September 2012

Introducing Viewpoint Mobile Field Manager- our mobile application suite tracks andrecords time, equipment usage and productionhours from remote locations and passes thatdata back to the office. Find out more here!

The COO Perspective - 2012 UserConferenceBy Jim Paulson, COO

WOW!!! Our 2012 User Conference (Collaboration 2012) drew another record crowd toPortland, Oregon this past week. Over 700 attendees from 400+ companies across theU.S., Canada, and Australia traveled to our company's Portland headquarters to collaboratewith other similarly profiled contractors and Viewpoint’s busy team members. We sharedbest practices, product development plans, future product roadmaps, training and supportinformation, and tips on how to get more out of your Viewpoint V6 Software andConstruction Imaging software products.

This year we provided more opportunities than ever for contractors to learn from each other as to how they aresolving real world problems with V6. We facilitated sessions where contractors led panel discussions, allowingattendees to ask specific questions about how other companies are using V6. The sessions also offered tips onhow to get more project managers using V6, what process changes companies have made to enhanceproductivity, how others are providing training, and many other ideas contractors could take home forimmediate impact.

There was significant interest this year in Viewpoint’s recent acquisition of Construction Imaging, our enhancedEnterprise Content Management solution, and our soon-to-be-released Mobile Field Management productlaunching at the end of September (Android) and end of November (IOS). These solutions really helpcontractors address the growing need to integrate information from a distributed workforce into V6 and tomanage an ever-growing amount of data, photo images, and information. We will be providing Webinars onthese two important product areas in the coming weeks so make sure you visit our customer portal, VantagePoint and be on the lookout for our email notifications.

Collaborate 2012 sold out for the first time this year and is likely to do the same next year as attendees told usthis was our best event ever! I want to thank all those who either attended this year's conference or authorizedothers in their organization to attend. It was truly a mutually beneficial experience as we gained as much fromyou being here to provide us with your input/feedback as you did from the wealth of information provided atthe conference. I also want to give special thanks to the incredibly talented and capable Viewpoint staff whoworked so hard for months in advance of this meeting to deliver what was truly a special event.

Rock Solid Technology WinnersBy Rob Humphreys, Vice President of Product Management

Last week at the 2012 Collaborate User Conference, I was pleased to recognize our two RockSolid Technology winners -- Pala-Interstate, Inc., and Lehman-Roberts Company. TheRock Solid Technology award recognizes customers for their creative use of V6 or inventiveintegration between V6 and a third party product, helping provide a positive impact in theoperation, growth and success of their construction business.

Pala-Interstate, General Contractors located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, utilized the customization features inViewpoint V6 Software to create unique invoices specific to their clients. As a result, Pala-Interstate was able todiscontinue using an Access Database and eliminate double entries for AP Invoices and Billing, as well as therequirement to update and maintain separate databases. Tracy Ezernack, IT Manager at Pala-Interstate

Tracy Ezernack of Pala-Interstate flanked by RobHumphreys and Susan Little from Viewpoint, poses forthe camera with her Rock Solid Technology Award for

most creative use of V6.

Don Broadhead from Lehman-Roberts accepts his RockSolid Technology Award for best 3rd party integrationfrom Rob Humphreys and Susan Little at Viewpoint.

provided an overview on the solution at the UserConference and shared how the flexibility with V6 enabledher to reduce manual processes in their accountingdepartment and enhance customer relations. If you areinterested in learning more about Pala-Interstate’swinning solution, please feel free to contact TracyEzernack at: tezernack@palagroup.com.

The solution provided by Lehman-Roberts Company,Paving Contractors located in Memphis, Tennessee,allowed for V6 to automatically pass information to itsticket software, provided by JWS, using Microsoft SQLtriggers. With this solution, anytime a quote, haulingvendor, materials request, etc. is set-up, the informationis automatically updated and sent to the appropriateplant. On the backend, there is a process that takes allthe tickets for the day and moves the data into V6,allowing the materials staff to process and bill updatesdaily.

Don Broadhead, IT Director at Lehman-Roberts,shared how that with this solution they were able todrastically reduce the amount of time needed to getinformation to plants and efficiently allow for theprocessing and invoicing of tickets soon after they areproduced, helping them make better decisions at a fasterpace. For more information about Lehman-Robertswinning solution, please contact Don Broadhead at:dbroadhead@lehmanroberts.com.

I’d like to thank those who submitted applications for theRock Solid Technology award this year and tocongratulate our winners. Early next year we willannounce when you’ll be able to submit applications forthe 2013 Rock Solid Technology Award. Stay tuned!

Utility Contractor Webinar

Utility Contractor is offering a free webinar on a hottopic for Contractors: Make Cloud Computing LessCloudy and Gain Jobsite EfficiencyHandling complex construction jobs has been made easier! Give your company an edge over the competitionand create a smoother workflow and ultimately a better bottom line. Register for this free webinar to learnmore about how contractors are able to get back to managing their projects and not their software.

Date: Thur., September 27, 2012Time: 2pm Eastern/1pm CentralCost: Free for AttendeesTitle: Understanding the Latest Advancements in Cloud Technology

With the continuing trend to become more efficient, the Cloud is proving to lead the way as a clear winner forthousands of contractors across the country. Rapidly gaining in popularity, there are still a lot of questions andconcerns around the Cloud and how it's delivered and managed. From security, data access, to customizedsystems, many potential users of Cloud technology are still asking:

How can we know that our data is secure?How does the Cloud work with mobile apps in the field?What are the costs associated with the Cloud?Can I tailor the Cloud to meet our business needs?

Join Abram Holmlund from Viewpoint Construction Software, and Brooke Huling from nGenx to learn moreabout the advancements in Cloud technology for contractors.

Upcoming educational webinars – learn more about the power ofV6 and Construction Imaging

Don't miss our Viewpoint V6 Software and Construction Imaging educational webinars tohelp you take full advantage of the latest technology and capability of Viewpoint software.These free webinars are a fantastic resource for learning about the rich functionality anddiscovering new efficiencies that help your business.

Next Up: Stop the madness of invoice data entry today!

Webinar: Construction Imaging Optical Character Recognition (OCR) for InvoicesOct. 4th, 2012 10:30 am Pacific / 1:30 pm Eastern Register here

Optical Character Recognition, or OCR, for data extraction can be extremely beneficial for processing largebatches of invoices. OCR is a powerful tool designed to eliminate inefficient and error-prone data entryassociated with indexing invoices by enabling your systems to automatically match information such as a POreferenced by an invoice, to determine if the dollar amounts are the same. The software then enables anautomated approval process and electronic document storage.

Don't miss this free opportunity to learn more about automating your data extraction from the piles of invoicesfacing you every day.

Don't forget to mark your calendars for other upcoming webinars.

To view a listing of the webinars and register go to Vantage Point by clicking here. These webinars will berecorded and available for future viewing in the "View Past Webinars" section of Vantage Point.

If you have questions, contact your Account Manager for more information at 971-255-4800.

Disaster Recovery - Let's Talk

By Abram Holmlund, Cloud Sales Manager

Disaster recovery and business continuity is a big issue in today's IT environment. Having acompetent and good disaster recovery plan in place is extremely important. Manycompanies back up their data nightly, weekly and or monthly, but just backing up your datasometimes is not enough. Some companies even make the mistake of backing up theirdata, but continue to store their backed up data on premise. In the case of fire this mistakecould be detrimental. The big question companies should be asking themselves is how longcan I afford not to have access to my IT systems? Also, how much is it going to cost my company if I was down- one day, two days, a week?

Backup today is becoming more complex than ever. Typically companies are running multiple applications suchas ERP, email, estimating software just to name a few. A lot of times these different applications are also tiedtogether or sharing a database. Just recovering your data is one step, rebuilding your entire infrastructure andre-architecting your IT system is another. Many times companies have been spent years creating thesecomplex systems.

Viewpoint's Cloud Computing offering can help! We back up all your data every 15 minutes and replicatethat data across three distinct data centers. By using Viewpoint’s cloud solution a natural disaster will not slowyou down. Your data is secure, available and will give you the peace of mind that your business can continue torun no matter what. Please contact our cloud computing team so we can show you how we can help.

Don’t miss our upcoming webinar on October 10th highlighting the new Viewpoint Cloud Computing VirtualDesktop. We’ll also be talking about disaster recovery and other benefits of Cloud Computing. Click here toregister.

If you have any questions on how Viewpoint Cloud Computing can help with your disaster recovery needs,please contact Maurice McDavid at 971-255-4665 or Maurice.McDavid@viewpointcs.com.

September Support/Learning Services UpdateBy Bill Berendes, Director of Support and Learning Services

What a pleasure it was to meet so many of you during our annual User Conference. I trusteveryone learned something new about our existing software and are encouraged by whatis on the horizon. I hope many of you were able to check in with the support team in theexhibit area or during one of the group events. Each one of our support team members wasable to spend some time in our booth so I know we made some new connections!

But you didn’t get to meet everyone. We are happy to announce that we will soon be adding to our team. Wewill have more on the exciting details to share with you next month - stay tuned.

Support Tip/Trick: Re-opening a Month in GL

On occasion it may be necessary to re-open a Sub Ledger or General Ledger month. You can do this from theGL Month End Close program.

The Subsidiary Ledgers may be reopened in any month equal or prior to the General Ledger. In other words,you cannot reopen the Subsidiary Ledgers for any month in which the General Ledger is not open; if openingSubsidiary Ledgers, the General Ledger must be opened FIRST.

You have the option to reopen all of the subsidiary ledgers at one time or to reopen the AP and/or ARindependently from all other sub ledgers.

Follow the steps below to reopen a month:

1. Set the Month End Close Options to General or Sub Ledgers based on your need and the current status.2. Enter the Close Through Month to the desired new month (less than the current default).3. Once the month has been entered, the following message is displayed:

4. Click Yes to continue

5. Click on the Close Check button6. The “No unprocessed items found…” message should appear in the box. Click OK button.

7. Click Yes

8. Click Close - the form will close and the month should now be open. You can verify in GL Month EndClose or GL Company Parameters.

9. Do the same steps to re-open the Sub Ledgers.

Note: Be aware that if you reopen a closed month, this may restrict the processing capabilities of all users,depending on the Max # of Open Months specified in GL Company Parameters.

Your information, your way! Learn how to customize your datawith our classes on report writing.

Visit Vantage Point to view our fall/winter schedule for our instructor-led classes: FinancialReporter, Financial Planner, Intro and Advanced Crystal Reports.

The Financial Reporter and Planner classes are offered in an online collaborative formatled by our industry-experienced instructors who bring the added value of years ofexperience working with our customers and their reporting needs.

Attending the Financial Reporter class will empower you to create and automate thedistribution of reports such as Trial Balance, Income Statements, Cash Flow, and others. The Financial Plannercourse covers budgeting, planning and multi-user workflow helping you achieve efficiencies and automatingbudget review and approval. Please see the course descriptions on Vantage Point for more detail.

The Crystal Reports classes are offered in a classroom format at our Portland, Oregon and Charlotte, NorthCarolina offices. Please join our instructors and your peers in this fun, interactive learning environment.

Learn to design, share and embed reports into V6 with this powerful reporting tool. In the advanced class youwill develop expertise in advanced reporting such as incorporating sub-reports, evaluation time formulas, andadvanced grouping features.

To view the full schedule and course descriptions, please go to Vantage Point.

To register, call Viewpoint at 971-255-4800.

Let the technology debate begin!

We are excited that Jim Paulson, our COO, will be sitting in on avendor roundtable discussion at this year’s Technology Day event,hosted by Constructech magazine on October 5 at the San MateoMarriott, in San Mateo, Calif.

The roundtable discussion, with several other technology vendorleaders in attendance, will discuss the future direction of technologyand how the construction market continually looks to innovate and improve, to meet the industry's futuredemands.

Constructech is currently offering Viewpoint customers a discounted rate if interested in attending - only$45.00, a 40% discount off the standard rate. With this rate you get full access to all the afternoon sessionsand the exhibit hall. To receive your special discount, register online and use promo code Viewpoint to saveon your registration fees.

Constructech’s Technology Day provides a platform for insight from top experts in the construction technologyand software fields, as well as the experience of contractors who have implemented leading-edge solutions intotheir daily businesses.

This annual event combines networking opportunities, an exhibit hall highlighting the industry’s mostinnovative solutions, and thought provoking, informative sessions.

Proactive Year-end Planning Vitally Important to ConstructionFirmsBy Will Aderholt, CPA, with Warren Averett, LLC

As we approach the close of another tumultuous year for the construction industry, the nextthree months are a very important time for construction firms. In addition to finishing thefourth-quarter with strong operational results, this time also provides opportunities to planfor tax savings and other financial issues. Unfortunately, far too many contractorsundervalue year-end planning and miss this important opportunity year after year. Duringthe difficult and unpredictable economic climate we currently face, it is more important thanever to think outside of the box for value-adding ideas.

The construction industry is unique from both financial reporting and income tax perspectives. This uniquenessand complexity offer many opportunities to plan, assess and implement value-added services and tax savingstrategies. We meet with each of our clients prior to their year-end to discuss these planning ideas.

Tax Projections - Tax projections allow contractors the ability to effectively manage their cash flows.This also allows CPAs to identify ways to mitigate their tax liability prior to year-end. Important topicsof discussion for 2012 include:

Sunset of "Bush-era" tax cuts - Maximum income tax rate is set to increase to 39.6%, up from35%. Long-term capital gain rate is set to increase to 20%, up from 15%.The maximum §179 deduction, which allows business owners to deduct the full cost ofequipment in the year it is placed into service, is scheduled to decrease to $25,000 afterDecember 31, 2012. The maximum deduction is $139,000 for 2012.The additional 50% first-year bonus depreciation is set to expire after December 31, 2012.New 3.8% tax on unearned income beginning January 1, 2013Additional 0.9% Medicare tax imposed on income in excess of $250,000 (married couples filinga joint return) beginning January 1, 2013

Financial Statement Analysis - An outside assessment of key financial indicators and ratios canprovide valuable information to management and open up communication that allows CPAs to gaininsight about the business that will allow them to better serve the contractor.Choice of Entity - Contractors should choose an entity structure that provides maximum benefit fortax planning, liability protection and operational effectiveness.Accounting Methods - Contractors have a wide variety of accounting methods available to them. Fortax purposes, contractors choose both an overall method and a method to account for long-termcontracts. A contractor's accounting method is one of the most important decisions they will make andshould use the most beneficial method for both financial statement reporting and tax deferral. Themethods available to contractors change as the firm’s business evolves, so ongoing assessment is key.Construction-Specific Deductions - There are specific deductions available to the constructionindustry that can substantially reduce tax liability. Contractors should assess the effectiveness of eachand proactively plan to maximize the deductions.Bonding Capacity - Year-end planning allows contractors to mitigate items that may be viewednegatively by insurers and make changes to increase bonding capacity.Licensing - Many contractors who were able to qualify for unlimited bid limits in the past are nowfinding that working capital has fallen to an amount that may put them at risk of falling to a lower tier.Planning can sometimes help retain the current bid limits.Employee Benefits Review - A review of overall compensation and employee benefits package canensure maximum operational and cost-effectiveness.Compliance with Health Care Bill – In light of the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold theconstitutionality of the Health Care Bill, business owners need to begin planning for compliance with themany requirements imposed by the bill.Succession Planning - Many construction firms are family-owned. Having a good succession plan inplace is crucial to the continued success of any business that is being transferred to the nextgeneration.Estate Planning - High net-worth owners can benefit greatly from proactive estate planning, allowingmaximum wealth transfer to future generations with minimal tax implications. Recent legislativechanges have increased the lifetime gift tax exclusion to $5,120,000 per donor through December 31,2012. Without legislative changes, the exclusion will be reduced to $1,000,000 effective January 1,2013.

Year-end planning offers many opportunities to make a difference in how your year turns out, both from afinancial and tax standpoint. Don’t let another year pass you by without taking advantage of theseopportunities.

Will Aderholt, CPA, is a Manager with Warren Averett, LLC and is a Viewpoint Industry Professional. He can bereached at 205-769-3353 or will.aderholt@warrenaverett.com.

New Hires

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Alvir Sljivar – Systems Support SpecialistDonn Hjellum – Software ConsultantGreg Fry – Vertical Marketing ManagerTuwana Bias – Instructional DesignerJustin McCullough – Mobile Application ConsultantMike Lee – Reports Services ManagerPaul Wiegardt – Systems Software DeveloperRalph Chilton – Reports ContractorAdrienne Lore – Reports ContractorKristen Bixler – Project Manager (CI)Kaitlin Love – HR AssistantTim Perkin – Software Consultant (AUS)Sherry Packard-Silvius – Application Support SpecialistAmy Odette – Application Support SpecialistWill Mann – Application Support SpecialistKathy Keller – Application Support SpecialistNona Bowling – Application Support SpecialistJondren Swann – Application Support SpecialistMatthew Bradford – Software DeveloperBrenton Cridland – Software Consultant (AUS)Narelle Shipley – Software Consultant (AUS)Dhana Gopalakrishnan – QA Technician

Viewpoint Business Forms

2012 Tax Forms for V6 – early bird discount

Our exclusive forms partner, Viewpoint Business Forms, is offering a significantdiscount on 2012 tax forms if you order early. Click here for more information.And be sure to enter code “2012Tax” when ordering to receive the discount.

Viewpoint Business Forms offers a complete line of forms and continuous orlaser checks. Each format has been carefully designed and is exclusivelyguaranteed to perfectly align with V6.

Click here for more information or call customer service toll free at800.825.8649.