Amid predictions of a long-awaited housing industry recovery, NAHB launches its 2013 International Builders Show in Las Vegas later this month (January 22-24, Las Vegas, NV). Everyone associated with the homebuilding industry will be there, from suppliers of building materials, mechanical systems, fixtures and trucks, to mortgage lenders, insurance brokers and technology vendors.

If you attend the show, please stop by and say hello to Ledgerwood Associates and the Sage Construction and Real Estate team. Take a few minutes for a demo of Sage Construction Anywhere. Ed Ledgerwood will be there as part of the Sage contingent in booth C3049. As a long-time Sage Business Partner and industry expert, Ed can help you successfully navigate the construction industry technology marketplace.

This year’s show has a kind-of rising-from-the-ashes feeling to it, like the name of our fair city, Phoenix. Appropriately, Michael Eisner, past Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, is the keynote speaker. In the 80’s he revived Disney from a near coma to become an entertainment powerhouse. He hopes to inspire attendees to “Build your team, build your company and build your community”.

We all know that homebuilding today is challenging. According to the show website, “Everything has changed.” In the Day Two keynote session, a panel of rising homebuilders “will discuss how successful private builders are responding to these changes, and how they are defining new ways to operate profitably.” In our experience, change means opportunities, and we are eager to help our clients capitalize on the ones that come along.

A 90-minute preview of “disruptive technologies” by the New York Times’ tech reviewer, David Pogue, promises to be one of the more entertaining sessions. Attendees will “see samples and demonstrations of the newest gadgets and platforms in the tech world that can help your business grow.” Helping customers sort through the technology hype is a big part of what we do at Ledgerwood Associates.

Educational opportunities are varied. Attendees can choose from all-day “Master” sessions –  basic topics or advanced, and “speed learning” classes, presumably for builders to fast track through many sessions.

At $450 for NAHB members, registration fees are moderate. And, there is one terrific bargain that you shouldn’t pass up –  the $20 Spouse Registration. That’s right, for $20 your spouse can get $50,000 worth of remodeling ideas. Even if you’re already well settled in your homestead, it’s still inexpensive entertainment.

How to wrap up such an event? NAHB supporters will be treated to a concert from the power-pop rock band, Cheap Trick. And that just about sums up what the housing industry economy may have felt like for years.

At least this year there’s hope!

Last week I attended the World of Concrete (WOC) show in Las Vegas and it was awesome! WOC was Disneyland meets the Superbowl compared to other trade shows I have attended during my 25 years in the software industry.

WOC made me feel like a kid again, tugging at my Dad’s hand at the state fair, eager for a chance to climb up on a big tractor or truck.

There were lots of big (I mean “How did they get that through the door?” big) trucks and concrete pumpers; and some really mean-looking pieces of heavy equipment like this 5,000 lb. demo rig attachment (one of their smaller units):

I particularly enjoyed the outdoor lot where several vendors were demonstrating the ride-on troweling machines like they were one-man military hovercraft. One vendor’s “booth” consisted of a mock 4-story construction site.

Besides touring the cool exhibits, I got to meet some great people in the Construction Technology section. Field access and input to accounting systems was a big theme.

Recently announced and demonstrated for the first time at World of Concrete was “Sage Construction Anywhere”. This cloud offering from Sage will provide exciting field access reporting functionality for Sage Timberline and Master Builder users as well as any other parties involved in a project with a need to know. Sage Construction Anywhere will be rolled out in stages with more functionality to come in release 2 later this year.

What’s YOUR favorite trade show?

For more information on this and other topics, visit www.ledgerwoodassociatesusa.com.

ASA-NM Trade Show

For the second year in a row, Ledgerwood Associate’s Daren Baldwin spent the day in Albuquerque attending the American Subcontractors Association of New Mexico Annual Trade Show. One of our clients, Yearout Mechanical invited us to attend and how can we say no to them? 

This year it was held at the Sandia Resort and Casino.  Despite the current economy, New Mexico seems to be somewhat sheltered from the downturn.  Daren says he spoke with plenty of attendees and said he thought the event was well-attended.  He even got to play Santa Claus by giving away an iPod to one lucky visitor.

Daren loves going to New Mexico because it gives him an opportunity to see our many New Mexican clients and chat with them in a relaxed environment.  If you didn’t make it out there this year, don’t worry we already plan on sending Daren out there again next year!

World of Concrete 2010

World of Concrete 2010

Ed and  Daren spent the week in Las Vegas working hard (uh huh) at this year’s World of Concrete Showcase. Held Feb. 1-5, the tradeshow is the only annual international construction show for those businesses devoted to the industries of concrete and masonry.

They spent their days taking to attendees about the many construction solutions Sage Timberline has to offer. Although we offer a full suite of accounting solutions, it appears most people are interested in Estimating. Which makes sense because the bidding wars are now on, triggered of course, by the current economic downturn.

Ed tells me a steady stream of people stopped by, many of them wanting to hear more about Timberline Estimating. “It’s always fun to be able to meet and chat with our clients face-to-face.” Ed believes “there is no substitute for getting out there and just talking to people.”

Daren feels the same way. He says most of the people he spoke with were interested in Timberline Estimating, “all of them eager to find that one thing that is going to give them the edge when it comes to bidding on projects. They want immediate tangible results in the form of winning more jobs.”

I’ve attached a couple of pictures taken by Daren – although he and Ed are camera-shy which explains why they’re not in any of the pictures!

A Little more info…

World of Concrete showcased more than 1,500 exhibitors in more than a million square feet of exhibit space. It also offered more than 100 educational sessions, product demonstrations and much more! To find out more about World of Concrete (did you know they’ll be in Mexico this June?) click here!

Daren doin' his thing!

Daren and I really enjoyed the opportunity to attend the 2009 Construction Technology Fair offered by the New Mexico Chapter of American Subcontractors Association. We also enjoyed making the drive to Albuquerque because it gave us a chance to get out of the office and take a road trip!

It also allowed us to visit with many of our clients face-to-face, which is becoming way less common these days. It also provided people withthe opportunity to talk to us about some of the reasons they would like to upgrade to Sage Timberline Accounting Software.

One Controller I spoke with would dearly love to have the option to drill down into invoices and purchase orders. Of course Timberline does that beautifully. It is, according to her, one of the main reasons she wants to convert to Timberline.

Something else on her wish list — she would like to be able to lock in a purchase order. Once written she wants NO one else to be able to enter and change it. It’s a situation that has caused her more than one headache in the past. Sage Timberline Accounting Software also offers that option. With a few security settings she can lock everyone but herself out, ensuring people can only read and not change the Purchase Order.

The only question left is – how soon does she want us to install her new software?

When Quickbooks is no longer good enough…

The view from our booth!

We also spoke to a business owner who is moving into commercial construction. He has outgrown Quickbooks and wants to upgrade – Timberline Software Accounting is what he’d like to move up to.

It makes complete sense, especially in today’s economy. This is the time to tightly track your works in progress, aggressively control your costs, build precise bids that will not only be awarded but come in profitable and of course there’s always the added benefit of providing peace of mind.

Sage Timberline is the best way to ensure you reach your business goals and your personal goals. Your business is a means-to-an end, right? It’s what provides for you and your family so that you can enjoy life. In the end Sage Timberline is way cheaper than therapy and is exactly what you need to sleep better at night.  Daren and I look forward to the next Trade Show. We hope to see you there!!  

The ladies who made it all happen!