Customer stories


Hensel Phelps Construction Company

Building the Nation

From coast to coast, Hensel Phelps Construction Co. is dynamically bringing large scale construction projects to life. And the key information for these projects -- used by the firm's marketing department as a vital tool in bringing the company's message to potential clients -- is kept well organized by FileMaker Pro, the award-winning database software application from FileMaker Inc.

Heavy duty projects for heavy duty use. That's Hensel Phelps' specialty, with a special focus on projects for the U. S. Government. If you visit key U. S. Army bases like Fort Bliss, Fort Hood or Fort Carson, if you tour the NASA launch facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida, or if you examine the ongoing renovation work at the Pentagon complex in Arlington, VA, you'll see Hensel Phelps in action. "We're a $1.5 billion-a-year company employing up to 2500 people in locations around the United States,” comments data administrator Elaine Owenby.

A nationwide business requires nationwide marketing -- and that's where FileMaker Pro comes into focus. Data on current and previous projects have to be kept on file, in order, and readily accessible from offices everywhere the company operates. "Prior to the introduction of FileMaker Pro at the company," Elaine explains, "data on current and past projects was recorded in Microsoft Word documents. This information had to be processed manually. But, as the company continued to grow, it became obvious that a more efficient system was needed, providing faster and more dependable access to this information."

A non-relational database was first developed internally by Hensel Phelps using several earlier versions of FileMaker Pro. It wasn't long, however, before the company's continued growth required more versatility, more data-managing power. "Scott Love of The Moyer Group helped us implement a relational system in FileMaker Pro for our marketing department," Elaine continues. "It manages data covering every aspect of our current projects -- details on their size and scope, total costs, the specific personnel involved, the architects and subcontractors, and much more. The information is used to prepare project narratives that can easily be integrated into marketing proposals."

This database is accessible remotely via TCP/IP and also via a Web front-end from Hensel Phelps' marketing offices anywhere. "Project information may be updated and examined from any location," notes Elaine, "just by logging in over the Web. The simplicity of FileMaker Pro is its biggest advantage for us. Because our FileMaker Pro databases are relational, it's easy to keep the information up to date. We just enter new information once, and it updates throughout the system. There's no need to keep flicking through screen after screen!"

Nowadays, each of the company's nine marketing districts has access to the system, with marketing employees in each office taking advantage of the information as needed. With FileMaker Pro in the vanguard, this ever-growing company is bound to discover new uses for its data management power.



Contact information

Contact Info for Customer:

Elaine Owenby
Data Administrator
Hensel Phelps Construction Co.
970-346-7251
eowenby@henselphelps.com
http://www.henselphelps.com


Scott Love
Developer
The Moyer Group
800-582-0170
info@moyergroup.com
http://www.moyergroup.com


Filemaker Contact:

Kevin Mallon
Public Relations Manager
FileMaker Inc.
408-987-7227
kevin_mallon@filemaker.com
http://www.filemaker.com


Overview
  • Seven years ago, Hensel Phelps Construction Company was just beginning to explore the brave new world of Database Technology. Now, the company's worldwide marketing effort draws its information management power from FileMaker Pro.
Industry
  • Medium-Large Business
  • Other