Manchester, NH (October 27, 2005) - Citizens Bank and the New Hampshire Business Review have honored ConEst Software Systems in Manchester with the "Not Your Typical Business Award." This monthly award recognizes New Hampshire businesses that have demonstrated leadership in their commitment to their customers, colleagues and community.
"We are pleased to have the opportunity to recognize New Hampshire businesses that exemplify good corporate citizenship," said Tom Metzger, Chairman, President & CEO of Citizens Bank New Hampshire. "ConEst is an excellent example of a business that understands that its own success is tied to the quality of service it provides to its customers, its colleagues and its community."
A chance conversation nearly 20 years ago led George Hague to stop complaining and do something about what he saw as the inadequate resources for estimating job costs in his industry. This decision gave rise to ConEst Software Systems, now located on Harvey Road in Manchester. The firm that has made a name for itself for its line of software designed to improve the accuracy of electrical job estimates and decrease the manual labor demands typically associated with the process.
Hague's commitment to clients, the people he employs and the communities he serves have contributed to the success of ConEst Software Systems.
Established in 1989 with the introduction of its first estimating product, ConEst now offers an entire suite of software designed to help electrical contractors with everything from generating estimates and calculating electrical requirements and formulas to keeping the bidding and billing process organized. And technical support is always a phone call away for customers throughout the U.S. and Canada, and as far away as Australia.
"We try to do more than the customer expects," said Hague, who was working as an electrical estimator himself when he decided to design his own software. He takes pride not only in the service his firm provides, but the product too.
"Our software outshines any product on the market," said Hague. "Ask anyone and they'll tell you the same thing." Hague's confidence in his software stems from the years he spent drafting job estimates for clients using existing software. The process, he said, was cumbersome and prone to inaccuracies.
Hague's current team also includes vice president of sales and customer service Jan Thayer and 19 other employees, most of whom have worked at ConEst for more than five years. The company also employs independent sales reps located in various regions across the U.S. as well as in Canada and Australia.
The company also prides itself on its flexibility and on the benefits it's able to provide, which includes full medical coverage and flexible hours for working parents.
"We try to maintain a relaxed atmosphere here. We're not as structured as some companies," said Thayer. We have a great bunch - it's really the cream of the crop."
Despite the demands of company ownership, Hague and Thayer do what they can to support charities in need, including local police and fire departments. Most recently they made a financial donation to assist a Gulf Coast customer who supplied housing for a number of families left homeless by Hurricane Katrina.
As part of the "Not Your Typical Business Award," the Citizens Bank Foundation made a $1,000 donation to the Heritage United Way.
Citizens Bank New Hampshire, with 76 branches and 169 ATMs, is an $8 billion state-chartered, full-service commercial bank headquartered in Manchester. It is a subsidiary of Citizens Financial Group, Inc., a $137 billion commercial bank holding company headquartered in Providence, R.I. Citizens has more than 1,600 branches, approximately 2,800 ATMs and approximately 26,000 employees in a 13-state retail branch network and non-branch offices in more than 30 states. Citizens is the eighth largest commercial banking company in the United States ranked by deposits. Citizens is owned by RBS (The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc).
The award-winning New Hampshire Business Review, now in its 27th year of publication, is the only statewide business newspaper in the Granite State.