Check out Dataforma’s new functionality and features in our quarterly newsletter!
The Dataforma Pulse
What’s going on in the World of Dataforma
JAN 2021 | Vol. IV
Keeping You Informed DF Style
Wow! What a year in 2020. Thank you for your partnership, your feedback & your amazing contribution to the roofing & field service industry. It has been quite a year for everyone & we are all hoping for a better 2021.
We hope you enjoy this volume (IV) as we are continuously working hard to provide value & up-to-date tech functionality to our awesome Dataforma partners. Loads of new features happening the beginning of 2021. Here is a sneak peek …..
Upcoming Functionality: Q1 2021
Invoice Integration With Outlook
You asked and we listened! We wanted to get the functionality out as soon as possible, but our users say they need their Outlook signatures… well you’ll have it! We are working on integrating your Outlook signatures so they will automatically pull out of Dataforma – look for this by the end of Q1 2021.
What’s that? You want full integration with Outlook emails? Keep your eyes out for the next edition of the Pulse…
Inventory Update
We are almost ready to release our inventory module!
Dataforma staff are currently testing and we are anticipating a release during the month of January! Get ready to track all of your materials in Dataforma and dump your old Excel sheets!
DOC Uploader
Thumbnails are coming next: the document uploader is an upgrade we will be working on all year, the next step is the much anticipated thumbnail view! No more scrolling over images – each user can have a default view for the thumbnail size they want within Dataforma.
What’s after that, how about docs from the field?
Also – office staff will have a brand new interface for uploading docs into Dataforma, allowing you to resize, crop and rotate images! If you don’t have this yet, look for it soon.
Daily Job Reports in Q1
Start the new year with brand new functionality! Your field staff will be able to produce any daily job report (safety, sheet metal, roofing, etc.) through the Dataforma mobile app! We are working on this now and hope to release at the end of Q1.
API Update
We are continually adding modules to our API and labor is next on the list! Like Santa’s elves, our programmers have been toiling away in the Dataforma workshop, this gift should be coming in the early months of 2021!
Dataforma users will be able to have a direct link from the Dataforma labor module to their payroll!
Happy Customer – An Original DF User
“In 2003, I was one of the first to see the original version of Dataforma. It was the most powerful & intuitive CRM relational Databases I had ever seen. In 2004, they added more value to the system by streamlining the work order process.”
Gary Houk – President
Drumroll Please….New Industry Expansion & New Team Member at Dataforma
Over the past 17 years, Dataforma has been asked to provide services to a multitude of industries, including but not limited to, electric, plumbing, HVAC, solar, landscaping, etc. Aside from a few contracts along the way, we have primarily stuck to the roofing industry. With continued interest from other industries, we are planning on expanding our efforts this year in a small capacity to add additional services lines. This a separate project outside of our core business in roofing.
Dataforma has recently hired Colin Wixted, Strategic Accounts, to assist in these efforts. Colin comes to us from Philadelphia and has been in the construction software industry for 6 years at both Plangrid & Raken.
Colin is a former football player at Johns Hopkins, enjoys music production & playing golf. He has even hit a hole in one before (did I mention that was in a video game?)
Please welcome Colin and send your field service industry buddies his way, cwixted@dataforma.com or 610-716-1574.
Thank you.
A Conversation with Steve Little
Interviewed Oct 2020 by Ingrid Bennett
We sat down with Steve Little, well-known Founding Partner, “Head Coach,” and CEO at KPost, as well as Managing Partner & Founder of NRP (National Roofing Partners).
Steve is no wallflower in the world of Roofing. If you Google his name, you will find many articles, interviews, quotes, and organizations where Steve is actively involved and/or has helped champion at one point in his career. So how did a young man from Florida end up building and running two highly successful TX based companies in the roofing industry with a “give back to others mentality” every step along the way?
Steve started his segue into the roofing industry in 1994 when he went to work at Supreme Systems under the direction of Keith Post, CEO and original Founding Member. After a partnership dissolution at Supreme, Keith, Steve, and Jayne Williams (Financial Controller for 13 years) left Supreme and decided to combine their skills and industry knowledge to form their own company, KPost Roofing & Waterproofing. As Keith Post reflected, they were committed to “building a roofing company that did things differently.” In January 2004, KPost opened its doors. Partnering from the beginning with eleven seasoned career roofing professionals, KPost has many reasons to look back with pride: including, over 1,240 completed projects, 60,000 work orders, and a renowned reputation of providing safety and distinguished workmanship. Today the team consists of over 400 employees with more than 60 specialized crews, totaling over 5,000 years of collective roofing experience. KPost Company is an industry-leading commercial and residential contractor who provides its customers with a variety of services covering the entire building envelope – Commercial, Residential, Waterproofing, Sheet Metal & Lightweight/Insulating/Concrete, Specialty Projects, and Service Maintenance. Exceeding revenue goals and continuous growth consistently land them on the Top 100 Roofing Contractor’s list throughout the US & Canada, this year boasting #21 Nationwide. In addition, KPost has received numerous awards showcasing such accomplishments as the company’s innovative production techniques, exceptional safety performance, individual employee craftsmanship, and overall commercial roofing industry distinction.
So, how have Steve and his team become so successful in an industry that sees their fair share of business struggles, especially in 2020? If you have ever had the pleasure to talk to Steve, it is quickly evident that he keeps his core values forefront to guide and develop the blueprint of KPost Company’s operations and culture. Mentorship, learning, growing and continually educating ones’ self is imperative to Steve and 40 years developing his sales hustle and business grit. Steve believes it is important to engage actively in your industry, through an association, for example. Steve lends all of the above to many past and present organizations. Steve, along with Keith, Jayne, and Dusty Smith (who joined the team as COO in 2018), align themselves with organizations that hold the same values as KPost and NRP sharing best practices and industry knowledge.
As Steve says, “Social Responsibilities are key in leadership. Being boastful doesn’t help.”
Not only does the executive team of KPost lead by example, but they also provide a foundation of investing in people, recognizing accountability, and encouraging work discipline. They understand that all employees are vital to company success. At KPost the officers take on four different roles and responsibilities. Keith, Steve, Jayne, and Dusty are a formidable team that trust and respect each other to govern their side of business without cross-over of blended responsibilities and their own “formula of success” for running the company in a unique manner. The idea of project management and execution is similar to that of a general contractor and has been key to operational success.
“We have tremendous people, and we try to give back at every opportunity. Our success demonstrates that when you give, it comes back to you ten-fold.”
The KPost Team understands that different specific skills and experiences are required for commercial and residential building envelope system installations. Training and safety are huge areas of specialization for the company as a whole.
The most notable and high-profile business partnership for KPost has been their work with the National Football League’s Dallas Cowboys and team owner Jerry Jones. The partnership started in 2006, when KPost earned the winning bid to coat the roof of former Texas Stadium in Irving. The relationship and trust grew over time when, in 2009, the franchise awarded KPost the enormous responsibility to install the membrane of the new $1.3 billion AT&T Stadium in Arlington. KPost has gained much notoriety with their co-branding as the official roofer and waterproofer of a beloved and world renown NFL team, opening many doors and interest from National Corporations.
As KPost was gaining notoriety in the market as a new player in town, Steve, Keith & Jayne decided it was time to start another company. In 2006, they founded National Roofing Partners (NRP), a nation-wide partnership of professional roofing contractors providing facilities performance services. Steve now serves as NRP’s CEO and had formerly assisted with the creation of ROofConnect many years prior. In the present day, NRP’s 175+ member companies and their 20,000 employees perform more than $1 billion in annual collective revenue by aligning and building trustworthy client-centric relationships among member roofing organizations and national clients all in a one-stop shop. The company started out with 30 owners (all still involved), who helped get National Roofing Partners on the map providing a service through a national network of tier one commercial roofing contractors. The company was founded on offering superior roofing and envelope service, technology, and maintenance for customers.
NRP currently specializes in five classes of business set up for various purposes: Reroofing, Service Work, Co-op, TeleCom business, and Solar business. The NRP value proposition is based on sharing best practices among members to determine best methodologies for consistencies among all brands and companies under the NRP umbrella. This helps to raise the bar at each organization. Building a single source supplier for national and regional companies opens up avenues for ancillary business, introducing field service crews to national accounts and increasing profits. Another perk is to leverage purchasing power. Economies of scale are important for all businesses, and providing a national footprint for a single-source buyer is a win-win for both parties. NRP has the industry advantage and leadership negotiation power to grow business customers, accelerate building revenue, and drive sales.
“With our focus on NRP as a technology company, the market continues to embrace the concept of a national network of contractors who continue to grow the company by double digits.”
Technology has become a huge part of KPost and NRP. The role of technology in the business I landscape today cannot be overstated. It is paramount that decisions throughout the organization are based on emerging tech trends to boost productivity and, ultimately, the company’s bottom line. Steve continues to seek out advanced technology to enhance communication, giving NRP and KPost that competitive edge to execute on best services and best results.
This tech savvy mindset became part of the reason why, in 2004, the executive team at KPost (later followed by NRP) decided to seek out a cloud-based CRM roofing solution to manage their operations. This solution, Dataforma, became part of the deck of business solutions to save time and money, propelling better communication and organization, as well.
At the time, Daryl Maronic, Co-Founder of Dataforma, offered a new solution on how to run your business. Based on his robust knowledge as a former Commercial Roofer, he understood the hiccups of running a roofing business, the lingo, and most importantly the frustrations of team communication, production, and organization of the data. As KPost had lofty goals on the horizon, the focus became just selling the roof, which ultimately lead to a continued focus on service, a twin focus that holds true today. Having one solution for company-wide customer information, job bids, and historical records of buildings streamlined operations, saving time and money over time. A relatively simple solution, canned program allows employees and management the ability to be systematic.
“Efficiencies were gained by the Executive team during those early days of the Pandemic. We are using Dataforma more now than ever to work from home and be more productive.”
KPost continues to use Dataforma as their digital file cabinet and cloud-based work order processor (averaging about 4,000 work orders per year), which they use to track warranties, upload pictures, share communications and images among workmen and foreman. KPost is also taking advantage of the Customer Portal which allows clients to interface with proposals, invoices, history, and assessments, giving them access to what is happening in the present day at any of their locations(s) or what has happened previously on former projects.
KPosts’s Leadership approach of “Can Do” rather than “Can’t Do” compelled Steve to delve into “oversight” as a new business management style, which governs his executive team and middle management to assist with running the business. Both companies follow the practices and supplemental trainings of the book Traction by Gino Wickman.
Although he has a lifetime of career success and multiple companies under his belt, none of that compares to Steve’s love for his family, which he calls his favorite accomplishment. Family is at the helm of Steve’s heart. He is happy to say that he and his wife Pam just celebrated 45 years of marriage and is also a very proud father to his two accomplished children and four grandchildren. And off the clock, both Pam and Steve have their Sailing Certifications to charter sailboats and remain excited to take their first voyage on their new 59ft, 6-cabin catamaran.
So, what’s next? Eventually, one’s work/life balance shifts over time, and conversations begin circling the idea of retirement. Steve plans to follow that path in the next few years with the idea (together with his partners) of selling the KPost legacy to the employees and letting another industry innovator take over his role at NRP. Whatever happens, anyone who knows Steve Little knows he won’t be sitting still anytime soon (or ever).
Thank You & Happy New Year
Dear Valued Partner-
Happy New Year. Wishing you a healthy and happy 2021. Many thanks for your continued feedback, your loyalty and your partnership. Your input helps us to better our product, launch updates & grow to be the best solution for your roofing needs.
On behalf of the entire team at Dataforma, we appreciate you.
Cheers to a much better 2021 for all!
Sincerely,
Daryl Maronic & Mark Zeleznock
Dataforma Co-founders
For additional inquiries on company articles, features & referral programs, please reach out to Ingrid Bennett, VP of Business Development at 919.395.3956 or ibennett@dataforma.com. We would love to hear your story or meet your friends in the industry who may have a need for Dataforma. We are so thankful to work among the hardest workers out there!
