Case Study: VLS Environmental Solutions

This partner success story is based on a recent NexTec Group case study featuring VLS Environmental Solutions, LLC. 

Résumé du client

• Company: VLS Environmental Solutions LLC.
• Location: Houston, Texas, USA
• Industry: Environmental Services
• Système ERP: Acumatica
• Client depuis: 2022

When VLS Environmental Solutions, a rapidly growing environmental services company, needed to streamline their financial and operational reporting, NexTec Group and Velixo teamed up to deliver the bridge that turned Excel into a live window into Acumatica for accurate reporting.  

NexTec, a leading Acumatica VAR (Value-Added Reseller), implemented Acumatica Cloud ERP for VLS along with Velixo’s Excel-based reporting tool in 2023. Initially, VLS was only using Velixo for basic financial statements, but they soon discovered far greater potential. With NexTec’s guidance, VLS transformed its manual, labor-intensive reporting process into an automated, Excel-driven system tightly integrated with Acumatica. The results translated into immediate productivity gains and time savings: from dozens of hours saved each month to real-time ERP data in Excel at management’s fingertips. 

From Manual Reporting to Streamlined Automation 

VLS Environmental Solutions operates in a dynamic, fast-paced industry (waste management, railcar cleaning, marine services, and more) and has grown rapidly through acquisitions. The finance team relied on a patchwork of spreadsheets and manual processes to produce monthly reports. As Chris Lerma, VLS’s Director of FP&A, described it, “our financial reporting has historically been a very manual process with a lot of different hands involved”. Data would be entered in field systems, exported and re-uploaded through several trackers, then consolidated again into a master file for analysis. Every month-end close meant dozens of hours spent copying, pasting, and verifying data across files – an approach that was not only time-consuming but also prone to potential errors. 

The tipping point came in 2023 when VLS implemented Acumatica Cloud ERP with help from NexTec, and along with it deployed Velixo: a reporting add-on that bridges Acumatica and Excel for live data access. Velixo was initially used just to generate financial statements, but when Chris Lerma joined the company, he had a “light bulb moment” about its untapped capabilities. “We’re using Velixo, but I don’t think we’re really using Velixo. There’s so much more to it we’re not taking advantage of,” he told his CFO. Lerma saw an opportunity to automate and improve not just financial reporting, but budgeting, forecasting, and operational metrics as well. 

That’s when NexTec’s business intelligence consulting team stepped in to help VLS fully leverage Velixo. Mary Miller-Friedman, NexTec’s Director of BI Consulting, worked closely with VLS to explore the software’s full potential. Velixo is an Excel-native solution built specifically for Acumatica, providing a seamless experience for reporting, budgeting and automating data input processes – all in real-time and bidirectionally between Excel and the ERP.

Turning Excel into a Live Window into their ERP 

Working side-by-side with VLS’s team, NexTec helped design an automated reporting workflow using Velixo’s advanced features. Miller-Friedman spent two days on-site with VLS, running hands-on workshops. The result was “a lot of genuine excitement in the room” and more than a few “Oh, wow” moments as the VLS accounting team saw Velixo reports created on the fly. Seeing their Excel workbooks instantly populate with live Acumatica data, and complex calculations update with a click, made it clear how much time they could save and how many manual tasks could be eliminated. Unlike some new software that people resist, Velixo was embraced eagerly: “Everybody was just so busy, and they were like, ‘Wow, you can help me – great!’” Miller-Friedman recalls of the VLS staff’s reaction.

Here are a few ways NexTec and Velixo transformed VLS’s reporting: 

• Automating Complex Reports: One big win was a formerly labor-intensive Environmental Impact Reduction (EIR) report that tracks waste processing volumes. This report used to require data from multiple systems and “dozens of hands” massaging Excel files. NexTec helped VLS recreate it in Velixo, so now live data feeds into a single Excel dashboard, with minimal manual intervention needed

• Live Financial Statements & Drill-Downs: VLS’s financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, etc.) are now powered by Velixo. Users can refresh any report and get real-time ERP data in Excel. If a number looks off, Velixo’s drill-down feature lets them click and see the transaction details in Acumatica immediately[5] without hunting through multiple systems. Lerma notes that Velixo is so intuitive, he even showed some executive VPs how to navigate the Excel reports themselves: “I’ve taught some of our EVPs how they can go into the P&L, drill down, and easily get the answer they’re looking for.”This self-service capability has freed the finance team from ad-hoc data requests and empowered leadership with instant answers

• Custom AR/AP Dashboards: Beyond GL reports, the team built interactive aging reports for Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable. Using Velixo’s Excel functions, VLS now has up-to-date AR aging and AP aging summaries that refresh with one click

• Budgeting & Forecasting in Excel: Perhaps most impressively, VLS overhauled its budgeting process using Velixo. “We started out very much manual and dependent on Excel and, by the time we finished, it was very much Velixo-oriented and automated,” Lerma recalls of their latest budget cycle  The team utilized Velixo’s Budget Writeback features to do their planning in Excel and then push the finalized budgets directly into Acumatica. This approach lets them take advantage of Excel’s flexibility for modeling while eliminating duplicate data entry into the ERP. According to Velixo, users can “create repeatable budget plans and save a tremendous amount of time every month” – no more manual ERP inputs thanks to Velixo Writeback. With Mary’s help, VLS is now moving toward even more comprehensive budget books and automated forecasting managed through Velixo.

Measurable Benefits and Continued Improvements 

The impact of these changes was felt immediately. Reporting that used to consume the FP&A team’s days at month-end now takes a fraction of the time. Lerma estimates the new process is saving VLS “dozens upon dozens of hours a month” in labor. In practical terms, reports that once required scrubbing and reconciling data from multiple spreadsheets are now generated by a single refresh in Excel. Teams can focus on analysis and decision-making instead of data wrangling. 

 With a single source of truth (Acumatica) feeding Velixo reports, the numbers are consistent and up to date. The automated workflows removed the risk of someone using an outdated file or making a copy-paste error. VLS’s private equity stakeholders have taken note – the finance team can now quickly produce consolidated volume and financial reports for investors with confidence in the data. 

Perhaps just as important, these improvements changed the day-to-day experience for VLS’s finance staff. They went from chasing data to curating insights. One-click refreshes replaced tedious consolidation work. Graphs and dashboards update automatically, giving visual feedback on performance without manual chart-building. And because it all runs in Excel – a familiar environment – the learning curve was minimal. Velixo essentially “feels like a natural extension of Excel” for the team, which meant they could adopt the new processes quickly and innovate on their own. As Velixo’s product philosophy puts it: “If you know Excel, you know how to Velixo!” – the tool leverages users’ existing skills to make ERP data accessible without heavy IT involvement.  

Continuous improvement: Now that VLS has seen what Velixo can do, they’re not stopping at just reporting. Next on the agenda is to deepen their budgeting and forecasting capabilities with Velixo (e.g. rolling forecasts, what-if analysis) and to explore other modules like project reporting. “Velixo has opened up new possibilities for VLS,” says Miller-Friedman, noting that the benefits span “accounts receivable and payable, budgeting and forecasting, and so much more.” In short, the door is open for ongoing efficiency gains across the organization’s financial processes. 

The Power of Partnership: Velixo & NexTec Drive Success 

This success story underscores a key principle: better ERP outcomes happen when technology providers and implementation partners work together. Velixo’s software brought the capability for real-time, Excel-based reporting – but it was NexTec’s expertise and collaboration with VLS’s team that really unlocked that potential. “Mary is my main point of contact for Velixo and she’s very knowledgeable, responsive, and willing to make time for us,” Lerma notes, reflecting on the high level of support NexTec provide. The close partnership meant VLS’s specific needs were understood and addressed with tailored solutions (like the EIR report and custom dashboards), not just out-of-the-box features. 

For VARs and consulting partners, VLS’s story is a powerful proof point of Velixo’s value. It demonstrates how adding Velixo to an Acumatica implementation can enhance the overall solution – leading to happier clients who gain newfound efficiency and insight. In this case, NexTec was able to deliver a comprehensive BI transformation for VLS by leveraging Velixo’s capabilities. It’s a textbook example of how embracing innovative tools can set a partner apart from the competition and drive tangible ROI for clients. As Velixo’s partner program emphasizes, the company “relies on a large network of value-added resellers and invests in our partnerships to guarantee success for all parties.” NexTec’s win with VLS is evidence of that philosophy in action. 

For Velixo, this success story highlights how supporting and empowering partners leads to end-customer wins. Velixo works closely with partners like NexTec through training, co-marketing, and technical support, ensuring they can confidently deploy the solution to solve real-world business problems. “Our focus is to empower partners to be as self-sufficient and successful as possible, every step of the way,” says Velixo’s partner program mission. When partners succeed, customers succeed – and VLS’s transformation is a shining example of how an expert partner + the right tool = a stronger implementation overall. 

Ready to Transform Your Client’s Acumatica Reporting?  

VLS Environmental Solutions’ journey from manual spreadsheets to automated, real-time reporting in Excel showcases what’s possible with the right solution and the right partner. If your organization is looking to save time, increase reporting accuracy, and get more value from your Acumatica (or other ERP) data, it might be time to explore Velixo. Velixo’s Excel-based reporting for Acumatica is a proven path to bring live ERP data into the familiar Excel environment, empower your team with self-service insights, and even write back budgets or entries seamlessly. 

Learn more about Velixo and how it can modernize your reporting and planning – visit our Velixo for Acumatica page to see the capabilities in detail. You can also check out Velixo’s budgeting & writeback features to understand how Excel can become a two-way interface to your ERP data. Ready for a deeper dive or a personalized demo? Don’t hesitate to contact Velixo or reach out to a Velixo partner like NexTec for expert guidance. Let us help you bring your ERP data to life in Excel and achieve the same kind of time savings and reporting control that VLS experienced.