Facility Solutions Group (FSG), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is one of the largest providers of electrical and lighting services in the U.S., employing over 2,000 people and working with more than 1,000 affiliate vendors nationwide. With full-scale prefabrication capabilities—from underground utilities to in-wall assemblies and lighting fixtures—FSG is reshaping how construction gets done.
As prefab becomes core to modern construction, FSG saw an opportunity to make it not just a cost saver, but a driver of efficiency, safety, and talent development. But that transformation required more than just a shop floor—it required a new system for visibility and control.
| Before Quickbase | With Quickbase |
|---|---|
| Orders came in through Gmail | Centralized job order intake and tracking in Quickbase |
| Labor tracked manually in spreadsheets | Real-time labor tracking and time logging |
| 20 minutes to check paper QA/QC reports | Mobile-ready, digitized QA/QC forms done in 30 seconds |
| Scattered systems: Google Sheets, Drives, emails, texts | One connected platform for orders, builds, labor, inventory, QA/QC |
| No real visibility into project status | Role-based dashboards and automated alerts for full transparency |
| Manual entry and duplicate work across systems | Streamlined workflows and reusable historical data |
| Apprentices had little visibility or voice in process improvements | Apprentice engagement through real-time feedback and process updates |
The Challenge
As FSG’s prefab operations expanded, so did the friction.
“Our process was all over the place,” said Nathaniel Kevresian, Prefab Manager at FSG. “I was using Google Sheets, Gmail, texts, calls—everything. I felt scattered.” Each order triggered an 11-step process relying heavily on manual updates, duplicated documents, and fragmented communication. Tracking material, coordinating labor, and maintaining quality standards became increasingly difficult.
“Traditional construction is not sustainable,” added Andrew Layman, VP of Prefabrication at FSG. “Prefab helps us do more with less—but only if we manage it well.”
The biggest pain point? Transparency. “We’re taking risk from the field and transferring it to prefab. That means we also have to transfer trust,” said Layman. “And trust requires visibility," he added.
The Solution
FSG needed a system that could scale with their vision. They chose Quickbase—not just to digitize tasks, but to build a prefab platform tailored to how their team actually worked.
Nathaniel took the lead in building out the app internally.
With Quickbase, FSG can now:
- Capture and manage job orders with historical reference data
- Assign shop floor tasks and track build progress in real time
- Digitize quality control and safety tracking in seconds
- Track employee hours, equipment, inventory—even birthdays
- Visualize work in dashboards by project role
- Automate notifications for project milestones and approvals
The Impact
1. Centralized, Transparent Operations
Field teams no longer wonder where an order stands—they just check the dashboard. “It used to be, ‘Where’s my order?’ Now they have access to see that for themselves,” said Layman.
2. Continuous Improvement with Lean Thinking
When apprentices reported eye strain on wiring tasks, FSG quickly added magnifying lamps—just one example of the quick improvements made possible with a connected feedback loop in Quickbase.
Prefab is our bootcamp for apprentices. Quickbase helps us standardize their learning—and give them a voice to improve our processes.
3. Improved Culture and Productivity
Beyond the shop floor, Quickbase helps maintain company culture—tracking birthdays, ensuring safety supplies are stocked, and keeping tabs on vehicle and vendor status.
4. Smarter Planning and Resource Management
With Quickbase dashboards, FSG can view real-time data on manpower and project timelines. “Are we bidding too many hours? Are crews working full time? What’s the delivery schedule looking like?” These questions now have fast, reliable answers.
5. Built for Growth
“The more Nathaniel uses it, the more we can do with it,” said Layman. “It’s never fully done. We’ll keep improving it.”
For FSG, prefab isn’t just a productivity play—it’s a long-term strategy for safer, smarter, and more sustainable construction. Quickbase gave them the platform to scale that strategy with confidence.
Quickbase has the customizability we need. We’re not locked into someone else’s process—we’re building our own and improving it every day.
