Welcome to the Ledgerwood Associates, Inc. Blog!

Here you can find information related to Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate (formerly known as Sage Timberline Office), Sage 100 Contractor; Sage Construction Anywhere, Hard Dollar Project Cost Management, IPM Global  Project Management Software, and other construction management solutions; updates, complementary products, tips, success stories, as well as training and event announcements.

Ledgerwood Associates, Inc, (LAI) is the #1 Sage Construction and Real Estate Business Partner in the West with more than 1,900 clients in the Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions including Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado. Over 30,000 customers worldwide use the Sage CRE products we represent.

Please feel free to post a question, comment or item of interest, or send us an email.

Sage Construction Anywhere (SCA), the cloud offering from Sage Construction and Real Estate has been a long time coming, but it’s definitely worth the wait, and will continue to get better as new versions are rolled out.

SCA was launched in May, 2012 and information from Sage about the product continues to arrive. Recently I participated in a webcast where Sage marketing executives related their plans for the product and gave Business Partners the green light to share them with customers.

Initial Release
The first release of SCA contains three components, a “connector” installed at the home office which links to your Sage construction accounting applications, Windows project portals running on Microsoft’s Azure platform, and access anywhere from a secure remote device. The portal is designed to run on a variety of devices including home PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones. It contains a flexible way to request and access reports from your back office system, project maps and all of the necessary security and housekeeping functions. The connector installs quickly on your server.

A compelling example in the area of risk management was given to illustrate the value of having this kind of access from the jobsite. A superintendent could easily check the insurance of an arriving subcontractor before allowing them to begin work.

The first release of SCA currently is available only for Sage Timberline Office/Sage 300 Construction and Real Estate. SCA will eventually link to all Sage construction applications and will provide access for project participants like owners and architects even if they don’t have Sage construction software.

Role-based Functionality
Functionality to be added in the near future (some of it this year) is going to target the needs of specific roles in the organization. First up is the superintendent, with some functions applying also to the project manager. Here are the planned features:

• Project Document Access and Management (including file syncing)
• Remote Time Capture (job centric and employee centric)
• Jobsite Time Approval
• Daily Reports
• RFI Management

Some companies currently using VPN’s to access data from the jobsite will find that SCA gives them the same access with greater flexibility and control.

Service Technician Tools
The first release of SCA is a good start. More exciting is the fact that Sage is devoting some serious resources to SCA and knows where it’s going. Further down the road you are going to see Service Technician Tools which will include customer site access to service requests, status, and service history, with more functionality sure to come.

Facilitating an Increasingly Mobile Industry
Today’s decision making can’t be confined to a desk since managers and their teams are at job sites, with clients, and on the road. In order to keep projects on track and make sure everyone is in the loop, Sage Construction Anywhere places critical project data at management’s fingertips wherever they go. Sage envisions greater collaboration, faster communication and improved jobsite decision making, speeding up projects and changing the way construction companies operate.

Sage Construction Anywhere is an easy-to-use, cloud-based service that gives you instant access to real-time project information anytime, anywhere from web-enabled tablets, smart phones and other mobile devices. For more information on available cloud technology, mobile applications, and TimberCloud Hosting contact Ledgerwood Associates.

Ledgerwood Associates Achieves President’s Circle Business Partner Status

Scottsdale, AZ – January 9, 2012 – Ledgerwood Associates, Inc., a Sage North America business partner specializing in the sales, installation, and support of Sage Timberline and Sage Master Builder, has been named to the Sage America President’s Circle for the 2011 business year. President’s Circle award winners are the top performing business partners for Sage products. Sage recognizes Ledgerwood Associates and all President’s Circle winners for their outstanding contributions in 2011.

The Sage North America President’s Circle is awarded to the leading performers among Sage business partners representing a host of segment-leading brands, including Sage ERP Accpac, Sage ERP X3, Sage Timberline, Sage ERP MAS 90 and 200, Sage SalesLogix, Sage Fund Accounting, Sage Abra HRMS (human resource management system), Sage FAS Fixed Assets and others.

“We honor Ledgerwood Associates for their hard work and their focus on our mutual customers, which has earned them the Sage North America President’s Circle Award,” said Tom Miller, VP of Channel Management for Sage. “Congratulations to the entire team Ledgerwood Associates for this accomplishment, and we wish them continued success in the coming years.”

President’s Circle award recipients for 2011 will receive further recognition from Sage at an exclusive executive retreat to be held in Nashville, Tennessee in August, in conjunction with the 2012 Sage Summit conference, where they will be celebrated among thousands of their peers and Sage customers attending the event.

“We are pleased to represent Sage to the construction industry here in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and the West,” said Ed Ledgerwood, President, Ledgerwood Associates. “We’d like to thank our customers who made this achievement possible.”

About Ledgerwood Associates, Inc.
Ledgerwood Associates, Inc. (LAI) provides construction cost management services to over 1,000 construction and real estate industry customers throughout the western United States.  LAI’s experienced professionals apply best practices in finance, workflow management and software to improve business performance.  LAI is one of the largest Value Added Resellers of Sage Construction and Real Estate software products and services. www.ledgerwoodassociatesusa.com

Version 17 of Sage Master Builder was shipped to users just a couple of months ago. If you haven’t done so already, here’s a good reason to upgrade. Sage announced that you must upgrade to the latest version, “Release 17,” to get all of the updated tax tables and forms for government filings for the year-end 2011. Version 17 is considered to be a stable release with no reported problems.

For more information on this topic contact Ledgerwood Associates, the #1 Sage Timberline Business Partner in the Southwest!

“Sage Master Builder gives smaller construction companies a way to manage their businesses in a more productive way without having to invest in a larger, higher priced and more complex software suite,” said Jon Witty, general manager of Sage Construction and Real Estate.  “With Version 17, Sage Master Builder includes new”mailt enhancements that companies need to take service management, reporting, and business analysis to the next level.”

Sage Master Builder integrates estimating, production, scheduling, accounting, service management and analysis in one convenient and easy-to-access system.  For construction companies and service/specialty contractors outgrowing off-the-shelf accounting software, it is the ideal solution to get the information they need, when they need it and in the right format.

In an industry highly sensitive to scheduling and costs, the need for integrated software that enhances visibility and control of business operations and projects has never been greater. Sage Master Builder allows companies to see and command their business like never before.

Get the Freedom of the Cloud!

Have you purchased an IPAD and want to utilize it in the field for estimating or to review accounts, you are not alone. You can now be on these platforms and have the full functionality of your current PC version on your laptop. This is one of the many benefits of having your Timberline software moved to the Cloud.

Get the “Freedom of the Cloud” with Timberline Hosting or TimberCloud from Ledgerwood Associates  and Trapp Online. TimberCloud is an affordable and efficient service designed to free you from the costs and headaches of maintaining your own servers while letting you access your software the way you want.

Hosting gives you access to your Timberline applications and data from any location and platform with Internet service. TimberCloud’s month-to-month, no contract subscription allows you to focus on managing your construction business with the confidence that your IT systems are in good hands.

Ledgerwood Associates and Trapp Online recently announced a strategic partnership to offer Sage Timberline software on the “cloud” thru Trapp Online. If you have specific questions, please visit the Trapp Online website or contact Greg Forshey at 602-443-9145

For more information on this topic contact Ledgerwood Associates, the #1 Sage Timberline Business Partner in the Southwest!

With Version 17, Sage Master Builder includes new enhancements that companies need to take service management, reporting, and business analysis to the next level. For construction companies and service/specialty contractors outgrowing off-the-shelf accounting software, it’s the ideal solution to get the information you need, when you need it, and in the right format.

Improve your service operations and customer service:

• Service dispatch board enhancements: Take control of your service operations like never before. Email work order details to your field technicians to improve performance. Multi-day views, dispatch board personalization, and other features make scheduling and dispatching more efficient so you can operate leaner and more effectively.

Gain easier access to information you need to make better decisions and improve your bottom line:

• Customizable user dashboards: You’ll be able to monitor your company’s key metrics at a glance. Tailor your view of the real-time information you need most to achieve your goals, and drill down to view the underlying detail.
• Custom alerts: Want to be informed when a project goes over budget? How about receiving an over/under billing report that goes right to your email every month? With the new custom alerts feature, you’ll be able to create, edit, or modify pre-configured custom alerts that will appear on your dashboard or get emailed. Have the vital information sent to you when you need it.

Make administrative and accounting tasks more efficient and less risky:

• Human Resources Forms: Avoid costly claims and other employee related liabilities with proper documentation. Over 70 customizable forms are included to handle a variety of common HR tasks, including evaluations, applicants and new hires, time and pay, and disciplinary.
• Year-end wizard: An intuitive tool guides you through the year-end closing process, making it easier and more organized.

For more information on this topic contact Ledgerwood Associates, the #1 Sage Timberline Business Partner in Arizona, Colorado, Nevada and the Southwest.