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“a first time attendee, the BMT Conference provided me with a first-hand confirmation of the commitment that the company has to: listening to its clients, forging even stronger integration with existing and new partners, and constantly upgrading its product to meet the industry's evolving needs.”
-Rick Ottenhof, Partner
Building Better Home Builders Inc.
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“We thought 2010 was one of the best conferences ever. The small group sessions allowed for more interaction and a better learning experience for all of us. The conference rooms were perfect for temperature and comfort. Manuel and Randy were very impressed with the fact they got all their questions answered. As in the past Alicia, you did a perfect job and we look forward to more training of this nature in the future.”
-Cavalene Regan
Controller, Campbell Homes
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“You can learn how to use software in many ways but nothing is as effective as spending time with other industry professionals discussing ideas and solutions on how to run our businesses. The information exchanges both in and out of the sessions are what make these conferences essential. I also look forward to adding some new modules to our software suite.”
-Greg Hussey
Partner, Karwood Homes
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“Builder MT really put a lot of thought into this conference and ensured that the builders would walk away with an increased knowledge of their software and ensured that ample opportunity was provided for networking so that everyone could understand how to better use the software to benefit their company. This was the best conference ever!!! Keep up the good work!”
- Lisa McQueen,
H & H Homes
Director of IT
- Overall the conference was great!
- Always good to meet BMT staff and other clients.
- The conference and BMT staff was great. Learning about the processes available and hearing other builders’ opens up dialogue for our company to move forward! Thank you for having us and we look forward to the future!
- Overall for us the conference exceeded expectation and the decision (as recommended by Tom & Ward) to attend before our implementation started, was a very good one. Thanks and we look forward to a nice RED hat on the wall in the future.
- The conference was very good as it was my 1st and getting to meet most of the BuilderMT staff was very beneficial. I like to put a face with the name.
- The Builder Forum was interesting to hear how other builders were using all of the different modules and how their businesses were fairing in this economy.
- Food was very good! Accommodations were excellent!
- Fantastic job Alicia! Thanks Tom! One of the BEST conferences I’ve ever been to!!!
- Great conference! We always leave there with critical information that helps us better utilize the software. The chance to focus on the software’s abilities and be removed from our day-to-day pressures has enabled us to walk away from the conference realizing we are not fully utilizing BMT capabilities. Every time we do this and invest time and energy to increase the use of BMT our jobs get easier and more efficient.
- Look forward to doing business and a successful and speedy implementation.
- I appreciated everyone’s involvement in the conference activities and sessions. Great job Alicia.
- I really got a lot out of the Builder Forum and voice of the client sessions. It was great to “open the floor” for discussion among users. I hoped to get more from the session on using Estimating/WMS for Custom Homes, maybe more detail rather than an overview. Overall, I still learned a lot from the instructors as well as peers. Thanks for your hard work!
BuilderMT's Client Conference in Coeur d'Alene was a huge success! With the market improving clients that attended are in position to efficiently continue operations, and are looking forward to record profits with efficient use of BuilderMT products.
This conference in Coeur d'Alene, ID was value packed with informative sessions and topics that continue to inspire creative and efficient use of products already owned. The attendees got a peek at what the enhancements and other modules can help accomplish.
We want to give a big "Thank You" to all the home builders who attended the 2010 BuilderMT / Sales Simplicity Client Conference! Despite the effect of the economy we are all feeling, we were pleased that so many clients still made the commitment to attend. For those clients who did not attend, this article provides a summary of the three-day event. Everyone was overwhelmed at the beauty and grandeur of the Northwest. We hope this synopsis encourages you to take part in the 2012 conference in beautiful Coeur d'Alene, Idaho!
The conference began the morning of Wednesday, September 15th, with a welcome presentation from BuilderMT's President, Tom Gebes, who introduced BuilderMT staff and gave a "State of BuilderMT" presentation. Tom expressed gratitude to the attendees and encouraged attendees to get to know one another as this networking opportunity is invaluable.
Barry Forbes President of Sales Simplicity addressed the group next. He expressed his sincere welcome to the attendees and his gratitude for the opportunity to share time together over the next few days.
Following Barry's presentation, Dennis Stejskal, VP of Product development for Sage CRE, presented a high level overview of the Sage Timberline Office position in the construction accounting market. Following the introduction, Dennis provided a "sneak-peek" overview of the latest account product, Sage Timberline Enterprise. This program will be available to the residential market, and integrated with WMS, in 2011.
Jim McFarlane, owner of Explorer Software, a new accounting integration partner with BuilderMT, gave a high level presentation on Explorer's position in the construction accounting market worldwide. Following Jim's introduction, Mark Liss, Director of Construction Solutions for Explorer, presented Contract Manager Version 7, a true web-based accounting product for the construction market.
After the opening, the developers from both BuilderMT and Sales Simplicity teamed up to show the group a vision of the future technology direction and product roadmap for our companies.
Next attendees had the choice of three tracks conducted by consultants in each 2-hour timeslot: Sales Simplicity Training, Beyond the Core - Benefits as You Grow and BuilderMT WMS Soup to Nuts Training. The afternoon sessions wrapped up around 5 p.m., at which point the group was entertained with refreshments at the Staff / Client Appreciation Mixer.
Many clients came up to the staff and told us how much they have learned through these sessions. They thought they knew everything there was to know about BuilderMT WMS and Sales Simplicity, when in fact they were not aware of the many other features available within these products that they could take advantage of immediately.
Day 2 allowed session tracks for Sales Simplicity Training and BuilderMT WMS Soup to Nuts Training to continue through the morning.
After lunch, the two-hour session choice included the Sales Simplicity Training wrap up with reporting and dashboards or the BuilderMT Builder Forum. The Builder Forum, moderated by John Wagner of Propel Marketing consisted of a panel of client award winners and "power-users". Jason Ross of, Essex Homes, Matt Kausch of Daystar Construction, and Philip Robichaud of Morrison Homes provided an exchange of ideas with the entire attendee group from which even the panel members benefited.
The closing session for the day was "Voice of the Client". This important forum - where clients shared feedback regarding the software and made general comments and requests regarding the product development and enhancements - provided value for all.
These two sessions were extremely well received. Many builders commented that the value gained from these two sessions paid for the trip.
The day ended with the group cruising Lake Coeur d'Alene on a flat bottom boat for dinner and the opportunity to meet one-on-one with the Sales Simplicity and BuilderMT staffs. The event wouldn't be complete without the traditional passing of the sombrero! The last recipient, Matt Kausch of Daystar Construction, relinquished the hat to be presented to the group from Braddock and Logan for their dedication to using the WMS software solution. The Braddock and Logan group pictured here include: Jim DeMartini, Shaliece Montoya, Debra McClintic, Tamara Wheeler and Kari Cartner.
The final day of the conference consisted of five sessions on Tips and Tricks on the core products that were repeated three times during the morning, allowing conference goers to attend three out of the five throughout the morning. The day closed with lunch and then the attendees headed for home.
Feedback from the conference has been extremely positive overall, and we are already working on plans for 2012. Thank you to those clients who completed evaluation forms, and please feel free to submit ideas at any time! All input, both good and bad, is instrumental in helping us make each conference better than the one before.
We will not be holding a conference in 2011, but we'll be back at the Coeur d'Alene Golf and Spa Resort September 11 - 14, 2012. Be sure to budget and plan to attend. This resort is known for its spectacular surroundings and world-class golf course and spa. Start brushing up on your golf game now. You won't want to pass up the opportunity to play a round at this magnificent resort! Pictured below are our two client attendees that won certificates at the course. Mike Doran of Stirling Bridge birdied the world famous floating hole, while Ed Gillespie of McKee Group pared the hole! Congratulations to both of you! We look forward to seeing everyone in 2012!
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