Datum AI for the building industry
Reserve the Cohort — $2,500 July 21 + 22

Distributors · Datum Trade Desk

Make complex inventory, vendor, and account work easier to triage — with control.

Datum helps distributors use AI around operational visibility, branch support, vendor coordination, exception handling, and account growth.

What's eating your week? Get the free leverage map

Built inside KBF Design Gallery $13.8M design-build · 70 projects/yr · Maitland, FL

Drafted by AI · reviewed by a human — every time

Free · no call required

The Bottleneck

What's eating your week?

Name it plainly. The thread below assembles the answer — the receipt, a sample run, and your path in.

The Bottleneck · Distributors
Tell Datum —

Routing is a simple keyword table running in your browser — not an AI call. The document below is a labeled, pre-written sample of real KBF workflow output. Timestamps are your local clock.

Namedbottleneck · order paperwork takes forever

Order paperwork takes forever at branch scale.

POs, acknowledgments, freight claims — high volume, low glamour, and exactly where a drafted-then-reviewed AI workflow pays for itself first.

Volume is the case for the method, not against it.

Receiptthe KBF receipt

One workflow, installed in a week.

Datum's first build inside KBF turned a 20-minute project conversation into a reviewable draft — sections, allowances, exclusions — priced from current selections. A human still reviews every line before a client sees it. Scope time went from 7 hours to about 30 minutes per project.

Runwatch it run

Watch the order packet assemble itself.

SampleShowroom workflow: order packet from approved drawings — checks, mods, lead times.0.0s
Cabinet Order Packet (sample)
Semi-custom line · paint-grade maple · 14 base / 12 wall / 3 tall units
01 · Order Summary
Door: shaker 5-piece, 2.25" rail · Finish: factory paint, color per control sample.
Soft-close hinges and undermount glides throughout; matching toe kick + scribe.
02 · Modifications
B24 → reduced depth 21" at dishwasher run; W3012 → increased depth 15" over fridge.
(2) flush panel ends at island; prep for under-cabinet lighting channel.
Mod pricing adds 12-15% on affected units — confirm against budget line 048.
03 · Checks Run Against Drawings
Appliance specs vs. openings: range 30", fridge 36" + 0.25" reveal, DW 24" — OK.
Ceiling 96.5" vs. tall + crown stack: 95.75" — OK with 0.75" scribe.
Sink base vs. plumbing rough centerline: offset 1.5" L — flag to field.
Field verify window centerline before releasing wall run — two sources disagree.
04 · Lead Time + Freight
Current factory lead: 6-8 weeks from acknowledgment; freight curbside w/ liftgate.
Receiving checklist: photograph cartons, note damage on BOL, 48-hr claim window.
05 · Next Actions
Send acknowledgment to designer for sign-off (changes after release bill at 100%).
Schedule install crew at week 7; counters template +3 days after set.
Draft · generated from approved drawings + price book · review before release
Draft — ready for human review pre-written sample · every real run ends in human review
A pre-written sample of real KBF workflow output, streamed in your browser — not a live model call, and not a client file. Every real run ends the same way: a draft with flags, reviewed by a human.
Returnwhat it returned at KBF

What the pattern returned.

490 hrs/yrreclaimed from one task, at 70 projects a year
23%of one designer's working year, back
$41,500what that one task was costing each year

Your numbers will differ. The point of the method is that you'll know yours.

Paththe right next step

Your recommended path

Foundations of AI — Live Cohort

$2,500 · live virtual · July 21 + 22, 2026 · 4–6 PM ET

Two live virtual evenings — setup, prompting, and the drafted-then-reviewed workflow you just watched, practiced on real distribution documents. No technical background assumed.

Your date choice above carries into checkout — or pick dates and add seats on the cohort page.

Rather have it built for you? Custom Build + Staff Training — custom quote.  ·  All five paths ↓  ·  Free leverage map ↑

Namedbottleneck · branch & vendor comms pile up

Branch and vendor comms pile up between systems.

The vendor email, the branch memo, the exception note — each one is assembly from records you already hold. Drafted in minutes, reviewed by your team before anything sends.

The record exists. The writing is the tax.

Receiptthe KBF receipt

The receipt comes from KBF's first workflow.

KBF's scope workflow turned 7 hours per project into about 30 minutes — 490 hours a year back from one document type. Updates use the identical pattern: feed the week's record in, get a client-ready draft out, and a human reads it before it sends. Same tools, same review habit.

Runwatch it run

Watch the order packet assemble itself.

SampleShowroom workflow: order packet from approved drawings — checks, mods, lead times.0.0s
A pre-written sample of real KBF workflow output, streamed in your browser — not a live model call, and not a client file. Every real run ends the same way: a draft with flags, reviewed by a human.
Returnwhat it returned at KBF

What the pattern returned.

490 hrs/yrreclaimed from one task, at 70 projects a year
23%of one designer's working year, back
$41,500what that one task was costing each year

Your numbers will differ. The point of the method is that you'll know yours.

Paththe right next step

Your recommended path

Foundations of AI — Live Cohort

$2,500 · live virtual · July 21 + 22, 2026 · 4–6 PM ET

Two live virtual evenings — setup, prompting, and the drafted-then-reviewed workflow you just watched, practiced on real distribution documents. No technical background assumed.

Your date choice above carries into checkout — or pick dates and add seats on the cohort page.

Want your whole team trained on it? Private Training — $1,500+.  ·  All five paths ↓  ·  Free leverage map ↑

Namedbottleneck · acknowledgments back up

Acknowledgments back up — and discrepancies hide in the stack.

Batch-checking acknowledgments against contract terms is careful, repetitive reading — the kind AI does well and people do badly at 4:55 PM. Exceptions surface; humans decide.

Exceptions surfaced, not buried.

Receiptthe KBF receipt

Scope and pricing are the same muscle.

KBF's scope workflow prices from current selections — the selection sheet governs final pricing. That's an estimating discipline: structured inputs, drafted output, human review on every line. Scope time went from 7 hours to about 30 minutes; the backlog math follows.

Runwatch it run

Watch the order packet assemble itself.

SampleShowroom workflow: order packet from approved drawings — checks, mods, lead times.0.0s
A pre-written sample of real KBF workflow output, streamed in your browser — not a live model call, and not a client file. Every real run ends the same way: a draft with flags, reviewed by a human.
Returnwhat it returned at KBF

What the pattern returned.

490 hrs/yrreclaimed from one task, at 70 projects a year
23%of one designer's working year, back
$41,500what that one task was costing each year

Your numbers will differ. The point of the method is that you'll know yours.

Paththe right next step

Your recommended path

Foundations of AI — Live Cohort

$2,500 · live virtual · July 21 + 22, 2026 · 4–6 PM ET

Two live virtual evenings — setup, prompting, and the drafted-then-reviewed workflow you just watched, practiced on real distribution documents. No technical background assumed.

Your date choice above carries into checkout — or pick dates and add seats on the cohort page.

Want the map before any build? Discovery Call — $1,500.  ·  All five paths ↓  ·  Free leverage map ↑

Namedbottleneck · leads go cold

Leads go cold in the account queue.

Reorder nudges, quote follow-ups, new-account onboarding notes — light, repeatable drafting from your CRM records, reviewed before it sends.

Nobody loses an account on purpose.

Receiptthe KBF receipt

The receipt comes from KBF's first workflow.

KBF's scope workflow gave one designer 23% of her working year back — 490 hours reclaimed from a single document type. Follow-up drafting is a lighter lift than scope writing, run with the same tools and the same review habit.

Runwatch it run

Watch the order packet assemble itself.

SampleShowroom workflow: order packet from approved drawings — checks, mods, lead times.0.0s
A pre-written sample of real KBF workflow output, streamed in your browser — not a live model call, and not a client file. Every real run ends the same way: a draft with flags, reviewed by a human.
Returnwhat it returned at KBF

What the pattern returned.

490 hrs/yrreclaimed from one task, at 70 projects a year
23%of one designer's working year, back
$41,500what that one task was costing each year

Your numbers will differ. The point of the method is that you'll know yours.

Paththe right next step

Your recommended path

Datum Community

$200 / month · A private Discord for the building industry · cancel anytime

A private Discord where building-industry operators trade working AI workflows — templates, office hours, and peer answers from people who run your kind of business.

Want the full method in a week? Foundations of AI — Live Cohort — $2,500.  ·  All five paths ↓  ·  Free leverage map ↑

Namedbottleneck · we don't know where to start

Not knowing where to start is the normal starting point.

Most distributors don't need more AI opinions — they need a map: where AI pays off first (acknowledgments, exceptions, comms), what to leave alone, and what order to install things.

Strategy before tools. Every time.

Receiptthe KBF receipt

KBF didn't start with tools either.

Before Datum was a training company, it was a map of one firm's bottlenecks. The first workflow it produced turned 7 hours of scope writing into about 30 minutes — and the order it installed things in mattered as much as the tools.

Runwatch it run

Watch the order packet assemble itself.

SampleShowroom workflow: order packet from approved drawings — checks, mods, lead times.0.0s
A pre-written sample of real KBF workflow output, streamed in your browser — not a live model call, and not a client file. Every real run ends the same way: a draft with flags, reviewed by a human.
Returnwhat it returned at KBF

What the pattern returned.

490 hrs/yrreclaimed from one task, at 70 projects a year
23%of one designer's working year, back
$41,500what that one task was costing each year

Your numbers will differ. The point of the method is that you'll know yours.

Paththe right next step

Your recommended path

Discovery Call

$1,500 · 90 minutes · 1-on-1 assessment · virtual

A focused 1-on-1 assessment that maps where AI actually pays off in your distribution business — you leave with a prioritized plan, not a pitch.

Want a lighter first step? Datum Community — $200/month.  ·  All five paths ↓  ·  Free leverage map ↑

The receipt — measured at KBF Design Gallery

Proven inside a firm that lives on your paperwork — not theory.

7 hrs → 30 min

per scope of work, after one week of build

490 hrs/yr

reclaimed per year from a single task

$5.2M → $13.8M

design-build revenue, 2021 to 2025

+20% 

revenue capacity with no new hires

Datum is built inside KBF Design Gallery — a $13.8M design-build firm whose projects run on orders, acknowledgments, and vendor coordination every week. The order-packet workflow on this page is that paperwork, drafted by AI and reviewed by a human — every time. Read the full KBF case study

Five ways in

Pick your path.

01

Datum Community

A private Discord for the building industry · cancel anytime

For operators who want working examples, peers, and office hours every week.

$200 / month Join the Discord
02

Foundations of AI — Live Cohort

Two live virtual evenings · 4–6 PM ET

For owners and leads who want the method installed in a week — bring your team.

$2,500 Reserve Cohort
Next: July 21 + 22, 2026 · 4–6 PM ET · live virtualCapped at 15 seats · small by design
03

Discovery Call

90 minutes · 1-on-1 assessment · virtual

For teams that want the map before any build.

$1,500 Book Discovery
04

Private Training

A private, hands-on working session

For teams of 3+ or workflows you'd rather work on privately.

$1,500+ Private Training
05

Custom Build + Staff Training

Scoped to your team · the intake takes two minutes

For firms with one bottleneck worth a dedicated build.

Custom quote Start an Intake
Straight answers

Questions distributors ask us.

Real-person answers. The rest live on the cohort page.

Where does AI pay off first in distribution?
In the high-volume, low-glamour reading: acknowledgment batches checked against contract terms, PO discrepancies, and branch and vendor communications drafted from records you already hold. Exceptions get surfaced instead of buried, and a person reviews every flag before anything is sent or changed.
What does it cost to get started with Datum?
The Datum Community is $200 per month, cancel anytime. The live cohort — Foundations of AI for the Building Industry — is $2,500. A Discovery Call is $1,500 for 90 minutes. Private Training starts at $1,500. Custom Build + Staff Training is quoted per scope.
What if I can't make the next cohort dates?
Upcoming 2026 cohorts run July 21 + 22, August 18 + 19, September 22 + 23, and October 28 + 29 — live virtual, 4–6 PM ET, same $2,500 price. Pick your date on this page and it carries into checkout, or start in the Community and join a later cohort ready.