Tag: Fred Ode
These items have all been tagged with the tag "Fred Ode", You can see other tags in the Tag CloudConstruction Business Owner, August 2008
Q:
I am the office manager at a union paving company that operates out of three states. Between multiple unions, multiple states, prevailing wage/certified payroll and weekly payroll checks for 200 laborers, it all adds up to a lot of payroll headaches. We have tried several different payroll companies, but not one can handle all our needs. We don't have the staff to keep up with our growing payroll-related tasks, and I constantly worry about paying our payroll taxes correctly and on time. What do you suggest?
Angela
Construction Business Owner, July 2008
Q:
A buddy of mine just came back from a construction trade show and gave me some information about time clock products for tracking labor hours. It sounds like something we could use at our excavating company since our current system-paper timecards-is not exactly efficient when it comes to tracking job costs for more than 100 laborers. What's your opinion of this technology? Is it worth the investment?
Sal
Construction Business Owner, July 2008
The goal for many business owners, aside from making money, is to grow. Perhaps, but large increases are welcome only when they reflect a company's profits and not its overhead.
Construction Business Owner, June 2008
Q:
I'm having a hard time getting prior years' data out of my accounting system, especially when the data crosses over a fiscal year-end boundary. The Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs (OWCP) came in recently for an audit and requested information from July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007. It took us nearly an entire day to manually summarize the information from a compilation of printouts. Do you have any suggestions?
Fran
Construction Business Owner, May 2008
Technically Speaking
Q:
I've been running my own concrete construction company for ten years now. Recently our job volume has grown considerably. The trouble is, I am losing track of what is happening in the field. I need to know when and where problems might be surfacing, but I can't possibly oversee every crew and every field activity.
Construction Business Owner, April 2008
Q:
My excavating company has outgrown our accounting software, and I'm looking to replace it. But after doing a "Google" search, I am more confused than ever. Apparently, some accounting packages also do estimating. Other products say they do accounting, estimating and project management. One appears to be mainly project management software with accounting modules added on. At this point, we really need a good job cost accounting system, but I'm thinking maybe I should buy an all-in-one package to serve our needs in the future. What's your suggestion? And how would I find one that's right for my business?
Lee
Construction Business Owner, March 2008
Q:
I own a commercial contracting firm with about fifty employees. We do a lot of work in surrounding states. Last year, we decided to replace our old DOS accounting package with one that would allow us to do job costing. A friend convinced me that the “contractors” version of a popular small business accounting system would handle all our needs. Well, we bought it, and it’s been very disappointing.Construction Business Owner, February 2008
Q:
We’ve just finished another busy year, and our office staff is trying to prepare over/under-billing reports required by our surety company. The only way we can get this information is to pull data from numerous reports and do the calculations manually. On top of all the other year-end tax and payroll activities we are facing, it’s an enormous amount of work. Is there a better way?
Chuck
Construction Business Owner, January 2008
Q:
I want to install a new accounting/project management software program, but I have some real concerns. A colleague of mine told me he spent thousands of dollars on a new system as well as many months devoted to planning and customization. Despite all that, many employees were unhappy with the switch and continue to resist learning the new software. He knows it’s a good application, but he feels as though his employees are sabotaging the investment. I desperately want to avoid this kind of outcome. Any suggestions?
Tony
Construction Business Owner, December 2007
Q:
Last year, I hired a new estimator and he talked me into purchasing “XYZ” software for our electrical contracting firm. I was fine with the product and the results. Trouble is, now this guy is gone and I have no one else who knows how to use the program. I am interviewing for the position now, but so far, I haven’t found anyone with experience on the program. Do I make it a requirement for the job, or possibly lose my software investment?Jacob
