How BuildRight Supply Co. replaced two costly local hires with a dedicated 3-person Akora Talent Partner team — and finally got their books and stock under control.
BuildRight Supply Co. is a mid-sized wholesale distributor of construction materials based in Texas, supplying contractors, builders, and hardware retailers across the Southern US. With a catalogue of over 4,000 SKUs — including structural steel, concrete products, insulation, and fasteners — their back-office operations are inherently complex.
By the time they came to Akora, the company had grown to $8M in annual revenue with a lean team of 14. Their operations director was spending 25+ hours a week personally managing inventory discrepancies and chasing overdue purchase orders — time that should have been spent on supplier relationships and business growth.
BuildRight had attempted to build their inventory and accounting support team locally — twice. Their first hire, a bookkeeper at $58,000/year, left after eight months for a larger firm. Their second hire lasted five months before departing during a busy quarter, leaving behind an unreconciled stock database, three months of unprocessed purchase orders, and a set of books that had not been properly closed since Q1.
The cost of the problem went beyond salary. Every week of backlog meant their sales team was quoting based on inaccurate stock levels — leading to overselling, emergency restocking fees, and strained contractor relationships.
Stock counts in their ERP system were diverging from physical warehouse counts by up to 18% — causing missed orders and costly emergency purchases.
Over 200 unprocessed POs had accumulated across 3 months — meaning supplier payments were delayed and preferred vendor terms were at risk.
Two hires in under 18 months. Each departure cost $8,000–$12,000 in recruitment fees, plus weeks of lost productivity during transition.
The Operations Director was working nights and weekends to cover gaps — a direct drag on the company's ability to pursue new supplier contracts and geographic expansion.
Akora assessed BuildRight's operational needs and deployed a structured team of three Talent Partners — each with defined ownership over a specific function. All three were integrated directly into BuildRight's ERP system (Fishbowl), communication tools (Microsoft Teams), and reporting workflows within the first week.
Akora's placement team worked with BuildRight's Operations Director to map current workflows, identify the most critical backlogs, and configure ERP and tool access for the incoming team. The PO backlog was prioritised as an emergency task in week one — all three Talent Partners temporarily focused on clearing the 200+ outstanding purchase orders before settling into their core roles.
Each Talent Partner took ownership of their assigned function. Simultaneously, the team documented every process they built into a shared SOP library — ensuring that BuildRight would never again face a knowledge loss crisis if a team member needed to transition.
By end of Month 1, the team completed BuildRight's first fully managed month-end close — reconciling all accounts, finalising inventory counts, and delivering a clean stock report to the Operations Director. The close took 4 business days, down from the previous 12+.
Akora's ongoing HR and performance management ensured the team remained accountable, engaged, and aligned to BuildRight's evolving needs. Quarterly check-ins between Akora's account team and BuildRight's leadership identified process improvements — including a new automated PO flagging workflow that reduced manual review time by a further 40%.
| Talent Partner | Primary Function | Key Responsibilities | Tools Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory Control Specialist Full-Time | Stock Management | Daily inventory reconciliation, cycle counts, variance reporting, ERP updates, warehouse discrepancy resolution | Fishbowl, Excel, Teams |
| Procurement Admin Coordinator Full-Time | Purchase Orders | PO creation and tracking, supplier communication, delivery confirmation, invoice matching, vendor payment scheduling | Fishbowl, QuickBooks, Outlook |
| Accounts & Reporting Analyst Full-Time | Financial Admin | Accounts payable/receivable support, month-end reconciliation, stock valuation reports, management reporting packs | QuickBooks, Excel, Teams |
The entire accumulated purchase order backlog was resolved in the first three weeks — restoring supplier relationships and on-time payment terms.
Compared to equivalent local US hires, the 3-person Talent Partner team delivered the same output at 62% lower total cost — a saving of approximately $74,000 annually.
The Talent Partner team documented every process they managed — giving BuildRight institutional knowledge that survived beyond any individual team member.
The Operations Director recovered 25+ hours per week previously spent on back-office firefighting — redirected to supplier negotiations and regional expansion planning.
BuildRight's challenge wasn't unique — wholesale distributors across the US face the same cycle of expensive local hires, rapid attrition, and knowledge loss. What made this engagement different was Akora's model: dedicated Talent Partners who are exclusively yours, not shared across multiple clients, and supported by Akora's full HR and performance management infrastructure.
Unlike freelance platforms or generic staffing agencies, every Talent Partner placed by Akora comes with ongoing account management, performance monitoring, and a replacement guarantee. BuildRight didn't just get three people — they got a managed team with the accountability structures of an in-house hire and the cost structure of offshore talent.
Whether it's inventory management, accounting support, or operational admin — Akora can build your dedicated team in under 30 days.