Quarrymoor Financial, a small-business funding service in Kingman, Arizona, arranges business loans for contractors through funding partners: working capital between draws, lines of credit for overlapping jobs and construction equipment financing. Construction is the largest sector by employer establishments in Mohave County, AZ, 672 in 2023. Partners make credit decisions and set rates and terms.
| Building-trade employers in Mohave County, AZ | 4,296 on payroll at 672 employer sites (CBP count, 2023) |
|---|---|
| Construction firms with fewer than five employees | 60.3% (CBP 2023) |
| Construction outfits without employees, county | 1,878 with no payroll at all (NES count, 2024) |
| Housing units permitted in the county | Building Permits Survey: 2,241 (2023), 2,543 (2024) and 1,817 (2025) units |
The contractor cash cycle in a Mohave County, AZ job
A builder pays for materials, subcontractors and crew before the customer pays for the work. On a draw schedule, money arrives in stages after inspections or milestones. On progress billing, the contractor invoices for work completed and waits 30 days or more. In both cases, retainage holds back part of every payment until the project is finished and accepted.
Equipment adds a second cycle. A skid steer or a dump trailer earns money for years, but it is bought in a single day. Mixing the two, paying for a machine out of the cash that should cover payroll, is how a profitable contractor runs short.
Retainage in construction billing, and why it matters for cash
Retainage is the share of each progress payment that the owner or general contractor holds until the job is complete, as protection against defects or unfinished work. The percentage is set in the contract. For a subcontractor, retainage can tie up a meaningful slice of the profit on a job for months after the crew has moved on.
When you request funding, list retainage owed to you separately from regular receivables. Partners see retainage as money that is likely to arrive but on an uncertain date, which is exactly what working capital is designed to bridge.
Matching each construction cost to a funding route
| Cost | Route to compare | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Crew payroll before a draw | working capital | A dated gap repaid from the draw |
| Lumber and concrete for jobs that overlap | a revolving credit line for a business | Draw for each job, repay as each pays |
| Excavator, skid steer, trailer | equipment financing | The machine itself is the security |
| Building out a shop, yard or office | a term loan | One project, fixed schedule |
Business loans for contractors and general contractors
A business loan for a general contractor is reviewed differently from one for a single-trade sub. A GC carries the whole job's costs and pays several subs, so partners look closely at the contracts, the payment schedule from the owner and whether subs are paid on time. A trade sub is reviewed more on its own billing history with the GCs it works for.
Business loans for construction companies of any size tend to be easier to review when the request names the job, the contract value, the draw schedule and what the money covers.
How to calculate the working capital requirement for a construction company by hand
A practical by-hand method: for each active job, add up the costs you will pay before the next payment arrives, subtract what you expect to collect in that window, and add retainage that will not be released yet. The largest negative figure across the next two or three months is the working capital requirement. Partners do not use one published formula, but a request built this way is easy to follow.
A worked example, with invented numbers
A framing sub in Mohave County, AZ has two jobs running. Job A: $42,000 contract, $16,000 billed so far, 10% retainage held, next payment of $14,400 due in 35 days. Job B starts next week and needs $9,500 of lumber up front. Payroll is $7,200 a week. Over the next five weeks the firm pays $36,000 in wages plus $9,500 in materials, $45,500 in total, and collects the $14,400 payment. With $19,000 in the bank, the gap is about $12,100, while $1,600 of retainage on Job A stays held. All figures are made up for the arithmetic.
Construction equipment financing
Partners typically finance construction equipment over a term that matches its working life, using the machine as security. Used equipment is common in the trades; a dealer invoice with hours and serial number makes the review simpler. There is no construction equipment financing calculator built for this site, but the loan payment calculator works for any amount, rate and term you enter. The equipment financing page covers used machines, leases and soft costs.
Building-trade counts for Mohave County, AZ from the Census Bureau
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Employer establishments (NAICS 23) | 672 | County Business Patterns 2023 |
| Paid employees | 4,296 | CBP 2023 |
| Annual payroll | $223.9 million | CBP 2023 |
| Locations below five employees | 60.3% | CBP 2023 |
| Residential building contractors (NAICS 2361) | 153 locations; 72.5% of them below five employees | CBP 2023 |
| Construction establishments with a ZIP 86401 address | 71 | ZIP Business Patterns 2023 |
| Construction businesses with no paid employees | 1,878, receipts $187.4 million | Nonemployer Statistics 2024 (separate program) |
Construction had more employer establishments than any other sector in the county in 2023, ahead of retail (643). Housing permits give a sense of residential activity: 2,241 units were authorized in 2023, 2,543 in 2024 and 1,817 in 2025 (Building Permits Survey). More county and ZIP figures are on the page of Kingman, AZ business figures.
Specialty trades with a page of their own
Specialty contractors have cash cycles of their own. Painting, flooring and drywall business loans cover material deposits and punch lists; plumbing and HVAC business loans cover service vans and parts stock; electrician business loans cover wire, panels and inspection-driven draws; and landscaping business loans cover mowers, trailers and maintenance contracts. Other business types are on the full industry list, and a revolving credit line for a business explains revolving draws for overlapping jobs.
By Quarrymoor Financial · Updated
