Albert Bou Fadel is the Founder and CEO of SmartBarrel. SmartBarrel is an IoT solution built for the Construction Industry that allows both General and Specialty Contractors to become more efficient, providing them with the most accurate labor force data by deploying an easy-to-use, autonomous device on the job site to keep track of workers using facial recognition. SmartBarrel helps GCs to track manpower on the job site, ensure everyone is wearing their personal protective equipment (PPE), and automate the daily log. Subcontractors can use the data generated to automate their payrolls. Albert and the SmartBarrel team are transforming the way contractors manage their workforce and creating safer job sites across North America.
Albert’s construction experience helped mold SmartBarrel into what it is today. While working for over 10 years in construction on glass & glazing projects around the world (originally from Beirut, Lebanon, Albert came to the United States in 2014), Albert had the opportunity to work on many projects overseeing thousands of workers. Over the years, Albert had tested many different solutions to manage his employees and subcontractors, but all of these apps failed for one reason or another, and they always wound up using paper and pen, resulting in inaccurate data and added costs and time. After speaking to other contractors who shared the same issues, Albert realized there was a huge opportunity to make and employee time tracking more efficient and he was determined to find and build a solution.Albert spent a year teaching himself coding and learning about hardware components, which allowed him to create the first prototype of SmartBarrel. The name “SmartBarrel” comes from the device being placed on top of a construction barrel - turning the barrel into a stand for the Smart device that allows contractors to track employee time, manpower, and more. When the first prototype was created, Albert brought the SmartBarrel solution to his jobsite to get feedback from the field team and when he got thumbs up from the team, he went all in.
Albert raised some initial capital and hired a team of engineers - both hardware and software experts - to build a production version of the device.. Over the last three years the SmartBarrel team went on to perfect the solution, onboard beta customers, and add additional features and functionality. Fast forward to 2022 and SmartBarrel now works with some of the top General and Specialty Contractors in North America including Gilbane, Suffolk, Adjustable Concrete and more. The list of features include Timekeeping, Manpower Tracking, Daily Log, Access Control, Safety and integrations to major platforms such as PROCORE, CMiC, Viewpoint etc.
“Albert is a triple threat,” says LAB Ventures CEO Tigre Wenrich, “he has been a contractor and thus knows his way around a construction site, but he also has deep technical knowledge, and he is an inspirational leader who can sell.”
LAB Ventures first backed SmartBarrel in 2019, supporting the launch of the first version of its solution. Now, the new device 3.0 is an enterprise-ready version already being used by some of the largest contractors in the country.
