Read the Article in the New Hampshire Union Leader
By Kimberley Haas Union Leader Correspondent - December 17, 2018
PORTSMOUTH — As construction booms worldwide, B2W Software in Portsmouth continues to grow with it.
Founded in 1993 by CEO Paul McKeon, B2W Software provides heavy construction management software to about 2,000 customers in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean. Its products are used in all 50 states and every province in Canada.
B2W employs 110 people at its headquarters in Portsmouth on Bow Street. This year, the sales and support team expanded by 30 percent and the company doubled the size of its Atlanta-area sales-and-service facility.
“It’s a pretty cool story, to be honest, to start in my den in the cape house I had,” McKeon said about the firm’s humble beginnings during a recent interview. “I was just very enthusiastic about software and what it could do for the construction space.”
The company’s flagship product, B2W Estimate, has been enhanced over the years and now connects with the newer B2W ONE Platform. This makes it easier for users to plan work and improve future estimates based on actual field performance data, McKeon said.
Clients currently range from mid-size paving, excavating and site construction contractors to enterprises completing large-scale bridge, highway, energy, utility and specialized infrastructure projects.
“We’re taking on larger companies. They’re buying more software and many more licenses,” said McKeon, whose company twice has been a finalist for the New Hampshire Tech Alliance’s Product of the Year award.
Examples of larger companies using B2W Software’s products includes NEBCO in Nebraska and Sterling Lumber Company in Illinois. Closer to home, Casella Construction in Vermont came on board a little over a year ago and has ramped up using the full platform since, according to Marketing Communications Director Greg Norris.
Alvin J. Coleman & Son Inc. in Conway, which is working on the widening of Exit 5 in Londonderry, has used B2W’s products since 2005, said Patrick Holland, vice president of construction operations. He said the software is easy to use for employees of all ages.
“We’ve got a lot of people who are older, in their 50s and 60s. Those are the guys who aren’t as comfortable with technology,” Holland said. “It can be intimidating, but it really didn’t take long for these guys to get on board with it.”
Holland said the company chose the new B2W ONE Platform when it came onto the market after comparing it with other systems because it is user friendly and the price was right.
“The return on investment was better than the other five choices for us by quite a margin,” Holland said.
Holland said his company has between 300 and 400 employees and that B2W helped them with rolling out the ONE Platform for payroll and billing, even tackling challenges outside their scope when they arose.
That kind of customer service makes the difference, Holland said. “We hear from them all the time, just to see how we’re doing.”
McKeon said as B2W looks toward the future of technology in construction, the company sees room for growth as younger employees demand paperless options and businesses become more aware of what can be done with streamlined software systems. The ONE Platform for tablets can capture data about employees, safety, tasks completed and equipment maintenance. It also has scheduling and dispatch features.
“In the construction space there isn’t going to be any silver bullet that comes along and displaces a company like us,” McKeon said. “The opportunity for us to grow in North America alone is exponential.”
For more information, visit www.b2wsoftware.com.
