For Collin Casper, CFO of JMA Ventures LLC, skiing is the passion that fuels him. At JMA Ventures—a full-service real estate investment and development firm—their passion is summed up simply as People + Places, with a team that works together to execute on their “passion for place,” evidenced by a portfolio of memorable locales, from luxurious retreats to creative campuses.
“I grew up skiing,” says Casper. “I’ve always loved it. And I love connecting others to my passion, through volunteering to put on ski races in Mammoth post-college and running a 501(c)(3) with about 450 members that put on all the collegiate races in Southern California.” Even now you can find him serving as the Vice President of Academic Affairs for the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association (USCSA)—and serving up food for other volunteers as USCSA’s unofficial volunteer chef!
When he’s not on the slopes or dishing out three-course meals, Casper oversees the finances of over two dozen assets under management for JMA (including ski resorts, of course!).
At JMA, Casper understands the importance of giving his team what they need to excel—whether that’s a chairlift up the slopes or the tools to help them to be more successful at work. For JMA, one of the uphill advantages is BILL, and its seamless integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
With two-way sync between both platforms, JMA can spend less time on accounts payable and more time on analytical work. And the time savings are significant.
Notes Casper, “The BILL and Dynamics 365 sync streamlines our entire AP process: from coding invoices and collecting approvals to making digital payments. This enables us to have real-time visibility and understanding of our cash position, both with the accounting team and at the asset management level. This integration eliminates duplication of work efforts and saves us tremendous time across the entire company.”
“The BILL and Dynamics 365 sync streamlines our entire AP process, enabling us to have real-time visibility and understanding of our cash position.” — Collin Casper, CFO of JMA Ventures LLC
Impressively, the JMA team, small but mighty, is able to manage the work of 22 assets, representing tens of millions of dollars each year. Says Casper, “At the owner level, it's just 9 of us handling all the accounts payable, accounts receivable, and financial reconciliation for these projects.”
“We process over 500 invoices every month. Having them roll directly from BILL to Business Central cuts our work in half, with great tracking on our spend. We know we're getting that data in real-time.” — Collin Casper, CFO of JMA Ventures LLC
“We're often detectives more than anything else,” notes Casper. “We have to figure out how we’ve coded similar expenses on past projects to keep new projects consistent: projects in different states, using different vendors. BILL lets us jump from invoice to invoice very easily to see what we’ve done before. There’s tremendous efficiency there.”
For example, says Casper, “Let's say I want to build a hotel on a certain parcel of land. Having that insight in BILL and Business Central, to be able to go back in time and say, ‘okay, we did the same thing in another spot—how can the data and the financials from that time-period help validate my forecast for this model?’ That connection is incredibly helpful.”
Casper especially appreciates the intuitiveness of the app:
“The mobile app is great. It's super easy. If there’s a question about a bill, you can see it at your fingertips no matter where you are. That has been a huge benefit of BILL: that the data is available in such a streamlined way. You click the vendor, and there they are.” — Collin Casper, CFO of JMA Ventures LLC
All of this simplicity has had a positive impact on the entire JMA Ventures team. With less work stress and more time to focus on the work that matters, the team not only gets results, but also derives greater enjoyment from their work.
As Casper notes, “Having people enjoy their job is really important. JMA connects people with amazing places, enriching their lives. I want to do that for our employees too. We live among these beautiful mountains. If my team can get out and enjoy that a little more, that’s a good work-life balance.”
“The integration between BILL and Business Central has been great. It makes the job easier, with faster confidence in the numbers.”
As Casper sums it up: “When you can give your team the tools they need to work efficiently, feel confident about it, and relax at the end of the day, doing more of what they love, that’s what counts.”
