Advanced Ecology Positions Firm for Efficiency and Growth with Acumatica ERP

Company Background

Founded in 1979 by Mike and Donna Bird as a forestry management company, Advanced Ecology has grown and expanded over the years to meet the recognized needs of all types of landowner goals including personal enjoyment, recreation, natural resources management, timber investment, and legacy planning.

Advanced Ecology has earned an extensive list of long-time satisfied customers who continue to entrust the care of their real estate and natural resource assets to their team of professionals.

The Challenge

Faced with the challenge of integrating financial and project information across many companies, Advanced Ecology needed a modern system to provide a complete view of all businesses while enabling better understanding of and visibility into project costs. The company was ready to retire old accounting and billing systems that forced them to handle many tasks manually.

"We were looking for something that would allow us to consolidate our financial statements as well as manage projects in the same software," says Jennie Alvis, Controller. "With so many disparate companies, we were doing many things manually and wasting a lot of time. The ability to accommodate inter-branch transactions became a must. Acumatica allows us to record transactions across multiple companies quickly and easily. One journal entry handles it all!"

The Solution

Advanced Ecology recently implemented the Acumatica ERP system across all six companies. The company needed a browser-based solution so that all employees in multiple locations could have ready access to the system. Acumatica provides a powerful set of integrated tools and functionality that allows the team to review, collaborate, and communicate as never before.

"We love the way information flows. No longer am I asked for multiple reports every day," says Alvis. "Most are able to go into the system and answer their own questions with either dashboards or pre-written reports."

Acumatica is known for its ability to be configured to accommodate varied client needs. "As you would expect, it was a lot of work, but we can't imagine trying this on our own," Alvis adds. "There are so many different ways you can implement Acumatica to work for you. Our CS3 consultants took the time to understand our complex business structure. They would have the best solutions developed before we started that next configuration step."

The Results

Months after implementation, Alvis cites the biggest improvement as the team's ability to access information in a manner and format that best suits each individual. "Everything is at their fingertips, no matter where they are," says Alvis. "With the use of Dashboards, each Principal, Manager or Project Manager can have their questions answered with a click of the button."

The ability to schedule tasks in Acumatica helps the team become more efficient and effective in their work. "Our calendars are always full of different things that we have to do at different times of the month. We are able to set up these tasks in Acumatica to trigger activity right when it needs to happen," she reflects.

Key results from implementing Acumatica include:

• Integrated project accounting system
• Streamlined processes and improved tracking of work-related tasks
• Individual dashboards that report needed information at a glance
• Ease of use and ability to drill down into financial or project details

What words best summarize the Advanced Ecology experience with Acumatica? Flexibility and Power. "Our ability to track information about a project helps ensure our ability to meet our clients needs and therefore deliver on our promise of improved ecological health for the properties entrusted to our care."

Partnership with CS3 Technology

The implementation was supported by CS3 Technology, whose team provided:

• Experience to assist with finding the right product configuration
• Taking time to understand the business needs
• Support and direction to keep the project moving
• Guidance throughout design, implementation, training, and testing

Client Information

Advanced Ecology

2557 State Highway 7 East, Center, Texas 75935

www.advancedecology.com