Company Overview: In the late 1980s, two senior craftsmen from England were contracted to restore the plasterwork and scagliola in the New Jersey Statehouse. Their superior work and unique skills won the pair additional work, and in 1990, Hayles and Howe incorporated as a U.S. company. Today Hayles and Howe, Inc. works throughout the country designing, fabricating, and installing ornamental plaster and scagliola for restoration projects and new construction. It is a company that believes that even ancient art can benefit from state-of-the-art technology. To that end, Hayles and Howe relies on Sage 100 Contractor* and Sage Construction Anywhere**.

Sage 100 Contractor – Designed For The Industry

When Joselin Martin joined the company as its chief financial officer, Hayles and Howe was using an off-the-shelf small business accounting package. With her combined financial and construction background, Martin knew that moving to a construction- specific financial and operational management solution was essential if the company wanted to continue to grow and prosper. “We implemented Sage 100 Contractor many years ago,” she recalls. “It is a solution designed specifically for the construction industry to accommodate our workflows and processes. Sage 100 Contractor takes proven construction cost accounting processes and joins them with technology.”

Over the years, the company has doubled in size, and its projects have grown larger and more complex. Sage software solutions are credited for both promoting and supporting that growth. “Sage 100 Contractor and Sage Construction Anywhere help us achieve a higher level of efficiency, organization, and structure as we grow,” says Julia Betts, marketing coordinator for Hayles and Howe.

Access to Actionable Data

Access to real-time cost information is vital for contractors, enabling them to closely monitor the profitability and progress of projects. Questioning a cost later, after the job is finished, is too late. Management needs to know what is really going on, while it’s happening, in order to run a successful company.

“Our project managers and superintendents need access to costs and change order data quickly and in real time in order to run their projects effectively. With Sage 100 Contractor we can all access the data we need.”

Jocelyn Martin, CFO

In addition to providing a big-picture view of the overall health and profitability of a project, Sage 100 Contractor makes even routine tasks faster and easier. Martin says she finds value in the everyday functionality of Sage 100 Contractor. “I love how easily we can generate a certified payroll report, right from the software, for example. And the alerts function is very handy for reminding me of what I need to do and when I need to do it.”

Martin also appreciates the software’s Project Work Center which displays a snapshot view of all important job data, including outstanding tasks like invoices, billings, and RFI, as well as budgets, change orders, and current costs.

Access Project Data Anywhere

With more than a decade of success with Sage 100 Contractor, Hayles and Howe recently implemented Sage Construction Anywhere. This productivity-boosting tool makes it possible for project teams to access and share project information from anywhere using their laptops or mobile devices. Staff can view and upload project notes through Sage Construction Anywhere and complete their timesheets—all tasks that used to involve a fax machine and duplicate data entry. Workers can also access project reports to ensure they’re always working with current, accurate data.

“Because we are so specialized, we have the opportunity to take on projects all over the country. We want to have our personnel send us the job-related data we need and allow them to access the job-related data they need,” says Betts. “Sage Construction Anywhere fills this need.”

Julian Davis, a foreman with Hayles and Howe, began using Sage Construction Anywhere during a large restoration project at Union Station in Washington, D.C. and finds it an invaluable tool, boosting both collaboration and efficiency. “I can take photos at the site and upload them to the project so that they can be viewed back in the office and are accessible to all the people involved,” he says.

“Sage Construction Anywhere has really improved our bottom line by delivering the timely job information we need, when and where we need it,” says Martin. “An informed company is an efficient company, and an efficient company is a profitable company.”

Tools to Grow With

“We get a huge level of satisfaction from our work—breathing life back into a building and preserving a bit of American culture for generations to come,” says Betts. “I’m excited for the company as we move forward with this software. Sage 100 Contractor and Sage Construction Anywhere are helping us be even better organized and more streamlined, which allows us to take on even larger and more complex projects.”

Martin concurs, “Since we have implemented Sage 100 Contractor and Sage Construction Anywhere, we have really grown up, increasing our level of sophistication in how we manage our projects. Business owners want to know what’s going on with their projects and with the company as a whole. Sage gives us all of that.”