Challenges in expansion: Fast, quality data

Established as a regional subcontractor in 2008, Luck Grove has since expanded to a nationwide digital infrastructure and network connectivity company specializing in surveying, engineering, and construction services for telecommunication and electric utilities.

With the shift to working and studying at home that the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in, Luck Grove sustained astounding growth in fiber projects. Due to the surge of incoming work, the company introduced multiple products and services, experiencing a 20X growth in their employee base and increasing revenues by 30X.

For the vast majority of these projects, the initial step was data collection, and Luck Grove’s clients were faced with the inability to quickly capture quality inputs. Vincent Cioci, Luck Grove’s Chief Executive Officer, reveals, “Surprisingly, many companies still used outdated methods like height sticks for measurements, which are prone to user error and re-collects. This physically demanding process and the threat of timeline extensions presented significant roadblocks for our clients.”

A second major roadblock both Luck Grove and their clients encountered was an aging workforce coupled with the training needed for new employees. Cioci elaborates, “The effort that is put in to find and train quality candidates on outdated data collection methods is a huge barrier for industry growth.” The institutional knowledge needed for traditional data capture took extensive training and many years of practice to obtain.

From the field to the office: Luck Grove smooths the path for quick and accurate data

Luck Grove knew they needed to scale the business intelligently and profitably while also ensuring the success of their clients. With innovation firmly established as one of their core values, Luck Grove continually invests in research and development and is on a constant lookout for new and better ways to deliver the best quality services to ease their clients’ pain points. With that mindset, the company turned to IKE’s purpose-built technology. Cioci comments, “Our clients wanted to move fast and generate revenue quickly, but they needed a foundation to meet industry demands.”

By introducing the IKE Device, Luck Grove made it easy for team members to collect pole data in the field. They no longer needed to carry a multitude of equipment; everything was in the IKE Device itself. The data was captured with unparalleled accuracy by a solo fielder. And, at the end of every day, collected data was uploaded—without the need for fielders to come back to the office—seamlessly connecting with IKE Office Pro for measurement and annotation and IKE PoleForeman for pole loading analysis.

The IKE Device is incredibly easy to handle, so Luck Grove employees could quickly onboard. Cioci adds, “The IKE Device is unparalleled in its ease of use. It’s as simple to use as a smartphone, and new employees can use it with minimal training.”

Luck Grove helps clients move fast and generate value

With IKE on board, Luck Grove was able to deliver the foundational data clients needed to quickly execute projects and deliver value.

By leveraging the IKE Device, fielders quickly collected quality data points critical in the engineering process, allowing the company to shorten the schedule for deliverables. Cioci explains, “This expedited timeline allows us to pass on significant financial savings to our clients.” By decreasing the time required for clients to bring new offerings to market, Luck Grove allowed them to respond faster to changing market conditions and accelerate revenue growth.

After the data collection process, IKE Office Pro and IKE PoleForeman empowered Luck Grove to deliver a variety of services to meet clients’ needs across the field-to-finish process. “The ability to translate collected data through to the engineering process and to our final deliverable via IKE’s suite of services truly transcends our previous efforts to accomplish the same task without IKE,” Cioci asserts.

Cioci concludes, “At every step of the process and in every facet of IKE’s hardware and software, we’ve extracted immense value. IKE was the missing puzzle piece for our rapid growth. Without this strategic partnership early in our growth, we would not be where we are today.”