The Client
Clarkson Construction Company, a cornerstone in the Midwest’s infrastructure development, combines a rich history with modern innovation. Founded in 1880 by G.G. Clarkson in Kansas City, the company began as a grading contractor working with manpower and animal strength. Today, it stands as one of the most diversified heavy contractors in the Midwest, embodying core values of efficiency, trust, and hard work. In its sixth generation, this family-owned business continues to set standards with 21st-century technology, connecting communities and paving the way to the future.
Clarkson’s expertise spans many segments of infrastructure development, including highway construction, site development, grading, and bridge construction. They are known for their significant role in shaping Kansas City’s landscape, having constructed major highways and bridges like the Johnson County Gateway Project, the Grandview Triangle, and the Christopher S. Bond Bridge. Their work extends beyond roads to include key projects in private, commercial, and residential developments, as well as notable contributions to major airport projects.
“Payroll Exporter is a game-changer…” Clarkson Construction
The Challenge
The complex and stringent payroll reporting requirements mandated by Civil Rights and Labor laws present a significant challenge to payroll departments. Government projects in particular are subject to additional reporting needs.
Production of the weekly reports manually is cumbersome and fraught with potential for errors. It requires meticulous attention to detail over large volumes of data.
The accuracy of these reports is not just a matter of solving a compliance headache. It’s critical for the financial viability of the project. Payments from the government, cash flow, and project timelines are impacted by any errors or delays in reporting.
The Old Way
The labor-intensive process was a significant bottleneck for Clarkson Construction. It hindered their ability to efficiently manage large-scale projects and maintain compliance with the necessary legal standards.
Cynthia Montanez, the Senior Payroll Accountant at Clarkson, described the old method as extremely time-consuming and tedious, with a high risk of inaccuracies. “If I were to use the spreadsheet [for payroll reporting], it would take me like half a day, if not maybe a full day,” Montanez explained.
This method of using spreadsheets and manual calculations was inefficient and diverted valuable resources away from other critical tasks, hindering overall productivity.
Every value had to be verified for accuracy to ensure compliance with Civil Rights and Labor laws. Cynthia painted a vivid picture of the challenges they faced: “If you were to see the spreadsheet that you have to fill in… everything is manual from top to finish.”
This method involved manually inputting detailed information for each employee, their craft, hours worked, and other relevant data. The risk of human error was high, and any mistake could lead to significant repercussions, including delayed payments from government contracts.
Moreover, the manual process was not just about data entry; it also involved understanding and applying complex regulations. This complexity leads to a high-stakes process that is both tedious and stressful. Time and effort invested in these reports were significant, leading to bottlenecks in other areas of the business.
This old way of managing payroll reports was clearly unsustainable, particularly for a company managing multiple large-scale projects simultaneously. This realization led Clarkson Construction to look for a more efficient, reliable solution, like SelectView Data Solutions’s AASHTOWare Payroll Exporter.
The New Way with SelectView’s Payroll Exporter
With the implementation of the AASHTOWare Payroll Exporter by SelectView, Clarkson Construction revolutionized its payroll reporting process. The tool’s user-friendly interface and efficient data processing capabilities allowed for a seamless and rapid generation of required reports.
Montanez notes the ease of use, stating, “Payroll Exporter is straightforward, easy to use and it downloads the data very quickly.” The tool’s ability to efficiently handle varying employee numbers and contract details further streamlined the process. The ability to customize for special payroll handling, including recharacterization of earnings or deductions, is a key feature of the application.
The Results
The adoption of the AASHTOWare Payroll Exporter resulted in significant time savings and increased accuracy in payroll reporting for Clarkson Construction. Montanez enthusiastically reports, “I can knock off like, maybe, five certified payrolls in 35 minutes or less.” This efficiency is a stark contrast to the previous method that could consume an entire day.
Cynthia submits the files immediately to the State DOT site, without a middleman. This rapid run and submit process keeps their project cash flow moving.
Clarkson’s new process ensures compliance with government regulations and frees up valuable resources to focus on other critical aspects of the business. Montanez sums up the impact, “It’s like a game changer…our business would be materially different, and not in a good way, without [SelectView] Payroll Exporter.”
The case of Clarkson Construction vividly illustrates how SelectView’s AASHTOWare Payroll Exporter transforms a cumbersome, error-prone process into an efficient, reliable, and user-friendly experience, significantly benefiting companies in the construction industry.
