LATHAM, NY – March 19, 2013 – Spruce Computer Systems is pleased to announce the expansion of its Canadian Division with the direct hire of two Regional Sales Managers well versed in the SpruceWare.NET software. Spruce Computer Systems’ expanding presence in the Canadian market warrants the hiring of Mike McPhail and Richard Barker who will further grow Spruce’s existing Canadian customer base, first established in 2010. SpruceWare.NET sales will be managed out of Calgary, AB and London, ON. Mike McPhail and Richard Barker will be strong additions to Spruce’s ever-expanding Canadian Division.

Ann Shirkey is hired as a part of Spruce Computer Systems’ Support Department

LATHAM, NY – February 20, 2013 – Spruce Computer Systems is pleased to announce that Ann Shirkey has begun her role in Spruce Computer Systems’ Support Department.  Shirkey comes to Spruce with extensive experience using SprucePlus and SpruceWare.NET, and will be assisting Spruce customers operating on either software system.

Spruce adds software functionality to allow customers to comply with new state regulations.

LATHAM, NY – December 28, 2012 – Rob Fitzpatrick, President of Spruce Computer Systems Inc., announced the implementation and release of new features designed specifically for Spruce customers selling lumber within or into the state of California, in response to recently passed California legislation.  Spruce responded to the CA 1% Lumber Products Tax which was passed with very short notice, by adding functionality specific to the tax to SpruceWare.NET Release 8, originally scheduled for January 2013 distribution.  To address the evolving needs of their customers, Spruce made SpruceWare.NET Release 8 available on December 17, 2012 to all customers doing business in California, enabling them to be compliant with the new regulation which will take effect on January 1^st, 2013.  

CA lumber dealer converts to Spruce due to functionality not available in existing software

Richard McArthur, General Manager of Southern California Ojai Lumber Company, had no desire to change software until Ojai Lumber Company was forced to meet the new lumber tax requirements. Once in the market, McArthur stated that in addition to coming highly recommended by his peers, Spruce was the most responsive to the CA Lumber Tax, and the only company that could provide the new functionality while allowing for a Go-Live date prior to the January 1^st deadline. McArthur went on to explain that in light of Ojai’s previous software provider being acquired three times, and experiencing a reduction in service each time, that Spruce’s reliable ownership structure was also very important in the overall decision to purchase SpruceWare.NET.

Spruce Computer Systems Inc., held its 2012 Roundtable and Webinar User Conference from Tuesday, Nov.27th through Wednesday, Nov. 28th. This year’s conference was a combined Webinar and Roundtable format which included strong national representation from dealers and vendors across the United States and into Canada. In recent years, Spruce Computer Systems User Conference has been held via Webinar. This year, Spruce saw great success with their combination Webinar and two-day Roundtable at The Desmond Inn and Conference Center in Latham, NY. This combined format accommodated Spruce’s extensive customer base and yielded high customer attendance and interactive participation. A great deal of interest was shown in sessions including Software as a Service, Inventory Management, General Ledger Reconciliation and How to Implement and Manage Commission Pay Structures. Sessions regarding how to deploy Spruce’s mobile Software, Spruce AnyWare, efficiently using tablets and phones, Measuring ‘On Time and In Full’ delivery operations in SpruceWare.NET and Management by Exception using Alerts, Dashboards, System Reports and Crystal Reports were highly demanded and attended.

Numerous companies participated remotely in the Webinar sessions in addition to traveling to Latham for the Roundtable discussions and vendor presentations. Vendor partner representation included BlueTarp Trade-Credit, BuilderWire, Inc., ENAP, Inc., Harland Technology Services and Rader Solutions.

Increased Functionality
Spruce AnyWare now allows users to view existing documents, attach saved images, audio clips, or written documents, and directly upload images using a mobile device camera. Leveraging native device functionality through delivery address mapping and providing detailed directions to the jobsite using GPS technology, are among the new features added to increase efficiency. The ability to place a phone call to a customer directly from the app is a significant new feature for Android smartphones. Spruce Computer System’s video walks viewers through inventory control features such as physical counts, importing inventory items using the innovative Socket Mobil Bluetooth scanner and printing physical count entry documents.

Focus on Maximizing Device Capabilities
“The built in systems and features of Android mobile devices such as GPS and location technology, telephony, image capture, and file storage makes these mobile devices powerful tools in today’s workplace. By harnessing these device capabilities, we have been able to provide our users a powerful mobile software application which expands the boundaries of their physical storefronts, and further demonstrates our commitment to being an industry leader in emerging technologies,” said Joe Mroczka, Spruce Computer Systems Research and Development.

Maiuri Offers Experience and Proven Leadership

Maiuri’s sales and leadership skills, industry experience, involvement, and awards illustrate why he was selected for the new position. He began his career in 1982 when he became a yard foreman at Dunn Builders Supply Corporation in Catskill, NY. He served as a Purchasing Agent and General Manager before taking over the reins as President in 1994. He began his career with Spruce as their Northeast Regional Territory Manager in 2008.

Maiuri is currently the Treasurer of the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association (NRLA) Political Action Committee. He also serves on NRLA’s New York Legislative Committee. He is the immediate past Chairman of the Board of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce.

He was the Eastern New York Lumber Dealer Association’s Lumberperson of the Year in 2003 and the Heart of Catskill Association’s Businessman of the Year in 2004.

New Position was an “Easy Decision”

“My decision to enter my new role at Spruce was made simple by two things: my very successful experiences selling our SpruceWare.NET software over the past four years and Spruce’s handcrafted tailored approach to the needs of our partners and customers,” said Maiuri. “I am pleased to have the opportunity to oversee Spruce’s marketing efforts and craft a business development strategy through our partnerships with the LBM buying groups, Hardline Coops and Trade Associations.”

A Logical Choice

“We are pleased to have John assume his new role and look forward to reaping the benefits of strengthening our partnerships within the LBM and Hardware vertical” said Rob Fitzpatrick, President of Spruce Computer Systems, “and by combining this position with our marketing efforts we will be leveraging our corporate strengths. John has a unique perspective stemming from over twenty-five years as a Spruce customer running a very successful multilocation LBM operation and for the last four years managing sales in the Northeast Territory for Spruce. John will be taking that same handcrafted tailored approach to our partnerships that Spruce has with our software for over twenty-seven years.”

About Spruce Computer Systems

Founded in 1985, Spruce Computer Systems, Inc. is a provider of business management software to lumber and building material dealers, home centers, and hardware stores. Spruce customers are found nationwide and throughout Canada and the UK. The company has its corporate headquarters is in Latham, NY, with satellite offices in Waukesha, WI; Atlanta, GA; Kansas City, MO; Denver, CO; Larkspur, CA; and Surrey, England.

SpruceWare.NET is a trademark of Spruce Computer Systems, Inc.

Other names are or may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

Online Video shows functionality
Spruce has posted a video demonstration of Spruce AnyWare. It is available here or directly through YouTube by searching for “Spruce AnyWare.”
 
Spruce AnyWare Capabilities
The new release of Spruce AnyWare offers a set of key features that allow owners, managers, inside and outside salespeople, and delivery personnel to easily and seamlessly interact with their SpruceWare.NET system. Key features of the App include:
• Physical Inventory / cycle count entry
• Proof of Delivery through remote signature capture with the ability to automatically update the delivery status at the same time
• Customer orders, complete with company, item and other lookups as well as full delivery, authorized buyer, adjustment, alert, signature and email functionality
• Delivery Status, allowing the user to view truck and delivery status with deep search functionality
• Document viewing, complete with print / email functionality, a variety of search options, and all graphical elements, signatures, and links to related documents.
• Item Inquiry, with pricing, stock, cost, sales and usage history.
• Voice and Text messaging to others on the network
• Totals inquiry, allowing managers to keep track of current and past sales, profit and margin summaries
• Tags and Labels, allowing bin labels and price tags to be produced from anywhere anytime they are needed

Real-World Productivity
Spruce AnyWare’s effectiveness in the field is hard to overstate. “Using a pad device or laptop in the field is invaluable, and we have lots of customers taking advantage of that,” said John LaFave, Spruce’s Director of Marketing. “But some situations are really made for a phone-sized device, and it’s huge that the app is written specifically for Android, since everything works just as you’ve come to expect on an Android device, with no compromises. With all the added functionality, productivity is even greater – and, as is normal with SpruceWare.NET, once you own a license, upgrades are included in support so you aren’t penalized for getting all the new features.”