Company Background
ArborWorks offers vegetation management and wildfire hazard mitigation services to utilities, highway departments, municipalities, forestry departments, and other organizations. The company expanded from supporting PG&E in California to managing utility projects nationwide, and launched ArborVista, a consulting and inspection division, to further support its growth. With multiple entities and rapid growth, they needed a financial system that could scale and manage increasing complexity.
ArborWorks LLC
Industry: Environmental Services
Headquarters: California, USA (Serving Nationwide)
Products: Sage Intacct
Outgrowing QuickBooks
When Corporate Controller Joyce Jacobson joined, ArborWorks was still running its finances entirely on QuickBooks. Month-end close dragged on for three to four weeks, leases and assets were tracked in spreadsheets, and audits repeatedly flagged weaknesses due to limited internal controls.
“QuickBooks had no notions of subledgers. We needed defined processes, controls, and segregation of duties that simply weren’t possible in QuickBooks.”
Joyce Jacobson
Corporate Controller, ArborWorks
A System Built to Scale
ArborWorks partnered with Accordant to implement Sage Intacct, gaining the scalability, compliance, and visibility the business required. Accordant worked closely with their finance team to configure subledgers, establish approval workflows, and integrate critical systems such as ADP for payroll and LeaseQuery for lease accounting.
“Accordant understood where we were and what we wanted out of Sage Intacct. Their team was extremely knowledgeable, especially when setting up subledgers and helping us move away from spreadsheets.”
Joyce Jacobson
Corporate Controller, ArborWorks
Redefining Lease Accounting
With hundreds of pieces of equipment in the field, ArborWorks had been managing leases in spreadsheets, an inefficient process that did not meet GAAP standards. On Accordant’s recommendation, the company integrated LeaseQuery with Sage Intacct, gaining greater accuracy, time savings, and full compliance.
“They were closing the books in 20–25 days. Now we’re closing in five, which is what I was used to in prior companies. That’s a huge change.”
Joyce Jacobson
Corporate Controller, ArborWorks
Strengthening Financial Operations
By moving to Sage Intacct, ArborWorks gained measurable improvements across its finance operations:
Month-end close reduced from 25 to 5 days
Weekly flash reports provide timely visibility into margins
Project-level P&Ls rolled up by customer with dimensional reporting
Spending visibility through purchase orders and approvals
Achieved a clean audit through improved controls
Moving Forward with Confidence
For ArborWorks, Sage Intacct has become a platform for sustainable growth, bringing speed, accuracy, and confidence to financial operations. With Accordant’s partnership, the company has built a stronger foundation to support expansion into new markets and services.
“With Sage Intacct, we’re no longer living in a perpetual close. We can close fast, stay compliant, and move forward.”
Joyce Jacobson
Corporate Controller, ArborWorks