Ironport Capital Group, a small-business funding service in Logan, Utah, helps Cache County general contractors, home builders and trade subcontractors find working capital, credit lines and equipment financing. Construction led the county with 658 employer establishments in 2023 (CBP), most with fewer than five employees, and its cash timing is built around draws and retainage.
| Construction employer establishments, Cache County | 658 in 2023, the most of any sector (CBP 2023) |
|---|---|
| Cache County share under five staff | 69.6% (CBP 2023) |
| No-payroll construction businesses (NES 2024) | 884 in 2024 (Nonemployer Statistics, NAICS 2022 sector 23) |
| Homes authorized by permit, Cache County | 1,112 new units authorized in 2025, up from 957 in 2023 (Building Permits Survey) |
How cash moves through a Cache Valley, UT construction company
A builder's money moves in a set order. Materials are ordered and often paid on delivery or on short supplier terms. Crews are paid every week or two. The owner or general contractor pays in draws tied to stages of the work, after an inspection or a lender's sign-off. And a share of each payment is usually held back until the job is complete.
So a profitable contract can still leave the account short in the middle. Business loans for contractors are mostly about covering that middle: the weeks between paying for work and being paid for it.
What is retainage in construction billing on a Cache Valley, UT job?
Retainage is the part of each progress payment the owner or general contractor keeps until the project is finished and accepted. It protects the payer if work is incomplete or defective. For the contractor, it means earned money sitting outside the bank account, sometimes for months after the crew has moved on.
When you request funding, list retainage separately from ordinary receivables. Partners treat it differently, because its release depends on the whole project closing out, not only on your part.
How to calculate the working capital requirement for a construction company in Logan, UT
There is no single formula partners share, but the by-hand version is simple. For each active job, list what you will pay out before the next draw (materials, wages, subs, equipment rental) and what the draw will bring in after retainage. The largest gap across your overlapping jobs is roughly the working capital the business needs.
A labeled example
Illustration only, with invented figures. A Logan, UT framing contractor signs a $200,000 job with 5% retainage and monthly draws. In the first month, it pays $24,000 in wages and $18,000 in materials, and the first draw, 25% of the contract, arrives 30 days after billing. The draw is $50,000, less $2,500 retained, so $47,500 lands about two months after the first wages went out. With a second job starting the same month, the overlap can leave a gap of $60,000 or more before either draw clears.
Working capital for a construction company fills that one gap; a line of credit fits when gaps repeat job after job.
Which funding fits which construction cost
| Need | Funding type often used | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Crew wages and lumber while a draw clears | a revolving line of credit, or working capital for a single job | Short gaps that close when the draw clears |
| Skid steer, excavator, dump trailer | equipment financing | The machine secures the balance and earns over years |
| Bonding capacity or a larger contract | Partner-specific; ask early | Depends on the partner and the surety |
| Yard, shop or office expansion | term loan | One priced project with a long payback |
Construction equipment financing works the same as for any machine; the equipment payment calculator runs the payment on your figures, which is what a construction equipment financing calculator is for.
Business loan for a general contractor versus a subcontractor
A business loan for a general contractor is reviewed against the whole project: the owner's payment record, the draw schedule and the subs who must be paid before the GC is. A subcontractor's request turns on the GC's payment habits. Both groups should bring the contract, the schedule of values and an aging report of what is owed.
Cache County, UT construction: what CBP and NES count
County Business Patterns counted 658 construction employer establishments in Cache County in 2023, with 3,683 employees and about $222 million in annual payroll. Seven in ten, 69.6%, ran with under five people. Residential building contractors (NAICS 2361) numbered 173, and 74.6% of them were that small; nonresidential builders (NAICS 2362) numbered 24.
Nonemployer Statistics, a separate program using NAICS 2022, counted 884 construction businesses with no paid staff in 2024, including 253 residential builders. Those counts come from different programs and stay apart. Housing permits rose each year: Cache County authorized 957 new units in 2023, 1,021 in 2024 and 1,112 in 2025, per the Building Permits Survey.
ZIP 84321, which reaches far beyond Logan's city limits, had 223 construction employer establishments in 2023 (ZBP). More county figures are on the Logan, UT business page.
Construction trades with their own pages
Painters, floor installers and drywall crews
Finishing contractors carry material deposits and pay crews between the punch list and final payment. Read painting business loans and funding for finishing trades for the 111 Cache County finishing contractors' cash pattern.
Plumbing and HVAC
Service vans, parts stock and service agreements make plumbing and HVAC cash flow different from new-build work. Read plumbing and HVAC business loans for that trade.
Electrical contractors
Electricians split time between new-build draws and commercial service, and their tool and van fleets turn over steadily. Read more under electrician business loans.
Contractor licensing can come up in a construction request; the Utah DOPL contractor license guide covers what to have ready. Every other trade is on the industries page.
What partners commonly review for a Cache County, UT contractor
- Signed contracts and draw schedules for current jobs
- An aging report showing receivables and retainage separately
- Operating-account statements with the latest tax returns
- Contractor license and insurance certificates
- Dealer quotes when a machine is part of it
No partner publishes approval thresholds for construction. Business loans for construction companies are judged on how predictable the payments behind the work look.
