Customer Success. Sage 100 Contractor Powers Success for Dyna Electric Company. Challenge. Solution. Results. Low powered systems

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1 Customer Success Sage 100 Contractor Powers Success for Dyna Electric Company Dyna Electric Company, Inc. has earned a reputation for excellence in commercial, industrial, and new construction electrical contracting services. The company s experience and commitment to quality have helped it survive during good markets and bad. To meet the demands of an evolving construction marketplace, Dyna Electric Company must take advantage of the tools available to help its operation become more efficient. For specialty contractor Dyna Electric Company, Sage 100 Contractor is the tool of choice. Low powered systems The company had been using QuickBooks, which met its basic accounting needs, but fell short when it came to managing its projects. We needed a better way to track RFIs, submittals, change orders, and to track the specific costs and revenue associated with each job, explains Mike Zagorski, president of Dyna Electric Company. We were using Microsoft Word or Excel to create and manage many of the documents we needed, but that only created more systems that we needed to maintain. Customer: Dyna Electric Company, Inc. Industry: Commercial Electrical Contracting Location: Manchester, Connecticut Number of Locations: One System: Sage 100 Contractor Zagorski says the recent economic downturn convinced him it was time for a change. We are still growing and our sales are up, but our profits have remained flat, he says. That is the effect of this economy; there are more bidders for fewer projects, so profits are lean. We have to operate more efficiently to succeed in this market. After a brief evaluation of construction software options, Zagorski purchased a popular construction software package. Within a week I knew that it was a mistake, he recalls. It did not fit our business and seemed inflexible and time-consuming to use. I ended up doing even more things on spreadsheets. Lighting up operations Zagorski then performed a more comprehensive evaluation of three construction software offerings. I saw online demonstrations of two of them. United Solutions, Inc., representing Sage 100 Contractor, was the only vendor to meet with us in person. United Solutions met with us and really listened to what we wanted from the software. We did not feel pressured, on the contrary, we felt like they would not have sold us software if they did not think it would work for us. We felt confident with both the partner and the product and selected Sage 100 Contractor. Challenge The company s QuickBooks software lacked the necessary project management and job costing tools. A substandard experience with another construction software application left the company searching for a robust, easyto-use construction management solution to help it streamline its operations. Solution A comprehensive search led Dyna Electric Company to select Sage 100 Contractor as its construction software solution. The product s ease-of-use, comprehensive feature set, and strong product support resources make it an ideal solution for this electrical contractor. Results All job-related documents are stored within the software and are quickly and easily accessed. Comprehensive cost tracking and analysis tools allow Dyna Electric Company to ascertain the true costs of its labor and materials, make more accurate bidding decisions, and better manage its projects.

2 Customer Success The business partner took a staged approach to implementation. They began by implementing the core product functionality, with the more advanced components to come later. We were live two weeks after purchase, Zagorski explains. We needed the basics up quickly so that we could keep on track with our projects. Benefits of a construction-specific solution Dyna Electric Company quickly began realizing the benefits of construction-specific software. I can open a job and have access to every document associated with the project. Plus, I can see estimated and actual costs for overhead, parts, and labor, explains Zagorski. When we enter an accounts payable invoice, the costs are automatically posted to the job. Open change orders and submittals are there where I can monitor their status. We are so much less likely to overlook something with an integrated system like this. Now this electrical contractor is able to collect data about its jobs that was lost before. We are able to account for both labor and burden, Zagorski says. Using the real cost of our resources, we can do a better job of estimating future projects, ensuring we bid competitively, yet profitably. More than just software Zagorski appreciates the resources available to him: business support from a business partner who understands his business and his industry, and product support from the award-winning customer support team at Sage. I receive both product and business support, he says. It is a value above and beyond my expectations. The business partner is able to offer tailored services to help personalize the software to meet Dyna Electric Company s needs. For example, United Solutions customized the Sage 100 Contractor Certified Payroll Report to meet the unique requirements of the State of Connecticut. Previously, we were completing this form manually, says Zagorski. Now it is produced by the software and all we need to do is sign and submit it. We don t look at Sage 100 Contractor as overhead it is helping us to be more efficient, and our jobs more profitable. Mike Zagorski, President Dyna Electric Company, Inc. More proactive and effective We are still new to Sage 100 Contractor, but I anticipate that it will help make our projects more profitable, says Zagorski. By centralizing all of our job information, including messages and scanned documents; and by tracking open, pending tasks like change orders and submittals, we are already more proactive and effective. With the tools Sage 100 Contractor offers, Dyna Electric Company is able to optimize its operations to improve efficiency, productivity, and profitability. We don t make money in the office, we make money by successfully completing jobs, Zagorski concludes. We don t look at Sage 100 Contractor as overhead it is helping us to be more efficient, and our jobs more profitable. About Sage Construction and Real Estate Solutions No matter where your business fits into the building lifecycle new construction, service and maintenance, or property management Sage offers a range of innovative software solutions that will fit your needs. With more than 20,000 customers, Sage construction software and real estate solutions are backed by more than 40 years of experience and award-winning support. Sage Construction and Real Estate Solutions is part of Sage North America and The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services. Sage North America employs more than 4,000 people and supports nearly 3.1 million business customers. For more information about Sage Construction and Real Estate Solutions, visit or call Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage, the Sage logos, and the Sage product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software, Inc., or its affiliated entities. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners /12 Sage Construction and Real Estate NW Greenbrier Pkwy Beaverton, OR

3 Customer Success Fatboy Construction, Inc. runs lean on Sage 100 Contractor Fatboy Construction, Inc., was established in 2001 as a residential building and remodeling contractor with a mission to provide customers with personalized, professional service. The company has weathered good markets and bad, due to owner Mike Boyle s commitment to quality craftsmanship and reputation for excellence. Growing up in the industry as the son of a Tacoma, Washington building contractor, Boyle recognizes that his company s success depends on his ability to accurately estimate, bid, track, and bill for his jobs for this reason he selected Sage 100 Contractor as his construction management software. Audit exposes deficiencies Based on a recommendation from its accountant, Fatboy Construction had been using QuickBooks for its accounting tasks. However, a rigorous audit by the state Department of Revenue led Boyle to realize that he needed a construction-specific solution. I felt like I was hung out to dry, recalls Boyle. I could not get the reports the auditors asked for, and there were no audit trails to validate transactions. Contributing to the problem was the use of a separate estimating software package. It was nearly impossible to line up estimates with invoices, Boyle says. I needed a comprehensive estimating, job costing, and accounting tool that I could use without relying entirely on a bookkeeper. Customer: Fatboy Construction, Inc. Industry: Residential Construction Location: Steilacoom, Washington Number of Locations: One System: Sage 100 Contractor Accounting Estimating Recommendation from the field Boyle joined Remodeler s Advantage, an industry organization and attended the NAHB International Builders Show and used these forums to research software options. I spoke with companies like mine and they overwhelmingly recommended Sage 100 Contractor, says Boyle. I liked what I heard about the powerful reporting capabilities and the ability to analyze each job s profitability. I also appreciated that it has an integrated estimating function. Sage 100 Contractor combines all the elements I need to run my business efficiently. Challenge Fatboy Construction had been using QuickBooks for its accounting, but an audit revealed deficiencies that needed immediate attention. In addition, using a separate, non-integrated estimating software package complicated invoicing and increased the opportunity for errors. Solution Careful research led the company to select Sage 100 Contractor with its integrated Estimating solution. Fatboy Construction s Sage Authorized Partner worked closely with the company to ensure a great fit and quick return on investment. Results A tight audit trail and comprehensive cost tracking leads to numbers the company can trust. Ease-of-use allows owner to remain hands-on, without relying entirely on a bookkeeper. Integrated estimating function facilitates invoicing and ensures change orders are properly billed. A complete returnon-investment is projected within six months.

4 Customer Success For the software implementation, data conversion, and training assistance, Boyle turned to a local Sage Authorized Partner, Contractor Business Solutions Northwest. He feels that their assistance was key to the overall success of the project. They are a terrific resource to us knowledgeable, patient, skilled, and committed to our success with the product, says Boyle. And they offer us valuable advice and insight into how we could get the most out of the software. Accurate cost tracking With the old software, Boyle often worried that he would lose track of change orders, and consequently not bill for them. With Sage 100 Contractor he no longer has that concern. Change orders can make all the difference in a job s profitability, Boyle explains. I was leaving money we legitimately earned on the table. It felt like the old software would allow me to do anything I wanted without question. Sage 100 Contractor makes it difficult to make the same mistakes I used to make. All costs are assigned to a job, and the excellent audit trail helps me sleep better. Detailed cost reports, including the Job Status Report, Current Cost Summary, and Labor Journal help Fatboy Construction accurately track its expenses, and ensure that costs are allocated to the correct projects. I trust my numbers now, says Boyle. I know precisely how each job is doing compared to my estimate. I know how much we have billed and how much remains to be billed. As a result, I can invoice more quickly and improve my cash flow. Insight into operations provides a competitive edge Boyle appreciates the robust reporting engine in Sage 100 Contractor. More than 1,000 standard reports are included. The reports allow him to drill down into the transactions underlying the numbers. Beyond day-to-day operational data, with these reports I am able to identify trends in my business that is something I never had before, he says. I feel that our investment in Sage 100 Contractor gives me an edge. I have the information I need to profitably manage my jobs at my fingertips. I can make corrections and take steps to ensure each job stays on course. Mike Boyle, President Fat Boy Construction Boyle has seen colleagues and competitors go out of business during the past few years. I think one big reason for their failure was their inability to accurately track their job costs, he says. They thought they were making money until it was too late to take action. I feel that our investment in Sage 100 Contractor gives me an edge. I have the information I need to profitably manage my jobs at my fingertips. I can make corrections and take steps to ensure each job stays on course. Rapid return on investment Factoring in the time savings, improved accuracy, and faster billing capabilities, Boyle expects to receive a full return on investment on the software within six months. Even with the downturn in construction, it was an easy decision for me, he concludes. The money I am saving will repay the investment quickly, and going forward Fatboy Construction will continue to benefit from tighter controls and a leaner operation. About Sage Construction and Real Estate Solutions No matter where your business fits into the building lifecycle new construction, service and maintenance, or property management Sage offers a range of innovative software solutions that will fit your needs. With more than 20,000 customers, Sage construction software and real estate solutions are backed by more than 40 years of experience and award-winning support. Sage Construction and Real Estate Solutions is part of Sage North America and The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services. Sage North America employs more than 4,000 people and supports nearly 3.1 million business customers. For more information about Sage Construction and Real Estate Solutions, visit or call Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage, the Sage logos, and the Sage product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software, Inc., or its affiliated entities. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners /12 Sage Construction and Real Estate NW Greenbrier Pkwy Beaverton, OR

5 Sage 100 Contractor Customer Success Sage 100 Contractor Opens the Door to Opportunity for J.F. Cook Company Since 1947, J.F. Cook Company, Inc. (J.F. Cook) has been selling, installing, and servicing quality doors and windows throughout the greater Milwaukee region. The company has divisions serving industry, contractors, and residential home owners and it requires a flexible business management solution that can adapt to the way it does business. For J.F. Cook, that solution is Sage 100 Contractor (formerly Sage Master Builder). Ready for an Integrated Construction Solution When Stacey Teal, operations manager for J.F. Cook, joined the organization,the accounting and operations tasks were not integrated and many tasks performed manually. We were using Sage 100 Contractor to handle our accounting and project management tasks, says Teal. However, our inventory, service management, reporting, and many other tasks were being handled outside of the solution with spreadsheets and other standalone databases. Integrating All Aspects of the Business J.F. Cook wanted to integrate its operation by having all of its business data together in a single application. The company turned to its Sage business partner, who recommended the company incorporate the Sage 100 Contractor service management and inventory control capabilities. The partner also introduced J.F. Cook to companion products that deliver integration with the company s outsourced payroll provider and streamline payroll tax filing tasks. Now, we are using nearly every aspect of Sage 100 Contractor and we love it, says Benjamin Engel, owner and president of J.F. Cook Company. Customer: J.F. Cook Company, Inc. Industry: Construction and Field Service Location: Oak Creek, Wisconsin Number of Locations: One System: Sage 100 Contractor Aatrix State & Fed Reports Slimmer Software PayDayLynx When I first started here, almost everything was done manually, says Rich McRae, commercial and residential service manager. Sage 100 Contractor has really taken all those steps and combined them into a much more automated, fluid process. Service Enhancement The Service Receivables module delivers the tools and functionality that J.F. Cook s busy service division needs to better satisfy its customers. Before our service operation was managed with C h a l l e n g e J.F. Cook Company was using the job costing and accounting functionality of Sage 100 Contractor for years, but other areas of the organization were not benefiting from automation and integrated operations. S o l u t i o n Sage 100 Contractor as well as companion products provide the company with visibility across the organization and deliver detailed job costing information. R e s u l t s Accounting staff size reduced due to higher efficiency. More accurate service contract management improves customer service. Accurate job cost data help ensure profitability. Integration with payroll service provider and tax filing service reduces burden on staff and ensures compliance.

6 Customer Success J.F. Cook Company paper, spreadsheets, and the knowledge in peoples heads, says Steve Getzin, vice president and service manager. Now we have full inventory control, warranty tracking, a graphical dispatch board, tight integration with job costing, and our technicians now have the ability to input data from the field using an ipad. Throughout J.F. Cook s warehouse, staff is able to access the Sage 100 Contractor database to look up part numbers and work orders. The inventory component of Sage 100 Contractor is robust, says Getzin. We have gained much better control and visibility into this valuable corporate resource. Streamlining Payroll Tasks J.F. Cook outsources its corporate payroll tasks to PayChex, a payroll service provider. The company uses Slimmer Software PayDayLynx, a third-party connected solution, to export its payroll data from Sage 100 Contractor to the service provider for final processing. It has proven to be a very efficient solution for us, says Teal. We maintain the control of our payroll data here, and have the peace of mind and convenience that comes from having the professionals do the final calculations. J.F. Cook takes advantage of Aatrix s State & Fed Payroll Reports a payroll tax filing solution that is integrated with Sage 100 Contractor. It supports all the payroll and HR forms we need to generate and file, such as new hires, unemployment, and withholding, says Teal. We fill out the forms in Sage 100 Contractor and then we can print and file them, or file them electronically. One benefit of this is that the forms are stored electronically with the employee record in the software so we can review them as needed. Enhanced Customer Service The Sage 100 Contractor solution is making a difference for J.F. Cook by helping to improve the company s customer service. Questions and issues surrounding service billings have been greatly reduced. We have many types of contracts with different billing arrangements. Before we did not have an efficient way to track the contract details, so billing errors sometimes occurred, explains Teal. Using Sage 100 Contractor, we track all the contract information and billing is faster and more accurate. With the efficiencies we have gained, we were able to eliminate two full-time positions, and reduce two others to part time. The labor savings significantly improves our bottom line. Benjamin Engel, owner and president J.F. Cook Company, Inc. About Sage Construction and Real Estate Solutions No matter where your business fits into the building lifecycle new construction, service and maintenance, or property management Sage offers a range of innovative software solutions that will fit your needs. With more than 40,000 customers, Sage construction software and real estate solutions are backed by more than 40 years of experience and award-winning support. Sage Construction and Real Estate Solutions is part of Sage North America and The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services. Sage North America employs more than 4,000 people and supports nearly 3.1 million business customers. For more information about Sage Construction and Real Estate Solutions, visit or call Significant Return on Investment Engel notes that the return on investment of the company s use of Sage 100 Contractor is significant. We used to have an accounting staff of six full-time employees. With the efficiencies we gained, we were able to eliminate two full-time positions, and reduce two others to part time. The labor savings significantly improves our bottom line Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage, the Sage logos and the Sage product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software, Inc., or its affiliated entities. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Sage Construction and Real Estate NW Greenbrier Pkwy Beaverton, OR

7 Sage Master Builder Customer Success The Minardos Group Nails the Competition with Sage Master Builder Since its inception, The Minardos Group of Santa Monica, California has been building awardwinning structures for residential, commercial, and art/special interest customers. The company s projects ranging from 10,000 square-foot office structures, to culturally distinct museums, to private dwellings are top-class, and The Minardos Group requires business management software that s as impeccable and undeniably unique as it is. So, when George Minardos, president and founder of The Minardos Group, was looking to upgrade the company s overloaded software, he found that Sage Master Builder provided the tools and insights he was previously lacking. QuickBooks Proved Inadequate Beginning as a framer and general contractor in 1991, Minardos recalls that in the early days QuickBooks and Microsoft Word were just enough for the company s accounting and reporting needs. But over the next seven years, the economy grew healthier, and Minardos wanted to expand the company. Suddenly those applications were no longer up-to-par. We experienced several warning shots over our bow, explains Minardos. A couple of vendors were overpaid, we double-paid a few material items, and we didn t collect some accounts receivable for over six months. We needed a solution that could solve our current problems and grow with our current business. Customer: The Minardos Group Industry: Construction-Residential, Commercial, Art/ Special Interest Location: Santa Monica, California Number of Locations: One System: Sage Master Builder Estimating Minardos needed control and insight. Construction at its best is organized chaos, and the way that you control the field, clients, and the office needs to be integrated, says Minardos. Sage Master Builder provides that control. As a fully integrated system, Sage Master Builder is on the job from start to finish providing Minardos with critical, up-to-the-minute information from any location. We use data from the estimate all the way through construction-management, and right up to final analysis of completed projects, says Minardos. A real key to our success is Sage Master Builder because it ties our information together and allows us to access it any time. Challenge Inaccurate and over-loaded QuickBooks accounting system resulted in overpaid vendors and up to a six-month delay on accounts receivable. Automated reporting was non-existent. Solution Sage Master Builder keeps accounting books in order and on time. Minardos can now choose from over 1000 professionally designed, customizable reports, graphs, and charts for client presentations. Results The Minardos Group is fiscally responsible, highly organized, and has improved communications with each other and its clients, thanks to Sage Master Builder.

8 Customer Success Minardos Group Stay Mobile and Connected Minardos finds himself on multiple computers throughout any given day. Whether at home, in the office, or at a job site, Sage Master Builder is front and center with its remote data access capabilities. I want to have insight to key information whenever and wherever without being tied to my desk, says Minardos. Real-time access to information helps Minardos team stay connected with one another, as well as with the customer s needs and desires. Integration Provides Accurate Data In construction, having accurate financial information at your fingertips is essential. And, as with most businesses, the old adage time is money, rings true. But in construction, running one day behind schedule can cost several thousand dollars in equipment rental fees and lost man-hours. Minardos notes that the drill-down power of Sage Master Builder keeps him one step ahead of potential issues. It all boils down to one thing: confidence in your data, says Minardos. Just because you re running millions of dollars through your books doesn t mean you re profitable. How do you know you re profitable unless your systems are integrated and you re able to analyze projects? Sage Master Builder lets you accomplish that analysis by project or for your company as a whole. Plus, the ability to track open issues RFI, changes, and submittals makes the product worth every penny. Construction at its best is organized chaos. A real key to our success is Sage Master Builder because it ties our information together and allows us to access it any time. George Minardos President and Founder, The Minardos Group Sage Master Builder ties The Minardos Group together and is flexible enough to support exponential growth for years to come. For more information about Sage Master Builder, visit call , or contact your local Sage Master Builder Business Partner. The Minardos Group has grown from a 2 million dollar-per-year company using QuickBooks to nearly 15 million dollars a year with Sage Master Builder at the helm. Today, Minardos describes the firm as a full-service construction company with five main entities: Consulting and Pre-construction, Building, Design, Estate Care, and Development. And, looking ahead, Minardos says he s excited about the company s potential to take advantage of new business opportunities in their Los Angeles area and beyond Sage Software, Inc. All rights reserved. Sage, the Sage logos and the Sage Sage product and service names mentioned herein are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sage Software, Inc., or its affiliated entities. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners Sage Master Builder NW Greenbrier Pkwy Beaverton, OR