Contractor financing covers the equipment, materials and payroll a construction business pays for before customers pay it. Sandland Credit, a small-business funding broker in Grand Junction, CO, works with Mesa County builders and trade contractors, a sector of 622 employer establishments in 2023 (Census County Business Patterns), and connects them with lending partners, which make credit decisions and set terms.
| Typical needs | Equipment and work vehicles, materials, payroll between draws |
|---|---|
| Options discussed | Equipment financing, lines of credit, working capital, term loans |
| Mesa County construction employers | 622 establishments, 65.1 percent with fewer than five employees (Census CBP 2023) |
| No paid employees | 1,790 construction businesses (Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024) |
| Residential permits | 810 new housing units authorized in Mesa County in 2025 (Census BPS) |
| Who decides | The lending partner, not Sandland Credit |
Mesa County construction in the numbers
Construction had 622 employer establishments in Mesa County in 2023, more than any other sector, with 5,324 paid employees and an annual payroll of about $381.9 million. Of those employers, 405, or 65.1 percent, had fewer than five employees (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023).
| Subsector | Employer establishments | Paid employees | Share with fewer than 5 employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction of buildings (NAICS 236) | 183 | 870 | 80.9% |
| Specialty trade contractors (NAICS 238) | 394 | 3,366 | 61.2% |
Source: County Business Patterns 2023. The subsectors do not add up to the sector total because heavy and civil engineering construction is not shown separately here. Another 1,790 construction businesses had no paid employees in 2024, including 1,203 specialty trade contractors (U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2024). That count comes from a different programme and year, so it should not be added to the employer figures.
Residential building activity
Builders of new homes in Mesa County obtained permits for 1,246 new privately owned housing units in 2023, 1,014 in 2024 and 810 in 2025. In 2025, 693 of those units were single-family homes and 117 were in buildings of five or more units (U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey). The figures cover new residential units only, not remodels or commercial work, so they show one part of the local market, and they describe the past rather than forecast demand.
Draws, retainage and the cash gap
On many commercial and larger residential jobs, a contractor pays for labour and materials first and is paid in draws as phases are completed and approved. Contracts often hold back a share of each payment as retainage until the job is finished. The result is a predictable gap: the crew is paid weekly, suppliers want payment on their terms, and the money for that work arrives weeks later.
That gap is a cash-flow problem, not an equipment problem. A line of credit suits contractors who face it on job after job, because it can be drawn as a phase starts and paid down when the draw arrives. A single large job with a long gap may fit working capital financing better.
Equipment, trailers and work vehicles
Skid steers, mini excavators, compact loaders, trailers, compressors, generators and pickups or vans are the usual requests. Equipment financing, whether a loan, a lease or an equipment finance agreement, is secured by the equipment itself and spreads payments over its working life. Keeping equipment on equipment financing leaves the line of credit free for payroll and materials.
Used equipment can be financed, but partners look closely at age, hours and condition, and private sales need proof of title and of no existing liens.
One-person trades and small crews
Most of Mesa County's construction businesses are very small. Besides the 405 employers with fewer than five staff, 1,790 construction businesses had no employees at all in 2024 (County Business Patterns 2023; Nonemployer Statistics 2024). For a sole proprietor, the business and the owner usually share one credit history, and lending partners review both. Three habits make a request from a small operation easier to review: running all job income and costs through a separate business account, keeping invoices and draw records together, and registering the business properly with the state. Checking Colorado UCC records for existing liens on your trucks and equipment is a sensible step before you apply.
Paperwork partners commonly ask contractors for
- Recent business bank statements, which show how draws and payroll actually move.
- The contract and draw schedule for a job the funding supports.
- A work-in-progress or job list, if the business keeps one.
- Equipment quotes, with year and hours for used machines.
- Business tax returns and owner credit; many partners also ask for a personal guarantee.
A contractor who keeps job costs and draws in order gives a partner something concrete to review. One who mixes personal and business spending in one account makes the review harder.
Before you sign for a machine or a line
- Match the term to the equipment's working life, and ask whether there is a balloon payment at the end.
- Check whether a lien will cover only the equipment or all business assets.
- Read covenants that limit new debt, which can block the next equipment purchase.
- Confirm how and when a line of credit is reviewed or renewed.
How Sandland Credit works with contractors
We start with the job: what the money will pay for and when the matching payment arrives. Then we take the request to lending partners that fund construction businesses. Free planning help is available from the Colorado SBDC serving Mesa County, and the local business picture has more figures for the area.
By Sandland Credit · Updated