Aaron Wagner and Nicholas Krey Master Cloud-Based Construction

If you ask Aaron Wagner or Nicholas Krey about the old days of building and design, you’ll likely elicit a groan or at least an eye roll. Wagner talks about laying out massive drawings on huge tables and carrying around binders the size of a small child. Krey remembers 18-hour days filled with pointless repetitive tasks.

Krey was in the field as a project manager and preconstruction lead while Wagner worked as an architect. Now the two are colleagues at U.S. CAD, where they work together to replace antiquated processes with modern solutions so owners, subcontractors, and others can harness the power of technology to improve outcomes and ensure profitability.

U.S. CAD is one of the nation’s largest full-service technology consultants for architecture, engineering, construction, and owner (AECO) clients. Krey, Wagner, and their 120 colleagues—stationed in 15 major metropolitan cities—connect companies with Autodesk construction solutions, services, and the other software, hardware, and training they need to design and build successful projects in today’s complex and competitive industry.

After logging 16 years in architecture, Wagner joined U.S. CAD as a technical specialist to identify the right software solutions for each client’s projects. Now, as director of Autodesk construction at U.S. CAD, he’s helping general contractors and the like communicate with their workers and manage every aspect of each job to deliver the high-quality results the industry demands.

“I’ve seen good and bad approaches in the industry, and I’m passionate about our offerings because everyone is busy,” Wagner says. “We can improve their workflows so they can spend their time performing work with less time devoted to tasks like critical data entry, retrieval, and compliant record-keeping.” Their goal is to simplify the process with a higher level of reliability.

Contractors face many challenges as they fight to track bid information, find skilled labor, get information from employees, manage documentation, submit invoices for reimbursement, and perform all other necessary tasks. Now more than over, U.S. CAD is helping construction firms adopt powerful technology like the Autodesk Construction Cloud, which houses billing information, manufacturer data, and installation details, plans, drawing, and schedules. The software enhances collaboration, increases productivity, reduces errors, and ultimately standardizes workflows.

The system centralizes all information and allows everyone to access and edit the latest documents in the field. This cuts down travel time, limits rework, and increases employee satisfaction. “Contractors live off of relationships, and by putting all the data at their fingertips, we are helping them do all the things they need to do to win more work,” says Krey, the associate director of the company’s construction business unit.

U.S. CAD is one of the largest construction-specialized Autodesk Platinum Partners in North America, but the company isn’t simply reselling Autodesk software—it’s layered on tech support, training, implementation, scanning, customer success, and other services that add value.

Wagner says that with these pieces in place, clients own their own data. “We’re helping our clients use powerful tools to digitize and standardize everything,” he says. “Our clients no longer have to worry about conflicting, outdated information because everything is in one place.” The single source of information drives quality and efficiency, ultimately leading to financially successful projects.

U.S. CAD’s customers and prospects rely on the company to provide guidance to them with demos, discovery meetings, and consultations to help them make technology decisions. Thus, U.S. CAD can differentiate contractors in a competitive space. Those familiar with the popular software can demonstrate that they will hit the ground running and can therefore help keep projects on time and on budget.

Wagner and Krey are passionate about their work at U.S. CAD because they remember what life was like before. “There can be thousands of sheets of paper for a project, and if you’re not working with a system like Autodesk, you’re never really sure if there’s a new update somewhere on a USB drive or on the back of a napkin,” Krey points out. “Each time you make a decision, there’s a chance that you’re basing it on outdated information.”

Construction clients that Krey and Wagner work with have seen the light. But when margins are razor thin, others in the industry can be drawn to the status quo. Still, Wagner says his team is in place to help clients understand the real value in implementing the latest tools. “We have real solutions that pay for themselves time and time again, and we are the right partner to help people leverage those solutions in the right way,” he explains.

Wagner knows that U.S. CAD puts another tool in a subcontractor’s tool belt—and subcontractors are at their best when they use every available tool to get the job done.