How Hot Is IT?
A look inside reveals the Hottest Companies for 2008.
Sixteen technology providers made the cut this year. Another three are on the brink, and even they were a tough call to keep off of the list. Judging in the sixth annual Constructech Hottest Companies was very difficult, but in the end our selections are consistent with some of the current technology trends in construction.
One in particular is the fact more owners are becoming aware that having program and project-management systems provides a great advantage.
“For most owners, construction is not a core part of their business. But now that you can look at lifecycle costing and sustainability aspect, then the operating performance over the life of a facility is very valuable,” says Hoyt Lowder, senior vice president, FMI Corp., www.fminet.com, Tampa, Fla. “It is no longer simply about building a building; it is the performance of the constructed product that is becoming more important to the owner.”
The customer win list from companies such as Meridian Systems, www.meridiansystems.com, Folsom, Calif., and Skire, www.skire.com, Menlo Park, Calif., reflects this trend, as both lists were dominated by large owner organizations.
This is also right in the sweet spot for one of our Companies to Watch, USGN, www.usgn.net, Phoenix, Ariz., which has made somewhat of a transformation in the past year to focus more than 80% of its resources on providing customized project-management applications to large-scale corporations.
The use of construction-specific ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems is another area that continues to gain momentum. CMiC, www.cmic.ca, Toronto, Ont., and Penta Technologies, www.penta.com, Brookfield, Wis., are among those that continue to capitalize.
Electronic collaboration via technology continues to grab headlines in the market. With that in mind, many of our winners are providing tools to facilitate, from online plan rooms and digital takeoff, to document management and bid-management services.
In general, it’s satisfying when predictions come to fruition, as was the case with four of the providers. While we aren’t saying we predicted the success of these companies, we did place Austin Lane Technologies, www.austinlane.com, Denton, Texas; ConEst Software Systems, www.conest.com, Manchester, N.H.; eSUB Inc., www.esubinc.com, San Diego, Calif.; and Vela Systems, www.velasystems.com, Boston, Mass., on our Companies to Watch list (Up & Coming in the case of Vela) in 2007 and watched as each company achieved Hot status in 2008. In each case there was little to no debate among the editors for each company making the jump.
Of course you can only be named to the list of Hottest Companies if you submit an entry. The one disappointment judges had this year was the lack of vendors providing technology in the BIM (building information modeling) arena.
There are many great solutions that help facilitate processes associated with BIM, yet there was a clear lack of participation from these vendors.
The only winner that falls into this category is WinEstimator, www.winest.com, Kent, Wash., which provides a solution that allows users to map an object-based CAD (computer-aided design) system with an object-based estimating system, which enables automated quantity takeoff and cost estimating processes. Vela Systems is also touting BIM for the field worker (see p34).
Our editors constantly field requests from readers for an evaluation of some of the better solutions associated with BIM. Given that, it is disappointing not to see more vendors in this realm stepping up to tout their capabilities. Maybe next year.
In any case, this year’s list of Hottest Companies is among the strongest ever. The only question is just exactly how hot is each IT (information technology) provider?
HOTTEST COMPANIES
Accubid Systems
Concord, Ont.
www.accubid.com
Accubid continued to grow revenue and add customers across North America and delivered multiple updates to all of its major product lines in the past year. To read more about what the editors have to say about Accubid, click here.
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Austin Lane Technologies Inc.
Denton, Texas
www.austinlane.com
Austin Lane increased time-tracking capabilities to its ALPay product and added an import feature for contractors who prefer to use Excel or clocks for collecting time and attendance information.
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CMiC
Toronto, Ont.
www.cmic.ca
CMiC experienced its largest-ever customer increase and unveiled new service offerings that help users during software evaluation and with business process mapping. To read more about what the editors have to say about CMiC, click here.
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ConEst Software Systems
Manchester, N.H.
www.conest.com
ConEst partnered with one third-party solution that reads electronic drawings for digital takeoff and another for Web-based project management. To read more about what the editors have to say about ConEst Software Systems, click here.
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Construction Imaging
Rocky Mount, N.C.
www.construction-imaging.com
In 2007 it added prominent builders and contractors to its customer list and added records and retention management software, helping further extend its capabilities. To read more about what the editors have to say about Construction Imaging, click here.
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eSUB Inc.
San Diego, Calif.
www.esubinc.com
Expanding its user base across all segments of subcontracting, eSUB also formed strategic partnerships that help users integrate project management with other areas of their organization.
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GradeBeam
Chicago, Ill.
www.gradebeam.com
GradeBeam expanded its geographical client base and added user-requested functions that enhance document management and reporting capabilities, among others. To read more about what the editors have to say about GradeBeam, click here.
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HeadsUp Technologies LLC
Overland Park, Kan.
www.headsuptech.com
With eight product updates in the past year, HeadsUp continues to deliver user-requested enhancements without requiring customers to update software. To read more about what the editors have to say about HeadsUp, click here.
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Meridian Systems
Folsom, Calif.
www.meridiansystems.com
One of the market leaders in project management continued strong momentum by increasing revenue and adding many large owners and general contractor customers. To read more about what the editors have to say about Meridian, click here.
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On Center Software Inc.
The Woodlands, Texas
www.oncenter.com
While other vendors are coming to market with on-screen takeoff technology, On Center continues to enhance its application that has been a market leader for years. To read more about what the editors have to say about On Center, click here.
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Paperless Environments LLC
Baton Rouge, La.
www.paperlessenvironments.com
Fast growing company in the content management and workflow space, Paperless Environments is adding to its customer base and growing revenue year after year. To read more about what the editors have to say about Paperless Environments, click here.
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Penta Technologies
Brookfield, Wis.
www.penta.com
Four new product releases in the past year, several significant client wins, and a new business analytics tool have uniquely positioned Penta Technologies. To read more about what the editors have to say about Penta Technologies, click here.
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Skire Inc.
Menlo Park, Calif.
www.skire.com
Many large public and private capital projects are turning to Skire for construction-specific program management technology. It also extends the functionality of document management and control through configurable metadata.
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Vela Systems
Boston, Mass.
www.velasystems.com
As a Company to Watch in 2007, many large contractors and owners have taken notice and are deploying its field software for use on tablet PCs on their projects. To read more about what the editors have to say about Vela Systems, click here.
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WennSoft
New Berlin, Wis.
www.wennsoft.com
WennSoft rolled out Project Management Portal, built on the Microsoft SharePoint platform, to give specialty contractors a powerful new product tailored to the way they need to access information.
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WinEstimator Inc.
Kent, Wash.
www.winest.com
Its newly released Modelogix product uses historical estimates to form a conceptual budget, and DesignEst Pro links design to estimating more efficiently. Both products add to WinEstimator’s portfolio of bidding and estimating solutions.
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The Path to Hot:
Each year the editors judge many submissions from technology vendors looking to be named Hot, evaluating them on such criteria as new products released in the past year, financial growth over a period of time, and strong customer wins. In addition, the judges factor in the reputation and long-term commitment to the marketplace.
Those voted a ‘Company to Watch’ are ones the editors believe are steadily building momentum in the market. Some of these companies are providing technology to a small niche in the marketplace and need more time to further develop a presence, while other more established companies are in the midst of a transition.
While the editors believe Hottest Companies is an accurate assessment of technology providers, it must be noted the competition only recognizes vendors that submit an entry for our review. While Constructech receives many submissions, dozens of other vendors choose not to apply and therefore are not considered.
COMPANIES TO WATCH
BID2WIN Software Inc.
Portsmouth, N.H.
www.bid2win.com
Newly released BUILD2WIN Field Tracking should be a strong tool to help heavy/highway contractors enter, view, and track project status information directly from the field.
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UDA Technologies
Auburn, Ala.
www.udatechnologies.com
With a strong presence in residential, UDA Technologies is making a bigger push into commercial in 2008 with its fully integrated set of solutions for estimating, scheduling, contracts, document management, and much more.
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USGN
Phoenix, Ariz.
www.usgn.net
USGN announced a strategic shift in 2007, focusing more than 80% of its resources on providing customized project management applications to large-scale corporations and working with third-party providers to extend the capabilities of its solution.