In our inaugural Spotlight on MeasureSquare series, we spoke to Robert Tipping, veteran MeasureSquare user and founder of Checkmeasures. As our series continues, we’re pleased to welcome Cody Ripley of Performance Surfaces. Cody’s a relatively new user of MeasureSquare, but has already distinguished himself through the caliber of his work and his thoughtful and educational engagement on our community forum.
Can you tell us a little bit about what you do?
I am an estimator for Performance Surfaces, a regional dealer for Mondo and Regupol sports flooring. Sports flooring is very competitive, so it is always my goal to get the best bid, and win more projects for our company. I was hired on to bring my technical and IT experience to help improve our business process using the latest technology.
How long have you been using MeasureSquare? How do you use it in your business?
I have been using MeasureSquare since February 2016, after I was tasked with evaluating the different solutions out there. After weeks of testing software, I determined that MeasureSquare was the most tailored solution for a flooring contractor, like us. Before MeasureSquare, we did not use software for estimation or measuring. Now that we have noticed the ability to get more bids out because we can estimate so quickly, we are using MeasureSquare for virtually every job we bid.
Were you familiar with flooring software in the past? How has implementing MeasureSquare influenced your business?
Before my search for a software solution for our company’s needs, I was not familiar with flooring software. One of the reasons I chose MeasureSquare were the video tutorials that were available, and the look and feel of the software. I liked how MeasureSquare uses a ribbon interface similar to Microsoft Office–a workflow any contractor is familiar with.
Before implementing MeasureSquare into our business, we did our take-offs by hand; shop drawings were just scanned plan sheets, which we had to pay to have scanned (not to mention how expensive it is to have plans printed any time you need to measure something). Now, we are able to estimate a 20,000 square foot project in a matter of minutes, rather than days. MeasureSquare comes packed with some nice reporting features, which makes the job easier on our installers. We can now easily print out a seam layout with a legend, which is usually accepted as a shop drawing. After months of using the software I still find tools that make my job easier, and I have been able to show my colleagues new and unique methods of laying out a job.
What advice do you have for industry professionals who might be hesitant about bringing new technology into their business operations?
When I was hired by Performance Surfaces, takeoff/estimation was done on the drafting table. This is how it was done for many years and it is something that works. Naturally, I had to convince my colleagues that there is value in a modern solution. Contractors everywhere know that things can get pretty hectic if you have several jobs bidding around the same time–this is where time, human error, and other factors come into play. Using MeasureSquare, I can import plans directly, without having to print them. I can then trace the rooms on the plan, assign my material, and the estimation is done FOR me. This allows me to manipulate the layout of material, and have an instant response of whether or not it is the best way to lay it out.
Where I would have spent all day on the drafting table, I can spend an hour or two using MeasureSquare.
Featured photo – OU Football Stadium Weight Room: This is an example of a project that would have taken a long time to estimate by hand. It was absolutely imperative that we got this estimation right, because there were several competitors. MeasureSquare allowed us to get this estimated on time–and accurately–resulting in a winning bid. I’ll be looking forward to seeing the finished product in Q1 2017.
Windsor Recreation Center: This is an example of a project that utilizes the “Floor Divide” tool, allowing me to easily estimate this color pattern.
