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• one unified platform to replace multiple tools
• hundreds of documents consolidated per deal
• centralized data storage and single source of truth
Stone Beam is a LIHTC (Low Income Housing Tax Credit) developer focused on affordable housing. As a growing firm, Stone Beam juggles the complexity inherent to affordable housing transactionsand manages deals that can involve 70 to 100 individuals across 15 or more organizations, all working toward a single closing.
Director of Development Scott Frayn oversees the firm's development pipeline and has been a driving force behind Stone Beam's adoption of technology to improve efficiency, accuracy, and long-term data integrity across the organization.
Before Builders Patch, Stone Beam's workflow looked like that of most LIHTC developers: a patchwork of disconnected tools. The team relied on Microsoft Excel for financial modeling, shared folder structures for file storage, and a rotating cast of project management platforms such as Monday, Asana, Jira, Dropbox, and others, none of which were purpose-built for real estate development.
"We experimented with many project management software options, and they’re all fine programs, but there was a disconnect between that software and the actual work of getting a deal done as a developer."
Scott Frayn, Director of Development, Stone Beam
The LIHTC closing process is uniquely document-intensive. Hundreds, sometimes thousands, of regulatory, loan, bond, and syndicator documents must be accurately captured and maintained, often for the full hold period of a property, which can span 30 years or more. Gaps in that record don't just create administrative headaches; they create compliance risk.
Stone Beam experienced this firsthand. After closing and acquiring a property, the team paused to audit their files and discovered critical documents still sitting in inboxes, never properly saved or organized. The experience underscored just how much was at stake with their existing approach to file management.
Stone Beam's leadership had a clear mandate: find technology they could adopt early, before the organization grew too large to adapt, and find something purpose-built for the real estate industry.
Most software, as Scott put it, is built for tech companies. The affordable housing development world had no well-established equivalent. That's precisely what drew them to Builders Patch, an AI-powered workflow and deal management platform built specifically for multifamily housing finance.
Stone Beam's Co-CEO Joe Walsh met Builders Patch co-founder Kanan at AHF Live, and what started as an introduction quickly turned into conviction. The team was impressed not just by the product, but by the dedication of the Builders Patch team to building something genuinely excellent for the industry.
"It's so elegantly simple. There's no need for a full-day seminar on how to use it. It just feels intuitive — everything is there and easy to find. That really matters for employee adoption."
Scott Frayn, Director of Development, Stone Beam
Ease of use was a decisive factor. Stone Beam regularly evaluates and integrates new technologies, and has found that most platforms come with steep learning curves that slow adoption. Builders Patch was different: its intuitive design meant the team could get up and running quickly without extensive training.
The onboarding experience was, in Scott's words, "as smooth as it possibly could be." The Builders Patch team was deeply involved throughout, which made a meaningful difference. When Stone Beam came with complex or evolving requests, the BP team responded quickly and accurately, implementing revisions without friction.
One notable challenge was the process of uploading prior deals and legacy documents into the platform. The bulk upload feature helped considerably, though migrating historical files always takes time. Stone Beam used the transition as an opportunity to standardize their file management practices, an outcome that turned out to be one of the most valuable byproducts of the whole process.
What the first 90 days accomplished
The most immediate result of adopting Builders Patch was consolidation. Stone Beam was able to retire multiple tools and collapse their workflows into a single system. Project management, file storage, version control, document annotations, and team communications now live in one place.
The biggest operational improvement has been accuracy. Stone Beam now has a definitive, centralized home for every deal document, complete with version history and contextual notes. For a LIHTC developer managing properties across a 30+ year hold period, this isn't a nice-to-have, it's essential.
"Centralized data storage has been the biggest benefit so far. Having a true source of truth, with notes and context for each document, that's transformative for the way we work."
Scott Frayn, Director of Development, Stone Beam
One of the more tangible early wins has been the handoff process between Stone Beam's Development and Asset Management teams. Previously, transferring a property from one team to another was an operationally complex moment with real risk of information loss. Builders Patch made that transition significantly smoother, and Stone Beam has already completed its first live handoff through the platform.
Stone Beam has barely scratched the surface of what Builders Patch offers, and that's by design: they're building toward it deliberately. Upcoming priorities include deeper use of automation features for document extraction and deal analysis, further integration of Asset Management workflows, and continued reduction in reliance on external communication tools.
They're also exploring the memo creation functionality within Builders Patch, which they expect will further streamline how they synthesize and communicate deal information internally and with partners.
"The future of organization is here in the form of Builders Patch. Organizing all this data is important for closing transactions, and it creates a rich foundation for technological progression that is becoming more accurate, automated and useful with every day that passes."
Scott Frayn, Director of Development, Stone Beam
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