CASE STUDY
Gunnison Tree Services
With Appficiency Enabling Its NetSuite System, Gunnison Tree Services Faces Increased Efficiency And Scalability
Location
Georgia, United States
Industries
Construction and Allied Services
Specialization
Tree Services
Gunnison Overview
Gunnison is an industry-leading provider of tree and vegetation management services. Their companies serve a growing list of sectors including utility, industrial, government/DOT, residential and commercial. Utilizing state-of-the-art equipment and techniques, Gunnison ensures that their clients receive the highest quality of care, maintaining the beauty and safety of their properties. With a commitment to safety, excellence and customer satisfaction, Gunnison continues to lead the industry in vegetation management.
“We struggled with our financial reporting and closing the books in a timely manner every month. It was taking over three weeks to close the books and the consolidation of 11 different financial statements in Excel only compounded the problem.”
Marc Picardo, CIO
Gunnison Tree Services
Challenges - Gunnison
Complex Corporate Structure
Gunnison’s aggressive acquisition strategy resulted in a complicated corporate structure with 11 different accounting systems used by their operating entities. This fragmentation hindered operational efficiency and created significant challenges in financial reporting, ultimately delaying the financial closing process.
Inefficient Financial Reporting
Gunnison legacy financial systems led to inefficiencies in financial reporting and consolidation, with the process taking up to three weeks each. This lack of unified systems made real-time financial oversight nearly impossible, causing frustration among the finance team and impairing decision-making capabilities.
Need for Scalable Solutions
As a fast-growing company, Gunnison recognized the urgent need for scalable solutions that could support their expansion and integrate future acquisitions. The existing manual processes were not sustainable, prompting the search for a robust ERP system that could streamline operations and facilitate growth effectively.
Choosing Appficiency, the NetSuite Partner for Construction
Appficiency was chosen as the implementation partner due to their specialized experience in the construction industry and their suite of tailored NetSuite applications. Appficiency’s expertise facilitated a smooth and efficient implementation process, setting the stage for significant operational improvements. As Marc noted, “The implementation was very smooth. We have our books closed by like the sixth business day right now, which is a big improvement.”
Simple Corporate Structure: Gunnison was able to unify all 11 different accounting systems into a single ERP platform, reducing the time required for monthly financial closings from three weeks to six business days. Marc stated, “It was taking us two to three days to consolidate the financials once we were good. Now, it’s click a button and boom, there’s everything you need to see.”
Efficient Financial Reporting: Gunnison standardized financial and operational processes across all acquisitions, improving consistency and reducing errors. This transition moved Gunnison from “Excel hell” to having “consistent processes, consistent data, and things improving on a daily, weekly basis.”
Scalable Growth: NetSuite provided the perfect scalable solution for Gunnison that could easily integrate additional acquisitions and support expanding business operations. Marc emphasized, “With their acquisition strategy, it was about scalability. They need a system and processes that you could scale.”
Transforming Financial Reporting and Preparing for the Future
One of the most notable outcomes of the NetSuite implementation was the transformation in financial reporting. The new system not only streamlined the consolidation process but also provided robust tools for real-time financial analysis, enabling more informed decision-making and strategic planning. Furthermore, the implementation paved the way for phase two, which would focus on integrating project accounting and utility billing to further enhance operational efficiencies. “We broke this up into two phases. The first one dealt with financial reporting, and the second one is project accounting, the job costing and estimating modules, along with utility billing,” explained Marc.
The partnership between Gunnison and Appficiency in deploying NetSuite has revolutionized Gunnison’s operational capabilities, aligning various business processes into a cohesive, efficient system that is prepared for future growth. Marc shares, “The system has allowed us to be more agile and make informed decisions quicker than ever before.”
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