The Single Best Piece of Equipment Carolina Commercial Uses

The company was able to win several large commercial jobs thanks to the Edge. 

Established in 1990 by current owner, president, and sole estimator, Dale Gillis, Carolina Commercial Roofing, Inc. is a full-service roofing contractor offering a variety of quality roofing services including new construction, installation, replacement and repairs.

Carolina Commercial has completed some of the most prestigious commercial roofing projects including Apple’s Data Center, the corporate office for State Farm, the Mandarin Hotel in Buckhead, and Cox Power for Cox Communications in Atlanta.

The Edge™ enabled Carolina Commercial to win and complete these projects.

Challenges to Overcome

When Gillis entered the roofing industry in the 1970s, estimating was done using a scale ruler, a calculator, and a set of plans. This is how he built his knowlEdge and experience creating bids; this is what he was most comfortable with. As the roofing industry began to embrace technology, Gillis was intimidated by this shift. He knew he needed to adapt his ways to keep up with the industry and his competitors, but he was hesitant to make the change.

Solution

After several introductions, Gillis put his disregard of technology aside and invested in The Edge, an investment that was recouped in business gained and time saved in less than a year.

The Edge program, its digitizing feature, and the reports increased consistency and accuracy of Gillis’s bids. There is no longer a use for paper drawings; everything is uploaded and stored in The Edge, giving the user access to everything in one place. The reports provide the project managers with specifics on what and how much to buy, so there is no extra time or work needed to accomplish this step in the process. Gillis said, “Once you have your databases set up the way you want them, it’s just point and click. It’s easy to figure out if something is missing; there is no way to make a mistake.”

The Results

Gillis saw the advantages of using The Edge almost immediately. Alone, he was able to produce the same number of estimates that two to three employees had previously completed. In the long run, this benefit not only saved him time, but also money, “The Edge allows us to produce more bids and be more efficient without having extra people. Extra people are expensive,” Gillis stated.

Depending on the size of the job, Gillis is able to complete three to four bids a day using The Edge. These bids usually take one to two hours to finish; larger, more complex bids may take one to two days. With the help of The Edge, Gillis is able to keep up on all of the bid requests he receives without pressuring himself.

Between the time savings, the modernization of his estimating process, and the return on investment, Gillis is certain that he made the right move investing in this program. “I’m surprised that everyone is not using The Edge. It is the single best piece of equipment that we use in this business.” Dale Gillis, Owner and Estimator for Carolina Commercial Roofing, Inc.

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Original article source: Estimating Edge