RiverGuide Makes Construction Software Selection Easier for Contractors, Architects and Building Owners
BIG SKY, Mont. July 18, 2006 Today RiverGuide, Inc. launched RiverGuide for Construction
Software (www.riverguideinc.com/construction), a free Internet resource designed to help contractors,
architects and building owners research and select construction software. The site provides a wealth of
information for software selection and implementation, as well as detailed software product profiles and
side-by-side comparisons. Using RiverGuide, buyers can ensure the success of their software projects
by selecting and implementing the right products for their business, in far less time.
"Our market research shows that more than one-third of most any software project is spent researching
and evaluating applications," said Don Fornes, founder & Chief Executive Officer of RiverGuide. "Fortune
500 companies can turn to prominent IT research firms like Gartner to research software projects, but
most construction firms -- who dont have thousands of dollars to invest in software research -- are often
left without the information they need to make the right technology decisions."
The RiverGuide Solution
Using RiverGuide, small- and medium-size businesses gain access to the insightful research and best
practices required for successful software projects. For no charge, RiverGuide provides users with:
A sophisticated "Software Search" capability that recommends products based on a visitor's
industry/trade, company size and specific functional requirements;
Side-by-side comparisons of software products including ratings and reviews by actual customers
that use the products;
Detailed profiles of more than twenty software products including product screen shots, key
differentiators and customer reviews;
A wealth of articles, white papers and evaluation tools, all of which can be commented on by
RiverGuide visitors; and,
Interactive community forums where visitors ask questions and receive prompt, insightful answers
from the RiverGuide community.
"We are constantly looking to manage our rapid growth through better automation, but we have limited
time and resources to devote to technology research and selection" said Tony Martel, Vice President of
Martel Construction. "RiverGuide is a tremendous new resource that can help us keep up-to-date on new
technology trends and ensure that we make the right investments."
A Community-Driven Site
RiverGuide harnesses the power of a community-driven content model whereby the content on the site is
generated by numerous software experts, business consultants and CPAs, as well as software vendors
and their customers. RiverGuide's product ratings are driven by a web-based customer survey capability
that ensures confidentiality and statistical relevance. This community-driven model means that visitors
receive a wide range of opinions rather than the limited and potentially biased opinion of a single industry
analyst.
"With a focus on improving construction business processes, my engagements often include new
software system implementations. Until now, there was no objective means of assessing the merits of the
numerous systems available." said Steve Kuhn, RiverGuide contributor and President of Integrity
Construction Services. "It is great to see an innovative, professional resource like RiverGuide that will
enable contractors and consultants to make the right decisions for the right reasons."
Prominent content contributors to RiverGuide include the Construction Financial Management
Association and Harvard University School of Design.
Vendor Participation Reaches Critical Mass
In addition to providing considerable value to contractors, architects, and building owners, RiverGuide
serves as a powerful marketing venue for software vendors. RiverGuide is launching with a critical mass
of twenty-seven participating products, including industry leaders such as Primavera Systems, Sage
Timberline Office and Quest Solutions.
RiverGuide participating vendors serve a complete range of industries and trades, including architects,
building owners, commercial contractors, home builders, heavy/highway contractors and specialty trades
such as electrical, mechanical and HVAC contractors. Participating RiverGuide vendors also cover the
full range of application categories, including: accounting software; construction project management
software; construction estimating software; human resources and payroll; and, document management.
"We are excited to be a RiverGuide participating vendor," said Deb Carpenter-Beck, Director of Marketing
at Sage Software, Inc. "There is a huge need for a professional and unbiased market resource to help
contractors make better choices during software selection. From our perspective as a market leader, an
educated buyer is primed to become a successful customer."
RiverGuide for Construction Software is online at www.riverguideinc.com/construction.
# # #
About RiverGuide:
RiverGuide, Inc. helps small- and medium-size businesses make the right technology decisions. Visitors
to RiverGuide can read insightful articles, learn best practices, compare products and build a short list of
software vendors to contact for further research. The company's online community brings industry
experts and software vendors together to provide an unparalleled resource for software buyers. This
powerful community-driven content model ensures a wide range of opinions and expertise, while enabling
RiverGuide to remain a free resource. RiverGuide can be found on the Web at www.riverguideinc.com.
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