Real-time Data Access and Streamlined Processes Set Foundation for Accelerating Business Expansion
Toronto, Ontario, April 20, 2021 – ECHO Power Engineering, LLC, a power engineering service provider, has selected the CMiC construction management platform as its enterprise-wide system to support a growing portfolio of customers and projects.
In the last decade, Echo Power has expanded from a small two-person engineering firm to 60 plus employees. Today, the team of highly specialized technical experts designs and installs distribution, generation and emergency power systems for large and complex organizations that include NASA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Tennessee Valley Authority.
According to Scott Carroll, Chief Operating Officer of ECHO, the company outgrew its homegrown project management and financial accounting workflows. He says, “As we built the business, we relied on spreadsheets and custom processes that accommodated our services, which were largely engineering focused. Over the years, we’ve evolved into a turnkey engineering, project management and field services operation.”
Beyond considering a SaaS project management solution, Carroll and his team sought a specific set of capabilities. Carroll explains, “We were looking for a system with several must-haves, including real-time access to data from design through construction and testing as well as the opportunity to streamline and integrate our accounting processes. We also wanted to cut down on the use of email as the primary source of sharing project updates, thus bringing process consistency to our workflows.”
Carroll indicates that in 2020, ECHO selected CMiC primarily because of the platform’s ease of use and because the flow of data and workflows between different elements of the software “fit the company really well.” He adds, “We also liked the company history and operational structure. CMiC has been in business doing the same thing for a long time and we wanted someone we could count on to meet our needs over time and work with us to continuously improve our processes.”
ECHO went live with CMiC on January 1st, 2021. With about 125 projects of varying scope and scale managed in the system, the advantages of a single-source solution have already started to materialize. Among many core capabilities, CMiC’s timekeeping module, which simplifies the way employees complete timecards, is one that the ECHO team highlights as ‘game changing.’ What used to be a spreadsheet-to-email-to-manual data entry for job costing is now a simple entry into the system and then automatic flow through approvals and payment.
For Carroll, one of the key advantages delivered by the new system is gaining greater project visibility. “From an owner’s perspective, I like the ability to see what’s happening on a job through the daily journals, photos and other records,” he explains. “That’s a source of reliable insights into potential challenges on a project. Another example of an immediate benefit is the new accounts receivable report: at the touch of a button, I have all the data—no more tracking down spreadsheets. We expect to realize many more benefits in the near future, including the integration with the financial side of the business.”
Jeff Weiss, Chief Revenue Officer at CMiC, says, “It’s truly impressive how ECHO has grown in capabilities as well as project scope and scale over the last decade. We are thrilled to have been selected as the firm’s technology partner, and to play a significant role in enabling efficiency and productivity across the design and construction processes as ECHO maintains its industry leadership.”
About ECHO Power Engineering, LLC
Founded in 2009, ECHO Power Engineering is an independent engineering services firm based in Clarksville, Tennessee. The Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Business designs, builds and maintains power systems for a wide variety of clients in commercial and industrial fields. ECHO’s professional experience handling distribution, generation, and emergency power systems for businesses both large and small spans more over a decade, helping the company build a strong track record of success. For more information, please visit www.echopowerengineering.com.
About CMiC
As an industry pioneer, CMiC delivers complete and unified ERP and field solutions for construction and capital projects firms. CMiC’s powerful software transforms how firms optimize productivity, minimize risk and drive growth by planning and managing all financials, projects, resources, and content assets—from a Single Database Platform™. With customers throughout North America and around the world, CMiC serves one-quarter of ENR’s Top 400 Contractors and hundreds of small and mid-sized construction firms, from general and specialty contractors to heavy/highway and project owners. For more information, please visit www.cmicglobal.com.