A Reseller’s Journey from Sage to Acumatica: ERP Building Bytes

From Timberline to the Cloud: A Veteran’s Perspective on Construction ERP Evolution

Featuring Randy Collins, Senior Principal at Strategies Group

At Strategies Group, we’re often asked how we got here—why we chose Acumatica, what we’ve learned along the way, and what advice we have for construction companies navigating their ERP journeys. So, in a recent ERP Building Bytes video, we sat down with one of the people best suited to answer those questions: Randy Collins, Senior Principal at Strategies Group and a longtime leader in the construction software space.

Randy’s journey with construction technology spans decades, starting in the field and moving through finance, operations, and eventually ownership at Strategies Group. In the video, he shares the pivotal moments that led us from selling Sage Timberline to becoming one of the leading Acumatica Construction Edition partners in the country.

The Early Days: Sage Timberline and a Changing Market

Randy grew up in the construction world—his father was a subcontractor—and he later worked as a construction lender and CFO at an A&E firm. It was during this time that he first encountered the Timberline software (now Sage 300 CRE). When he joined Strategies Group, it was to help implement Timberline for others.

“We had a really successful practice with Timberline,” Randy recalls. But by 2015, it was becoming clear that Sage wasn’t investing meaningfully in the product. Customers were still paying for maintenance and support, but not seeing innovation in return.

That realization set the stage for a major turning point.

The Search for a Modern ERP

Randy sold the Sage portion of the business and began a two-year evaluation of modern ERP systems alongside a few trusted consultants. The group reviewed a wide array of systems—NetSuite, X1, Intacct, Microsoft Dynamics—and ultimately landed on a lesser-known name at the time: Acumatica.

“It had a funny name, but once we went to their customer conference, talked to users, and saw the vision—they had something special,” Randy says.

Strategies Group officially partnered with Acumatica in 2018, just as the company launched its construction-specific edition. The early days were challenging—as is often the case with new platforms—but six years later, the product is mature, robust, and fully equipped for the demands of modern contractors.

How Acumatica Changed Our Approach to Implementation

Acumatica isn’t just a cloud product—it’s a development platform. That distinction has radically changed the way Strategies Group delivers implementations.

“With Sage, if you needed more functionality, you had to bolt on a third-party product and hope the integration worked,” Randy explains. “With Acumatica, you can either use fully integrated third-party tools or customize the platform itself to fit your exact needs.”

This flexibility means implementations aren’t cookie-cutter—they’re strategic. And that makes a difference.

“Out-of-the-box, Acumatica is powerful,” Randy says. “But if you want to maximize your ROI, you need a partner that knows your business and the construction industry. Otherwise, you risk ending up with a misused or underpowered system.”

Advice for Longtime Sage Users

For contractors still using Sage 300 CRE or Sage 100 Contractor, Randy offers a thoughtful perspective.

“Sage gave customers a great return. Many have used it successfully for 20 or 30 years. But the world has changed,” he says. “Modern technology is built around cloud access and real-time data. If you want to take advantage of AI, analytics, and mobile tools, your ERP system has to be cloud-based.”

Randy also points to workforce expectations: “Younger employees don’t want to work with outdated systems. They want tools that empower them. Acumatica does that.”

Looking Ahead

At Strategies Group, we’ve built our business on helping construction companies transition from legacy tools to modern, flexible, cloud-based ERP. And that transformation is about more than technology—it’s about empowering people, optimizing processes, and positioning businesses for long-term growth.

Randy’s story isn’t just about software. It’s about understanding the needs of contractors, adapting to change, and always looking for a better way forward.