Jobtrio.com, a Santa Barbara-based Web site that connects construction contractors with their clients, on Monday launched a free online search directory that allows users to browse more than 250,000 listings of licensed contractors, or quickly search for a business by name, location or specialty. The online tool can help contractors increase their Web presence and find work. On the other side, jobtrio.com helps homeowners get to know their contractors before they hire them.

“Our goal was to create a very low-cost advertising tool for contractors and a great, free resource for homeowners and project managers,” said jobtrio.com CEO Brett Vernon, a 28-year-old former Navy SEAL and business graduate from California State University Channel Islands.

“Contractors tend to be self-sufficient and frugal,” added jobtrio.com president Josh Groves, a 30-year-old systems engineer formerly working as an operations manager for a building automation company. “The modern homeowner likes to make informed decisions before they spend their money, and they get most of their information off the Internet. Our site is a bridge between these two groups of people.”

Both Vernon and Groves are Santa Barbara residents.

Jobtrio.com features candid customer reviews and in-depth profiles so that it’s easy for homeowners and project managers to find great construction professionals. But the company is not aimed soley at connecting homeowners with contractors; it has many features that are clearly intended for use by construction industry professionals. For instance, union and nonunion labor can sort search results, and users can quickly look up the cell phone numbers of a specific employee in a specific department.

“We want contractors to view jobtrio.com as an undeniably valuable asset to their business,” Vernon said.

Contractors can choose from a Basic or Premium profile option, which are available for purchase at $15 and $20, respectively.

“The jobtrio.com product sells itself,” Groves said. “And that was always our goal: to give contractors a great marketing tool at a fair price.”

Click here for more information on jobtrio.com.

— Brett Vernon is CEO of jobtrio.com.