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Posts Tagged ‘construction industry’
Monday, November 23rd, 2009
When I talk to potential customers about AccuBuild Construction Software, one of the most popular questions is “how will your Project Management Module help me?” Well, it’s not a simple answer because there are so many benefits, but I like to explain it like this - if you could save each of your Project Managers two hours a week, would you? If you have ten PMs, that would be 20 hours of time that could be spent on more productive things. Powerful stuff, right?
Every contractor knows how project management can impact profitability. Yet managing all of the complex aspects of a project is a difficult and often overwhelming task. Thanks to AccuBuild’s Project Management Module, you can take the headaches out of your day-to-day business by streamlining operations and accounting. After implementation you will have instant access to critical project information 24/7, allowing you and your team to make more informed decisions, control costs, and keep small problems from becoming huge disasters.
You will be able to track correspondence to the finest detail with our full Microsoft Office integration. Thanks to our easy-to-use document scanning feature, you don’t have to worry about digging through huge jobsite folders. You can effortlessly create and track daily tasks, calendars, RFI’s, Change Orders, Submittals, Meetings and Daily Reports, as well as Word, Excel, email and paper files.
Learn more about what AccuBuild’s Project Management Module can do for your company by clicking here.
Tags: AccuBuild construction software, change orders, construction companies, construction industry, contractors, daily reports, demo, FFIs, modules and features, Project Management software, project managers, streamlining operations accounting, submittals
Posted in Construction Software | 1 Comment »
Friday, September 25th, 2009
According to a recent article in the Dayton Business Journal, the backlog of construction projects increased from June to July.An economist from the Associated Builders and Contractors was asked when all of this stimulus money will start showing up in the economy. Good question!
Anirban Basu, chief economist for the organization, said the uptick answers the question: When will the stimulus package passed in February begin to show up in the nation’s economy?
Significantly less than 50 percent of the $131 billion earmarked for infrastructure improvements of the $787 billion has been spent so far, Basu said. The western states have the longest backlog in the country, rising from 7.1 months in June to 7.2 months in July. The backlog in the middle states, including Wisconsin, rose the most, to 5.6 months from 4.6 months in June.
“The backlog data is revealing because it reflects an acceleration of the pace at which stimulus money is flowing through the economy,” he said.
Maybe the downturn is over for the commercial construction industry - at long last!
Tags: AccuBuild construction software, Associated Builders and Contractors, commercial industrial construction companies, construction industry, industry news, stimulus money
Posted in Construction Software, construction industry news | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
 Josh Stearns, Mike Stearns, Sr., Gov. Rick Perry, Mike J. Stearns This morning we had a unique opportunity to chat with Texas Governor, Rick Perry, at the Construction Expo where we are participating as exhibitors. Prior to his speech for the Proclamation Ceremony, Gov. Perry spent about ten minutes with us backstage, discussing the pros and cons about living and working in California as opposed to living and working in Texas. We shared the AccuBuild Construction Software story with him and he was genuinely happy to hear it.
Not too long ago, we decided to move AccuBuild’s headquarters to Austin, TX instead of Ontario, CA. We felt the tech industry was thriving in Austin and the opportunities for growth were much bigger. As a family-owned business, that meant our entire family packed up and headed to Texas.
 Josh Stearns and Mike Stearns, Sr. discuss business with Governor Rick Perry During his speech to a large, attentive audience, he mentioned the AccuBuild story by discussing the popularity of “reverse migration” which he described as people moving their families and businesses from CA to TX. Gov. Perry joked that 20% of Americans have relocated to Texas and it isn’t just for the great BBQ, live music and cold beer.
“People aren’t moving to Texas by accident,” he said. “In 2008, only ten states created jobs and Texas created 60% of those jobs. The innovative business climate in Texas is powerful,” he added. He discussed how Austin is managing to thrive even in the struggling economy and used our “1 out of 961 homes in foreclosure” stats as an example.
It is obvious that Gov. Perry is genuinely proud of Texas for making good business decisions and keeping taxes low. Our favorite part of the speech was when he talked about the budget surplus and joked, “they don’t even know what that means in California!”
Tags: AccuBuild construction software, California, Construction Expo central texas, construction industry, economy, events, news, relocating headquarters to Austin, reverse migration, TX
Posted in News & Events | 1 Comment »
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
In an article today in the Washington Post, chief economist at the AIA (American Institute of Architects), Kermit Baker spoke to the current state of the construction industry and when it will start improving. Since architectural firms are still seeing a decline in business, that means the construction industry is still struggling. Yes - I think we all know this.
Baker explains that they are seeing lots of trouble stemming from financing problems. Big projects are being denied. Many architectural firms aren’t exactly losing clients, but projects are being put on hold - indefinitely. Read article here.
The point is the construction industry will start improving, but we need to hit recovery mode first. As always, my advice for construction companies is make the most of this time by focusing your efforts on doing business smarter. Make your day-to-day routine more efficient and figure out how to make your company more profitable. I think investing in construction software is a step in the right direction. If nothing else, take the time to research construction software and see if there’s a good fit for your needs. You might be surprised at how much it can help your business now and give you a competitive advantage when the construction industry does bounce back.
Tags: AccuBuild construction software, AIA, architectural firms, business tips and advice, competitive advantage, construction industry, economy, getting ahead, Josh Stearns, Kermit Baker, news, Washington Post
Posted in construction industry news | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
National economist, Ken Simonson, said the outlook for the commercial construction industry remains grim through 2010. Simonson is the chief economist for the AGC (Associated General Contractors of America). He addressed industry professionals and members of the AGC of Greater Florida in Tampa.
While he admits the federal stimulus is helping to cushion the blow, there are strings attached to stimulus projects.
- Contractors will be required to pay union wages to workers on projects that are stimulus-funded, even state and local.
- Contractors must purchase American made products for stimulus-funded projects
It is uncertain what these requirements really mean for contractors, as there are gray areas that can be interpreted differently. On the positive side, real estate sales are slowly starting to improve. For the economy to rebound, Simonson says government must fix the housing market and credit system.
You can read the full story in the Tampa Bay Business Journal here.
Tags: chief economist AGC, commercial construction news, construction industry, contractors, Ken Simonson, stimulus, Tampa Bay Business Journal
Posted in Stimulus Package & Construction | No Comments »
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