Customer Stories

How Blue River PetCare Manages 80+ Entities With FloQast

As it turns out, caring for the health and welfare of our furry little friends is a $70 billion dollar industry in the United States alone.

Headquartered in Chicago, Blue River PetCare’s purchases and operates veterinary hospitals whose owners are looking to retire or step away from the business side to focus solely on practicing medicine.

Since implementing FloQast, Blue River Accounting Manager Michelle Canen and Controller Amy Ward were able to take the bull by the horns when it comes to corralling accounting and financial processes, and the results are plain to see.

GROWTH DEMANDS A SCALABLE SYSTEM

Prior to integrating Intacct with FloQast, Ward described the company’s close process as antiquated, but something the team was comfortable with.

When she first joined the company, Blue River operated 17 facilities. Today, she’s managing the finances for more than 80 of them.

“We would be sending review comments through emails wondering where we were at with the close at 10 out of 21 clinics,” she recalled. “Once we added 20 new clinics, I knew that we needed to make a change.”

A PAINLESS TRANSITION

After hearing about FloQast at an accounting conference, Ward enthusiastically presented the concept to the company’s CFO. As the main person performing the month-end close, she understood the impact FloQast would have on her team.

“This is important, we have to do this, I’m not going to be able to continue the way we’re doing it now,” she recounted with a chuckle. “I was very hesitant after doing an ERP implementation; that was months of our life. Implementing with FloQast was so much better.”

“The quick part was the set-up,” Continued Ward, “It was within a week and then we were using it the next month.”

UP AND RUNNING IN NO TIME

When Michelle Canen joined the company as a senior accountant in 2017, it was the first time she had executed a month-end close.

A former Big Four staffer, Canen started just as Ward and the team commenced using FloQast.

“I actually started at Blue River the first month that they implemented FloQast,” she remembered. “To be able to see that first month go as smoothly as it did with a new program was really great.”

THE POWER OF REVIEW NOTES

Given the sheer quantity of entities the team is responsible for, the visibility FloQast affords Ward is what she appreciates most.

“[The Review Notes] are a huge feature that we utilize and probably our favorite,” said Canen. “It really helps to be able to say what’s needed and keep track of tasks in real time. If I have twenty month-end sessions to close, and an issue with one I closed yesterday arises, it’s really nice to refer to comments in an easy, accessible place.”

“We live in those comments,” added Ward. “Nothing is done until the review comments are resolved.”

GLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS

Now a FloQast veteran, Canen didn’t hesitate when describing her fondness for the software.

“I would absolutely recommend FloQast to other companies.” She continued, “It’s super-easy to use; it keeps you organized and keeps all of your comments in one place so if you ever have issues you can go back.”

“FloQast has made the month-end close something I take as it comes,” concluded Ward. “I can address comments and concerns as they come in, and put the close to the side and focus on other things, whether that be cash management, working on our treasury, or doing a deeper dive into our flux. [With FloQast] I can do more than just close the books; I can analyze the results with our operations team and take what we’re seeing from a financial perspective and make it change.”

John Siegel

John Siegel is a Corporate Communications Manager at FloQast. Prior to joining the company, he wrote about Los Angeles-based tech companies for Built In LA. You can follow him on Twitter @JVNSiegel.