Construction Software Companies & Consultants in East Lansing, MI

Collaborative BIM, which operates under the name Collaborative, is a building information modeling firm based in East Lansing, Michigan. The company works mainly with construction managers, general contractors and trade partners who want virtual design and construction support before crews reach the field. Although its office is in mid-Michigan, it takes on work throughout the United States. Its projects range from big commercial builds to detailed residential buildings.

What the firm does

The core of Collaborative's offering is coordinating the many models that make up a building project. Its team combines architectural, structural and MEP content (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) into a single digital twin. It then uses that federated model to find conflicts between trades and to plan the order of work. The goal is to cut field rework, lower project risk and keep budgets under control by settling problems on screen rather than on the jobsite. Its service lineup includes:

• BIM coordination, covering conflict checks between trades, 3D model review and sequencing of installation work
• Prefabrication support, where the client sets direction and Collaborative manages the modeling detail needed for off-site fabrication
• 3D laser scanning to capture accurate existing-conditions data on simple and complex jobs alike
• Facility management BIM, which gives an owner's facilities staff one central place to locate and maintain building assets
• Facilitating collaboration between design and construction teams

How they work with clients

The firm describes its method as project-first. In practice this means BIM is treated as a planning tool from the start of a job instead of something added late. Collaborative often partners directly with construction managers to run VDC coordination for every trade on a project. This helps teams resolve conflicts early and sequence installation logically.

For prefabrication, the contractor keeps control of decisions while the BIM team handles the technical work behind them, so field crews receive information they can build from.

Track record

Collaborative reports more than 200 BIM projects completed so far, representing upward of $5 billion in construction value. One featured case study involved a Michigan project valued at roughly $180 million. On that job, the firm's clash detection work is credited with avoiding about $2 million in potential change orders. These figures give buyers a sense of the scale of work the team regularly supports.

Leadership and credentials

The company is led by President Art Theusch, who holds the CM-BIM designation. He is a certified BIM instructor for the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America. He has taught hundreds of construction professionals around the country how to apply building information modeling on real projects. That teaching background shapes how the firm approaches coordination and client collaboration.

For contractors comparing construction technology providers, Collaborative is a services-focused partner rather than a software vendor. It applies BIM tools on the client's behalf, from scanning existing conditions through trade coordination and prefabrication to turnover models for facility operations.

CorkCRM is a cloud-based management platform built for painting contractors. Rather than adapting a general contracting tool to the trade, the company designed the software around the way painting businesses run, covering the path from a first inquiry through to collecting payment. Because it works in a standard web browser on computers, phones and tablets, office staff, estimators and crews can use it without installing anything.

Background and Team

The company was started by Michael Henry, who opened his own painting business in 2010 and then founded CorkCRM in 2013. His reasoning was that painting companies ought to have access to stronger technology. Henry has a particular interest in business automation and applied robotics.

Hassan Zahid serves as chief technology officer. He is responsible for making the code function and for supervising the in-house developers. Its stated vision is to bring new technology to painting firms so they can organize and automate their operations, and it expects such firms to work ever more closely with software in the future.

What the Platform Does

CorkCRM addresses the sales side and the production side of a painting job. Its main tools include:

• Lead tracking: notes, automatic follow-up, and lead entry through a mailParser connection
• Appointments: customers can book online or by phone, and bookings sync with Google Calendar
• Proposals and contracts: templates for work such as interior painting, exterior painting and deck staining, with signing either on the spot or by email
• Job scheduling: crew assignment, plus automatic notices to customers and reminder emails a few days ahead
• Timecards: painters log hours at day's end, from home or a phone, and labor costs flow into reports
• Invoicing: invoices are created and sent automatically when a proposal is accepted and again when work is complete
• Payments: customers can pay by card online or on site, or send a check by mail

Proposals and Follow-Up

The company promotes quick proposals that can be prepared and delivered at the customer's home. Templates remove the need to retype common wording, and after signing, a customer can pay by card. When a homeowner needs more time, automated drip emails can send pictures, reviews and videos to build confidence. Staff can also attach items such as receipts and estimate forms to a proposal for internal viewing only.

Reporting, Integrations and Getting Started

A dashboard offers a snapshot of recent activity with weekly and year-to-date statistics. Deeper reports let owners compare lead sources, measure job profit and follow close rates. Integrations include QuickBooks Online, MX Merchant, Twilio, Mandrill, mailParser, Google Calendar and Zillow Zestimates.

Prospective customers begin by scheduling a live demo, after which they receive a free trial lasting 14 days with more than 50 features. Questions can be sent through a web form or chat. Owners of painting companies, such as the heads of As You Like It Painting and ProPeinture, describe it on the site as a time-saving CRM and a valuable management tool.