TimeScape is a time tracking system designed for mobile employees. It was developed in 2003 to save time for the owner of a landscape company based in Wisconsin. Loren Olson, President of Modeco Systems, was creating customer invoices for his landscape company which he began 13 years prior as a senior in high school. As he filtered through stacks of employee work sheets, illegible handwriting, and missing information he knew there had to be an easier, more sensible way. Thus was born TimeScape and the creation of Modeco Systems.

Loren holds a Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) and attended Marquette University for his MBA. While working more than 8 years in the manufacturing automation industry as a Controls Engineer, Loren worked on projects for companies such as Ford Motor Company, Phillip Morris, Coca-Cola, Wacker Construction Equipment, and The Department of Defense. For decades the focus has been on creating efficiencies in manufacturing , and now those concepts are being applied to create efficiencies in servicing. Modeco Systems has taken the concept of automation and brought it to the service industry.

As the software design began to formulate, Loren hired a programmer and worked with her to further develop the functionality of TimeScape. Loren's landscape company was used as a test-bed to prove the design concepts. His landscapers used small handheld data collection devices to capture time, tasks, and materials used on job sites. The data was then brought back to the office and run through the evolving software. After a year of development, Loren measurably proved the value of TimeScape...his overhead rate had been reduced by 10%. He found that to be extremely significant, as no other tools or methods had ever had that great of an effect on his bottom line. At this point, it was obvious this product needed to be taken to market and shared with other service-based companies.

After a year and a half of development, Modeco attended its fist trade show in early 2005 to determine the marketability and interest in TimeScape . So with some newly designed graphics, a rented tradeshow backdrop, and a 10' x 10' tradeshow booth, Modeco had its first public marketing appearance. The response was amazing! Loren discovered there was great interest in such a product and Modeco Systems was officially on its way.

The name MODECO has an interesting conception. Over 50 years ago, Loren's grandfather, Richard Gordon, had an engineering consulting business that he nicknamed MODECO... it is an acronym for My Own Damn Engineering COmpany. In memory of his grandfather's accomplishments, Loren named his engineering company Modeco Systems.

 

Read more about Modeco Systems in the Small Business Times