Free ACH for Building Materials: Nickel Debuts at KBIS 2026 Amid Construction Cost Surge

Supplier payment platform serves 10,000+ businesses; customers including Chicago Brass and Montaggio save $45K+ annually and get paid up to 10 days faster

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As construction material costs surge at their fastest pace since January 2023, payment and finance platform, Nickel (nickel.com, previously getnickel.com), is debuting at the Kitchen & Bath Industry Show (KBIS) 2026 with a simple message: stop paying to get paid.

The producer price index for materials and services used in nonresidential construction rose 3.6% year-over-year in November, while contractor bid prices increased only 2.7%, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. For suppliers and distributors already operating on 15-30% margins, that gap is squeezing profits from both ends.

"You can't control steel prices. You can't control tariffs. But you can control what you're paying to get paid," said Ray Fu, CEO of Nickel. "Too many businesses in this industry are still chasing checks, faxing credit card authorization forms, or paying $30 wire fees, and exposing themselves to fraud in the process."

Nickel now serves more than 10,000 businesses across the U.S., with particularly strong adoption among building materials suppliers, contractors, and kitchen and bath businesses. Customers include Chicago Brass, Divine Design, Fine Line Tile, and Montaggio.

The platform offers free ACH payments with no transaction fees, automated invoicing with real-time QuickBooks sync, and the ability to pass credit card surcharges to customers, with support for payments up to $1 million.

"We used to manually take payments using credit card authorization forms and wait on physical checks. Now we do everything on Nickel and see funds land in our account 5-10 days faster," said Peter Schnakenberg, CEO of Chicago Brass.

"Nickel is saving us over $45,000 a year by allowing clients to cover credit card fees or pay via ACH with no fees," said James Schroeder, Owner of Montaggio.

The AGC reports 53% of contractors now cite material costs as a top concern, with tariffs driving aluminum up 28%, fabricated structural metal up 16.6%, and steel up 4.6% year-over-year. In that environment, eliminating payment processing fees puts real dollars back on the bottom line.

Visit Nickel at KBIS 2026: Booth #S28094 | Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL | February 16–19, 2026

SOURCE Nickel