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For land development companies on a growth trajectory, the systems that got them here rarely get them where they’re going. As headcount grows and project complexity increases, the gap between what leadership needs to see and what the back office can deliver begins to widen. Access to information becomes the bottleneck, and the teams driving the business forward find themselves waiting on data instead of acting on it.
That was the reality at Prestige Land & Site Works, a Charlotte, NC-based land development and construction company with approximately 300 employees. As the company prepared for its next phase of growth, Controller Suzy Rocha and the leadership team recognized that their existing systems weren’t built for where the business was headed.
The question wasn’t whether to change — it was how to make the transition work for a company moving fast.
THE CHALLENGE
When Growth Outpaces the Tools You’re Using
Prestige Land & Site Works was running its financials on QuickBooks — a system that served the company in its earlier stages but increasingly struggled to keep pace with the demands of a larger, more complex operation.
Three pain points stood out most clearly.
First, business partners and project leaders had no direct access to financial reports. All reporting had to be manually pulled and pushed by the accounting team, creating delays and limiting visibility for the people who needed it most.
Second, there was no project management capability within their financial system. Tracking job costs, managing project data, and connecting field activity to financial outcomes required workarounds and manual effort that consumed time and introduced risk.
Third, the system itself — server-based and designed for smaller operations — felt clunky and limiting. Journal entry uploads weren’t available. Month-end reconciliation was a multi-hour exercise. The accounting team was spending too much time fighting the system instead of using it.
“We needed to get our business partners tools that they could use.”
— Suzy Rocha, Controller
Leadership saw the writing on the wall. Growing the business meant giving every team member — not just accounting — access to the information they needed to make decisions. Staying on QuickBooks wasn’t a path forward.
THE SOLUTION
A Cloud-First Platform Built for Construction Finance and Project Management
After evaluating their options, Prestige Land & Site Works chose to move forward with Sage Intacct for financial management and Sage Construction Management (SCM) for project oversight, partnering with Alliance Solutions Group to guide the transition.
The decision came down to a combination of industry fit, interface, and value. The construction leadership team had familiarity with SCM through other companies in the region, and the platform’s feel — intuitive, purpose-built, and cloud-native — aligned with how the team wanted to work. The cost was also a meaningful factor, with Sage coming in at a competitive price point compared to alternatives.
Sage Intacct provided the financial backbone the business needed:
- Cloud-based access — eliminating the limitations of a server-based system and supporting flexibility for a distributed team
- Journal entry uploads and automated workflows — reducing manual effort in day-to-day accounting operations
- Real-time reporting and WIP schedule access — giving management direct visibility into revenue recognition and project financial performance
- Scalable architecture — built to grow with the business rather than constrain it
SCM extended that foundation into project management, connecting field operations and project data with the financial reporting that leadership depends on.
For accounts payable routing and invoice approval, Prestige retained Stampli, which was already familiar to the business partners who use it daily for approvals on mobile devices. Getting the Stampli–Intacct integration configured smoothly required dedicated effort, but the result was an AP workflow that works the way the team expects it to.
The implementation itself was structured to match the company’s pace and bandwidth. The Alliance team — led by consultants Matthew and Victoria — focused on keeping training practical and users prepared without overloading a team that was simultaneously running the business.
“Matthew and Victoria did great on their training — we were prepared.”
— Suzy Rocha, Controller
THE RESULTS
Access, Efficiency, and a Financial Operation That Actually Serves the Business
With Sage Intacct and SCM live, Prestige Land & Site Works began seeing meaningful improvements across the accounting operation almost immediately — and the longer-term benefits are continuing to take shape as the team settles into the platform.
The most impactful changes include:
- Dramatically faster month-end reconciliation — Bank reconciliations that previously took four hours now take approximately one hour, a 75% reduction in time for a process that runs every month.
- Eliminated manual workarounds in accounting — Journal entry uploads, which weren’t possible in QuickBooks, are now a standard part of the workflow, reducing manual data entry and the errors that come with it.
- Direct access to financial data for leadership — Management can now access reports, review the WIP schedule, and monitor project financial performance in real time — without waiting on accounting to push information to them.
- A true double-entry accounting environment — Moving from QuickBooks to Intacct gave the team full visibility into the lifecycle of every transaction, from origination to posting, replacing a system where entries sometimes had to be voided entirely just to make corrections.
- Stronger foundation for information sharing — As the team continues to build out reporting, the infrastructure is in place to give every stakeholder — from the field to the executive team — the data they need to do their jobs.
“It’s just the access to information, the efficiencies in accounting operations.”
— Suzy Rocha, Controller
The business isn’t just running more efficiently — it’s running with greater confidence. For a company preparing to scale, that distinction matters.
THE PARTNERSHIP
Consultants Who Understand Construction — and Accounting
For Prestige Land & Site Works, the quality of the Alliance team wasn’t just a nice-to-have. It was a deciding factor in how successfully the transition came together.
Two things stood out in working with Alliance. The first was responsiveness. When go-live surfaced issues — as any major system transition does — the Alliance team was quick to engage, willing to jump on calls, and focused on resolution rather than deflection.
The second was expertise that went beyond software. Victoria, the Intacct consultant, brought a background as a former controller herself — which made her advice practical in ways that go beyond feature knowledge. When accounting teams need help designing workflows, they need someone who understands what it actually means to close the books. Matthew brought deep SCM knowledge that helped the construction side of the business get up and running with confidence.
“I liked working with Victoria because she had been a controller in her past life. Sometimes you have to understand what it means to be in accounting as you’re helping them design their system.”
— Suzy Rocha, Controller
That combination — technical depth plus real-world accounting experience — is what distinguishes a consulting team from a software vendor. For a company navigating its first major ERP transition, it made a measurable difference.
THE TAKEAWAY
The Right Platform and the Right Partner Change What’s Possible
Prestige Land & Site Works’ story reflects a decision many growing construction and land development companies eventually face: the systems that supported earlier growth stop being an asset and start being a constraint.
Addressing that challenge requires more than a new software subscription. It requires a platform built for how construction businesses actually operate — and a partner who understands both the technology and the work it’s meant to support.
By moving to Sage Intacct and Sage Construction Management with Alliance Solutions Group, Prestige Land & Site Works built the financial and operational foundation their growth requires: real-time visibility, automated workflows, and a team of experts available long after go-live.
For land developers and contractors considering a similar move, the lesson is straightforward. Better access to information changes what your team can do. The right partner ensures you get there.
