The third generation of the Tupy family, Ashlee, Jake, and Alexandra, grew up in the building business. “We’ve been scrapping houses since we were eight years old,” Ashlee Tupy Rickert explained. When the time came for the Tupy siblings to take up the building mantel, they were excited to carry on the family legacy while adapting the business to meet the demands of a new generation of customers. “I love the fact that there’s a rush of new and younger energy in the market. We are fully immersed in cutting edge design and technology while holding onto tried-and-true methods exclusive to more experienced builders. We really do have the best of both worlds,” said Ashlee. This competitive difference Moderno Homes brings to the market is powered in part by CoConstruct’s construction project management software.
Transitioning from old school to new school
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“We grew up with green books, spreadsheets, and the old school way of balancing checkbooks before QuickBooks,” Ashlee said of her business upbringing. This upbringing involved working with and around an older generation of computer-agnostic contractors in the community who were hesitant to introduce technology into their business . But none of this stopped Ashlee from pursuing more efficient operations once Moderno Homes started to grow. “We were growing so fast that our spreadsheets and communication couldn't keep up with us and our ability to be really great for our customers.”
These growing pains were especially evident in Moderno’s scheduling systems. Operating as project managers as opposed to general contractors, Ashlee, Jake, and Alexandra are constantly syncing with sub-contractors, trade partners, designers, and clients to keep projects moving and everyone in the loop. Jake, who coordinates most of the on-site work, especially felt the company’s growing pains. “There was a clunkiness because people couldn’t refer to a schedule,” Ashlee said describing Jake’s workflow before CoConstruct. Constantly on the phone, Jake was inundated with moving schedule pieces that never let him get above the fray and be more proactive in his day-to-day job. That changed once Moderno Homes started using CoConstruct’s construction scheduling to create accountability and transparency in projects. “Jake didn’t need to be the scheduling system anymore, he could be the coordinator instead,” Ashlee said of life after onboarding the new software.
Improving home builder and client communication
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Moderno Homes’s new scheduling software gave subcontractors, trade partners, and clients insight into what was going on and upcoming at the jobsite at any given time. This constant flow of information has also helped the company’s relationship with their clients. “We knew what we were doing, and were working really hard to do that but unless you're communicating that to clients every day... They think that they're being pushed off or that they aren’t important,” Ashlee explained. “What CoConstruct has helped us do is that clients are now able to then see, not only what we’re doing, but what all of the vendors and subcontractors are doing on their job. Clients are very much now part of the job now.” This has increased client ownership over projects as well now that they can follow conversation threads in CoConstruct’s client portal.
How a paper trail can save your bottom line
This increased transparency into project details also helps Moderno Homes protect their business financially. Today Moderno Homes can have signed contracts, messages, weather data, daily job logs, and more that are easily accessible online to reference back to if any questions arise. For Ashlee this helps close a loophole of he-said she-said back-and-forth that can result in her company taking a loss to keep clients in good graces.
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Moderno Homes is excited that they can carry on their family's great building tradition while revamping the operations to meet the needs of a new generation of customers. “CoConstruct has bridged the gap between us being a good builder and a great builder.”
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