But his stories on leadership were incredible. We also had Lt. Colonel Swinson, a Medal of Honor recipient—his story was amazing. All of it centered around leadership and grit. We have another great guest lined up this year—can’t reveal who yet, but it’ll be big.
Drew Slocum
Yeah, I’m excited to see it. Maybe we’ll get a partner invite someday!
Glen Tipton
Would love to have you guys there—100%.
Drew Slocum
This has been awesome. We’ve wanted to have you on for a while. Glad we finally did.
Glen Tipton
Yeah, absolutely. Looking forward to meeting in person soon.
Drew Slocum
Definitely. Where can people find you?
Glen Tipton
BuildOps.com, and you can find me on LinkedIn. Feel free to reach out—I'm always happy to help.
Drew Slocum
Awesome. Thanks again, Glen.
Glen Tipton
You, too, Drew. Appreciate it. Have a great day.
