Dexter + Chaney to Showcase Newest Version of Its Forefront ® Construction Management Software at NECA Show 2005
Dexter + Chaney will showcase the newest version of its Forefront ® Construction Management Software at NECA Show 2005, September 18-20 in New Orleans ( Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, booth #1420). Version 12 offers hundreds of new features, including a SQL database structure, the ability to track meeting minutes within Project Management and two new capabilities in its Document Imaging software. It also integrates Forefront with Microsoft Outlook.
Forefront Version 12 is based on the highly scalable SQL database platform, an excellent tool for organizing and retrieving data that benefits construction companies of all sizes as they grow. With SQL, Forefront users enjoy fast processing and data retrieval and excellent security features.
The meeting minutes enhancement to Forefront Project Management offers easy tracking of meeting attendees, task assignments, proposed change orders and other items resulting from weekly or monthly job meetings. This feature can also track job punchlist items and create job start-up and close-out task lists.
Forefront Document Imaging’s new batch scanning option allows documents to be scanned separately from the transaction entry. For remote Forefront users, the new cache option allows copies of images to be stored locally, which speeds both the scanning and retrieval of documents.
The new Forefront Tasks feature integrates Forefront and Microsoft Outlook, offering a simple solution for creating roadmaps to execute step-by-step processes. Each step in a process links to the corresponding screen in Forefront. Forefront Tasks is ideal for walking users through the creation of regular Job Cost projections or procedures such as month-end closing because users can actually execute each step of the task directly from the reminder.
More than 1,000 construction companies throughout the United States use Dexter + Chaney’s Forefront Construction Management Software. Forefront includes 30 integrated modules that handle project management, construction accounting, service management, human resources, document imaging, remote connectivity and data sharing. Companies that use Forefront report they have improved profitability and have grown their businesses more than 300 percent without adding accounting staff.
Forefront placed first among specialty contractors in the Job Costing/Accounting/Payroll Applications category of the Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) 2004 Information Technology Survey for the Construction Industry, fifth edition. Dexter + Chaney also finished first in service-management software for the specialty-trades category. More than 3,500 total users make use of Forefront’s Document Imaging component, which addresses a typically painful problem for contracting firms: giving management, office staff and project managers the fast access they need to important documents like AP invoices, change orders, payroll timecards, contracts and others.
CLS Connecticut Projects Team Celebrates Grand Opening of Connecticut Convention Center
CLS recently celebrated the grand opening of the new Connecticut Convention Center, the new 550,000 square foot convention and meeting facility situated along the Connecticut River in Hartford. CLS’ Connecticut Projects Team supplied more than 10,000 fixtures that comprise the lighting for the new Convention Center, and many other electrical components required to complete the project.
Earlier this month, CLS joined in hosting the June meeting of the Illuminating 
Engineering Society of Western New England (IES) at the newly opened Convention Center, which featured a presentation by Alan K. Vanags, P.E., of BVH Integrated Services, Bloomfield, Connecticut, the lead design engineer for the facility, followed by a tour.
Bill Grindal, Project Group Director for the Connecticut Projects Team stated “CLS is pleased to have played a role in the creation of this premier facility in Hartford. Our role on the supply side is very much ‘behind the scenes,’ so it’s always exciting to see the completed project. CLS is proud to have been involved in several of the ‘pillar’ projects in the revitalization of downtown Hartford, and we expect to continue to work with the industry’s leading designers and contractors on the larger projects in Connecticut.
Cooper Wiring Devices Appoints Jason Sherrill Technology Products Manager
Cooper Wiring Devices has appointed Jason Sherrill product manager, Technology Products. Included in Sherrill’s assignment at Cooper are products relating to lighting control, surge suppression, energy management, and home networking.
Previously, Sherrill served Superior Modular Products Corp. as product manager for its residential networking and workstation group of products, where his major experience was in data connectivity, builder and dealer programs, financial analysis, and product lifecycle management.
He earned his B.S. degree in business administration from Montreat (NC) College and his M.B.A. from Appalachian State University ( Boone, NC).
LENOX “Get Caught With The Gold” Contest Winner
Baltimore plumber Ronald Edwards Jr. was presented with the $5,000 grand prize of the national LENOX “Get Caught With The Gold” contest June 6 at the construction site for the new Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Cancer Research Building II in Baltimore. Edwards was working at the construction site for the new building when he discovered that he had won the contest. He later decided to donate half of the prize money to Johns Hopkins for pediatric cancer research. Pictured are, from left to right: Aaron Fultz, commercial sales representative for the mid-Atlantic region, LENOX; Susan Spalding, marketing communications director, LENOX; Andrea Halpin, LENOX field event coordinator; Edwards; Dr. Glenn Bedell, administrative manager for pediatric oncology at Johns Hopkins; Dr. Bob Arceci, director of pediatric oncology at Johns Hopkins; Ryan Fox, LENOX end user specialist for Washington, D.C.; and Brooke Clyde, LENOX end user specialist for Baltimore.
French Appointed Lighting Controls Sales Specialist for Leviton in New York Metropolitan Area
Leviton is pleased to announce the appointment of Dennis French to the position of Lighting Controls Sales Specialist for the metropolitan New York area. In his new post, French will support sales of the company’s box-mounted lighting controls for both residential and commercial applications. These products include Leviton’s line of occupancy sensors, Decora® designer-styled devices, new premium grade Acenti TM Collection lighting controls and D-3200 dimming systems. French will help build sales of Leviton lighting controls by focusing on the architectural and engineering specification communities throughout New York City, Long Island and Northern New Jersey.
French arrives at Leviton with a formidable background spanning more than 15 years in technical specifications and applications. His impressive career includes cross-industry experience identifying and capturing market opportunities for a diverse range of companies: Warner Electric, Magnetek, Rockwell Automation, Mitsubishi Electric Automation Inc., and Fine Ex Lamps, as well as other leading manufacturers of industrial and commercial equipment. Across these posts he was charged with field service, marketing, technical specifications and sales territory management responsibilities. French’s team building skills and knowledge of industry compliance standards combined with his technical expertise make him an ideal addition to the company’s elite cadre of Lighting Control Sales Specialists. He holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University and a B.S. in Physics from the State University of New York. Dennis French lives with his family in Long Island, New York. For more information, please visit www.leviton.com.
Fluke Announces Acquisition of LEM Instruments
European-based test and measurementcompany provides increased presence in world power quality market
Fluke Corporation announced that it has acquired LEM Instruments, a division of LEM Group.
LEM Instruments is a leading European manufacturer of test and measurement equipment including analyzers and systems for power quality applications, earth/ground testers, insulation testers, low-resistance ohmmeters, clamp meters and clamp-on power meters. LEM Instruments is also the leading supplier of high precision current probes to the automotive market. "The acquisition of LEM Instruments is a tremendous complement to our growing electrical business," said Jim Lico, President, Fluke Corporation. "They have a strong power quality product offering in the European industrial and utility segments. Coupled with the recent introduction of the Fluke 430 Series Power Quality Analyzers, the addition of LEM Instruments gives Fluke a comprehensive product line backed by strong, global sales channels."
"LEM Instruments and Fluke share a strong commitment to understanding the needs of our customers and helping them to do their job better and faster with innovative, high-quality, easy-to-use tools," said Jan Roetman, General Manager, Fluke Europe. "The combined product offering will enable us to bring a broader range of technical solutions and innovation to the marketplace, benefiting both our channel partners and customers."
Founded in 1972, LEM Instruments designs, manufactures, markets and services its products around the world. With headquarters outside Liverpool, UK, LEM Instruments is a global organization with subsidiaries and/or representatives throughout Europe as well as North America, Japan, China and Russia.
Leviton Receives OMA Award for Newest Lighting Controls Display
Leviton Manufacturing Company was recently awarded the 2005 Bronze Outstanding Merchandising Award (OMA) by the Point of Purchase Advertising Institute (POPAI) for the company’s newest Dimmer Demonstrator Display. The interactive lighting controls display features an assortment of popular Leviton dimmers including slide, toggle, rotary, and rocker models, as well as a Leviton wall-mounted passive infrared occupancy sensor wall switch unit. The convenient portable display mounts to any wall surface or can be placed on a counter or table top. A lens above each dimmer lets users see how the light level adjusts in response to the user’s touch. A lens also lights above the occupancy sensor when motion is detected within its sensing range.
The dimmer models included are: the IllumaTech TM Preset slider; the ToggleTouch TM toggle-style switch with touch pad dimming; the Decora ® low-profile rocker switch grouped together with the IllumaTech TM Rotary Dimmer; and the Mural TM rocker switch with dim/bright settings. Also included is the Decora® Occupancy Sensor with a 180-degree field of view. A combination of other Leviton dimmers can easily be swapped in to suit customers’ preferences by dropping the back panel, retrofitting the desired dimmer and inserting the appropriate feature/benefit card. Most of the dimmers featured are compatible with Leviton’s Decora ® Screwless Snap-On Wallplates, and many include a convenient LED locator to help find them in a dark room.
According to Christine Kelly, Leviton’s Merchandising and Promotions Manager, “The dimmer demonstrator lets Leviton’s diverse customer base of electrical contractors, electrical distributors and showroom end-users appreciate the engineering excellence that goes into each of our lighting controls. Its interactive design offers Leviton distributors a way to demonstrate the wide variety of features these devices provide, while letting users see how these products actually work.”
Display entries were judged on the basis of how well the design of the display complemented the products, as well as on the basis of product innovation and effectiveness in communicating unique product attributes and achieving brand objectives.
For more information, visit www.leviton.com.
Veridicom and Leviton Partner to Develop and Distribute Advanced Home Automation Products
New Products for Residential and Commercial Markets to Feature Veridicom Fingerprint Authentication Technology
Veridicom International Inc. (OTCBB: VRDI) and The Leviton Manufacturing Company, North America’s largest producer of electrical and electronic wiring devices, today announced their exclusive partnership to develop advanced personal authentication solutions for the home automation markets.
“We are proud to partner with Leviton,” stated Paul Mann, President & CEO of Veridicom International Inc. “The combined resources of our two companies provides significant market presence and will enable the residential and commercial markets to deploy advanced automation technology featuring biometrics. The roadmap for these new jointly developed products will enable increased convenience and security, and the solutions will be able to adapt to the personal preferences of homeowners via a person’s fingerprint.”
“Homeowners enjoy the increased convenience that home automation brings today’s families” stated Daryoush Larizadeh, Leviton’s Vice President of Strategic Business Enterprises. “By combining Veridicom’s biometric sensors and technology with Leviton’s leading voice, data, and network solutions, we are enabling the next generation of home automation controls. This integrates personal identities with security, individual preferences, and home networking features,” Larizadeh added.
“Biometrics are becoming more pervasive in people’s lives by offering increased convenience while at the same time maintaining or increasing personal and corporate security” added Mann. “We look forward to bringing these benefits to Leviton’s customers worldwide”.
Easy Street, Inc. Announces Technical Support Expansion
Easy Street, Inc. has announced a new member to its growing team. Keith Laubscher has jumped on board as a Technical Support Specialist. Keith resides in Blue Springs, MO and has a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems from Southwest Missouri State. Easy Street, Inc. has always taken pride in their outstanding technical support, so Mr. Laubscher is a great asset.
“I am excited to have the opportunity to apply my prior programming and technical support experience to aid the award winning technical support team at Easy Street, Inc.,” said Keith.
Easy Street, Inc. is a leading software and book publishing company located in Lenexa, Kansas. The company offers a wide variety of products and services, including a widely renowned flat rate pricing software program called Flat Rate Plus™. The company’s newest product, an accounting/dispatching/scheduling program called Total Office Manager™, was recognized this past fall at the annual HVAC Comfortech Seminar & Showcase. The program won first place in the Business Software Category at the convention. The company’s website is http://www.easystreetinc.com
Easy Street, Inc. is also the parent company of MrHVAC.com. The company has an information packed website that offers a place for business people to obtain free management advice, post questions, use online financial calculators, perform load calculations and more. James Leichter (aka MrHVAC) also conducts business evaluations, personal training/coaching, seminars and other public speaking engagements. The company’s website is http://www.mrhvac.com
The company will be hosting its second annual Total Business Solutions Seminar October 18-20, 2005 at the KCI Hotel Marriott in Kansas City, MO. The seminar includes basic and advanced TOM™ training, plus classes on general business management. For more information on this exciting opportunity please visit their seminar link www.easystreetinc.com/seminar/ .
The company’s corporate headquarters still remains at their original 10,000 sq. ft. facility located in Lenexa, Kansas. The building is currently undergoing renovation and remodeling for expansion purposes.
