Client: Durr Heavy Construction, LLC

Location: Offices in Harahan, LA and Covington, LA

Business: Multi-million dollar construction company specializing in demolition, site preparation, concrete paving, and underground utility installation.

Durr Heavy Construction | Standing Together after Hurricane Katrina

Durr Implements Explorer Software to Accommodate Strong Growth As They Come Together to Rebuild

Durr Heavy Construction is one of the leading demolition/site preparation firms in the state of Louisiana and the Gulf South Region. Established in 1955, the business has evolved from a small “Mom & Pop” business to a multi-million dollar award winning contractor.  Durr has won multiple National Excellence in Construction Awards for its outstanding work on project such as L’Auberge Casino and Hotel. For the last 7 years, it has also been recognized by CityBusiness as one of the best places to work in New Orleans– a testament to the strong management team that encourages camaraderie and actively supports many community organizations and charities.

After Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, Durr found itself facing its most difficult challenge – helping to reunite and rebuild New Orleans. The company had survived the storm, and soon began ground breaking work in various communities in the area. They made a commitment to hire locally whenever possible for their construction projects, not only rebuilding their community, but also helping to rebuild people’s lives.

The company has grown by leaps and bounds since its humble beginnings over 50 years ago; after the hurricane, they grew larger and quickly realized that their existing accounting software would no longer meet their needs.

Explorer’s Software is a Game Changer

In 2007, Durr’s management team began looking for job cost accounting software that would handle their increasingly complex needs and growth. With millions of dollars invested in backhoes, excavators, bulldozers, and other equipment, the Equipment Module was a key consideration in Durr’s search. They needed to stay on top of their fuel, transmissions and charge out rates and quickly see whether they were making money or not. After evaluating a number of software vendors, Durr selected Explorer Software. Explorer is a leading provider of job cost accounting software and it delivers both flexibility and power through a browser interface.

“The Equipment module was one of the main reasons we chose Explorer, and it certainly delivers, but after implementing the software, I grew even fonder of the Job Cost module. It’s so simple to use. It makes my job easier,” said Patricia Champagne, Controller for Durr Heavy Construction.

“Moving from our old software to Explorer Software is like going from a cassette tape to a DVD.  It’s better in every way.”

Click here to read about how another customer, Olsson Roofing, decided on Explorer Software when they wanted construction accounting software that would support their expanding needs.

Patricia Champagne, Controller, Durr Heavy Construction

“It was the first time we had information immediately. We didn’t have to wait to see anything. Before, it always felt like we were looking in the rear view mirror. Not anymore. The fact that Explorer updates in real-time was a game changer for us. We have a very intensive payroll and instead of waiting two weeks to see my information. I had it right away.”