Clark Realty Builders Wins Constructech “Vision Award” for Third Consecutive Year

BETHESDA, Md.—Clark Realty Builders (CRB) was recently honored for the third consecutive year with a "Gold Vision Award" from Constructech Magazine at a ceremony held in Chicago at Mike Ditka's restaurant. The annual awards recognize construction industry leaders utilizing technology in innovative ways to solve problems, improve competitiveness, or create a better working environment for employees.

"It was great to see such a large turnout for this year's event," says Lori Kasallis, managing editor. "The winners of this year's awards have definitely shown they have the power to transform the way construction companies conduct business today."

Clark Realty Builders won a "Gold Award" in the Multifamily Builder category, recognizing the success of three major technology programs developed and executed in the past 12 months. Those programs include the implementation of Blackberry Wireless Phones/PDAs for increased efficiency, Voice over IP for transportable phone numbers, and Unified Messaging for delivering facsimiles and voice mail directly into email boxes.

CRB's first major program involved the implementation of Blackberry Wireless Phone/PDA combination handhelds. This remote messaging solution allows team members to use previously unproductive time in transit or in other offices to respond to emails, check their calendars, and manage their inboxes.

The biggest advantage of the Blackberry is its ability to deliver email anywhere instantaneously via the Blackberry Enterprise server and the Verizon Wireless nationwide data network. CRB implemented Voice over IP as part of their second major technological program. In the past, each time employees moved, they would have to communicate a new phone number and a new fax number to their co-workers, owners, architects, and vendors. This new technology allows individuals to take their phone numbers with them using a phone that plugs into a standard Ethernet port.

The phone uses the Internet or existing computer network to communicate with a master switchboard so it can easily move from office to office or to a different location within the office and keep the same number. Clark Realty Builders' third initiative this year was the addition of a unified messaging system that combines faxing and voicemail into the email system.

Facsimiles and voice mail messages are delivered directly to the email inbox of the intended recipient, eliminating the time spent checking multiple systems for messages. The award entries were evaluated based on the individual merits of the technology solutions and on the success, innovation, and benefits of their implementation. Constructech enrolled an independent panel of research experts in construction, architecture, and technology to choose the Vision Award winners.

"The winners of this year's awards are a testament to the talent it takes to be successful in the Construction industry. These leading-edge companies have made significant investments in the latest technology tools available and the benefits they have received are visible," says Peggy Smedley, editorial director and publisher. "We congratulate these industry leaders who have risen above the rest by achieving their goals and have been successful using technology."

To learn more about the winning companies or the awards, pick up the December issue of Constructech on newsstands or visit www.constructech.com.

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