Overview
Include Software is the 22-year old company behind Asset™, Censeo™, and Asset G9™, the innovative software products used by contractors throughout the United States. Asset is the leading business management software for the green industry, which consists of landscape contractors, design/build firms, and landscape architects, just to name a few. It’s a fully-integrated product that manages every aspect of your business and eliminates the need for other software programs. Because it is comprehensive, Asset is appropriate for larger businesses with revenues of at least $5 million. On the other end of the spectrum is Censeo, our innovative project-estimation program that was designed for contractors in every industry. This easy-to-use product is affordable for even the smallest business. Finally, Asset G9 is a derivative of Asset. Asset G9 provides business-management solutions for contractors in nearly any industry, and applies the knowledge base built upon 21 years of listening to the needs of our clients.
Company Origins
The state of business software available for Green Industry companies in 1989 was, in a nutshell, not very good. The only available products were designed for general contractors. They were slow, expensive, and did not fit the needs or requirements of landscape companies.
With a strong background in construction project management and real estate development, and working as lead estimator for a landscape company, founder Bill Seven recognized the need for quality software in the industry. So he designed Lbase Estimating, the first commercially-available, landscape-specific, PC- based product for the Green Industry.
Almost immediately, clients requested more functionality. It was typical to hear comments such as “We love your estimating product, but we need scheduling too.” Such client feedback caused Bill and the Include Software team to revise and enhance the software, adding routing and scheduling components. But clients wanted more, so accounting functionality was soon added. Include Software was the first Green Industry-centered software company to provide Windows-based products in 1996. We were also the first, in 1997, to deliver a Palm-based data-collection solution to the market. All of that was just the beginning. Over the years, the team at Include Software has learned to carefully listen to clients and deliver products and services that meet an ever-changing and increasingly-demanding marketplace.
As we continue to innovate, we’ve truly come full circle. Whereas our earliest product was an alternative to the business-management programs available for the general contracting industry, we’re now serving that sector as well, but with Asset G9, a product that has evolved from 21 years of continual improvements and growth.
Company Milestones
We are the leading software provider to the Green Industry, and we have the track record to prove it. We’ve been working with leading Green Industry companies, industry consultants, and trade organizations for 21years, and have developed the richest, most robust business-management software product line available.
| Industry First | Year | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Include Software founded as Synoptic Systems in Carlsbad, California | |
| * | 1989 | Lbase™ Estimator, first Green Industry estimating product for PC and DOS, introduced |
| 1989 | Joined CLCA | |
| * | 1990 | Lbase™ Routing & Scheduling introduced |
| * | 1993 | Lbase™ Accounting introduced, including fully integrated payroll |
| 1993 | Joined ALCA (Now PLANET) | |
| 1994 | Company renamed to Include Software | |
| 1995 | Launched include.com | |
| 1996 | Relocated corporate offices to Maryland | |
| * | 1996 | Released first Green Industry Windows™ based product, Asset™ Estimator |
| * | 1997 | Released Minnow™, first Palm Pilot application for the Green Industry |
| * | 1997 | Introduced Client-server SQL database capability to products |
| * | 1997 | VCat™, the vendor pricing integration tool, introduced |
| 1999 | Certified products for use with Citrix™ Metaframe | |
| 1999 | Year 2000 certifications | |
| 2000 | Started new millennium trouble free! 100% uptime for our clients! | |
| * | 2000 | Released Remote Estimator (Now called EstimateAnywhere™), industry’s first remote estimating tool. |
| * | 2000 | Introduced email proposals |
| 2001 | Introduced Proposal Manager™, the next generation estimating tool | |
| 2001 | Introduced LandCadd™ integration | |
| * | 2001 | Introduced Call Manager™ first Green Industry integrated CRM tool |
| * | 2002 | Introduced serialized inventory capability |
| 2004 | Introduced Asset™ user forum | |
| 2004 | Introduced IncludeNET™, a user organization for Asset™ users | |
| * | 2005 | Introduced CREWtek™, 2nd generation mobile data collections, and the first to allow remote collection of material use information |
| 2006 | Introduced online training videos | |
| 2006 | TotalHelp initiative, designed to make our help system the most comprehensive in the industry | |
| 2006 | Added integrated, online credit card processing capability | |
| * | 2006 | Added GL & Department restructuring capability |
| * | 2006 | Added Google™ search integration |
| * | 2006 | Added Green Industry’s first travel calculator to Proposal Manager™ |
| 2007 | Added integrated use tax handling | |
| 2007 | Introduced branch and security level visibility filtering | |
| * | 2007 | Introduced email notifications to purchasing and scheduling systems |
| 2007 | Introduced counter sales capability | |
| 2007 | Use tax handling | |
| 2007 | Created Asset User Forum | |
| 2007 | Integrated email | |
| 2007 | Added multi-branch capability | |
| 2007 | Jody Lenes joins the Include Team | |
| 2008 | Added view purchase history and VCat lookup capability to quantity takeoff dialog. VCat entries and the last 10 purchases of a catalog item are now displayed. If a user has the proper permission, he or she may select from the cost list rather than using the catalog default cost when the item is added to an estimate. This function must be enabled on a user by user basis using the File/User Preferences menu in Proposal Manager. | |
| 2008 | Added interface to Google to produce driving maps based on crew and sequence. The maps are produced based on the values provided in crew and sequence. No other setup is required. | |
| 2008 | Added the ability to substitute first name, last name, and salutation (Mr., Ms., etc.) into list based emails, giving you the ability to customize mass emails per recipient. | |
| 2008 | Added who is logged in status support to People tab. This information shows who is logged into Asset in real time. | |
| 2008 | Added email capability for invoices. | |
| 2008 | Added Grid Navigator to the CREWtek posting dialog grid | |
| 2009 | Asset Winter 2009 brings major upgrades to the Proposal Manager module. New functions include updated interface, integrated spell check, updated report writing, improved navigation with drop downs for all lookup fields, direct access to Catalog Manager functions for adding items and assemblies, upgraded query management, an easy archiving function, a way to assign multiple employee roles to multiple projects in a single function, and more. Please take some time to review the updated Proposal Manager section of our Help file to familiarize yourself with the enhancements and new features now available to you. | |
| 2009 | Upgraded Schedule Manager to allow for additional branch filtering. Use of this functionality is documented within the Net Manager permissions for branch assignments as well as the file maintenance within Schedule Manager for Crew Editor and Schedule Editor. | |
| 2009 | Added spell checking in AR Manager. | |
| 2009 | Added void invoice to system log. | |
| 2009 | Added erase invoice to system log. | |
| 2009 | Lisa Scrivener joins the Include Team. | |
| 2010 | Document Management Asset now works with a document management tool called CNG Safe. Files of various types can be associated with clients, jobs, and vendors from inside of Asset. | |
| 2010 | Added the ability to process credit cards for deposits. | |
| 2010 | You can now track user defined certifications in the Certifications tab in Employee Detail Dialog. This will allow better tracking of CDL, medical card expirations, and H2B worker status. | |
| 2010 | Jenny Castro joins the Include Team. | |
| 2011 | New Analytics dashboard. |
