For those who joined us on April 4^th, both customer and partners, we sure had a great time talking tech-y and BYOD all day at the fabulous Doubletree resort in Scottsdale!

A GREAT SUCCESS for CPFS – LAI collected 46 Cell Phones for Soldiers! Each phone valued at $5 translates into 2.5 hours of calling time for our military personnel. That means we collectively donated 115 hours to our troops!  Ledgerwood Associates matched each phone donation with a half an hour of FREE consulting time!

Keynote speaker, Joe Granneman, had the audience in a state of highly entertained shock as he shared stories of security gaps in super-powers like Google and Facebook, and how easy it is to crack 7-character passwords in under four seconds (make sure yours is at least 8 characters, and no “dictionary” words)! That information alone may have saved thousands of dollars in potential fraud!!

Our friends Diane Haines and Todd Juhnke from Sage Construction & Real Estate put on an amusing skit (complete with a fake marriage) on the frustrations of timecards between the field and office, and how Sage Construction Anywhere will allow you to watch more football! How many software solutions can claim that?!

After lunch by the pool, attendees split up into two afternoon sessions with a choice of four different tracks. SMEs from Sage, TimberScan, Trapp Online, Piracle, True Wireless, Hard Dollar, and Ledgerwood Associates spent quality time demonstrating integration strategies, hardware, and mobile solutions. CFMA was there too, to answer questions and talk about their great organization (LAI is a member)!

Everyone regrouped for Ed Ledgerwood’s closing remarks, and mingled for the last time during Happy Hour on the patio! Check out pictures of Technology Day on our FB Tech Day album.

Last week I traveled the 120 miles from Phoenix to Tucson to attend the CFMA 2011 Tax Update presented by Beach Fleischman, a Tucson accounting firm. Although taxes are important, I have to admit I wasn’t crazy about the topic.  Tax seminars are comically used as an example of dull and uninteresting, but to my liking, the session was engaging and informative.  I was amazed by the volumes of information construction companies are expected to know about taxes.

Kim Paskal, the presenter from Beach Fleischman, covered more than 60 changes in the tax code including tax credits for employees hired in 2010; 2011 expense rules for SUV’s, Trucks and Vans; and an increase in the Social Security wage base for 2012; all of which  could impact a construction company’s bottom line.

Personally, I found the lengthy discussion on cancellation of real property business debt to be very helpful, having experienced my share of real estate investments gone South.

Ms. Paskal was well prepared and knowledgeable.   Having been a business owner myself, I know that relying on a tax expert like Kim is essential, especially if you are in a complex industry like construction.  It could mean real savings in your tax bill.

Talk to your tax advisor to get more details about how recent tax law changes might affect your business. If you need a good tax accountant I recommend calling Beach Fleischman.

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

Thursday, the Valley of the Sun Construction Financial Management Association held its monthly luncheon. Street Transportation Director for the city of Phoenx, Wylie Beaurup was the guest speaker.

He spoke to a packed house for more than 30 minutes about the city’s use of Construction Manager at Risk with Price Competition used by the state to dole out federally funded projects.  Beaurup is responsible for executing nearly $6 billion, 5-year capital improvement program.

Beaurup explained in order to be able to take advantage of the millions of dollars assigned to Arizona by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, state legislators had to change the language which outlines Requests for Proposals in Arizona.  In 2000, the state began using Construction Manager at Risk guidelines which do not allow for a project to be awarded by price.  It must strictly be awarded through qualifications.  S0, recently the state came up with the Construction Manager at Risk with Price Competition in order to begin using federally-funded stimulus projects.

Someone wanted to know if BIM requirements are going to be considered anytime soon when it comes to qualifying General Contractors for projects.  Beaurup’s answer was not really. At this time BIM knowledge might be advantageous but there are many more qualifications to be considered.  So at this time lack of BIM will not be used to disqualify those bidding for projects.

Bearup expressed his satisfaction with the Construction Manager at Risk model stating it ensures the most qualified contractor is chosen, not the cheapest.  It creates better relationships among team members, the contractor is involved for the duration of the project and makes for true value engineering.

 When asked if there were soon to be any RFP’s for Stimulus jobs, Beaurup told the crowd not anytime in the near future.

Need help enhancing your cash flow? Wanna know more about the ins and outs of bankruptcy? Dying to find out if this economy is REALLY going to turn around? Looking to add more CPE credits to your name?

Why not sign up for the Contractors’ Strategic Boot Camp here in Phoenix? It might sound like it’s going to be hot and sweaty and strenuous but really you’ll be in a nice air-conditioned building and you’ll get a really nice lunch not to mention the mental work out and a wealth of information.

Valley of the Sun Chapter of Construction Financial Management Association has a great line-up waiting for you this June 23. There is still some room left so why not sign up, get out of the office for a day and pick up some really useful information you can use to improve the bottom line of the company you work for?  They’re even holding it on a Tuesday so you can get your Monday on as usual!

It’s centrally located at the Phoenix Airport Marriott, next to the 202,  to help keep your travel time to a minimum!  For more information go here.