Windows Products Sell:
Within the last six months, sales of all McCormick Window products has dramatically increased. With the base product(s) completed and emphasis now on adding in the features that give the estimator more tools for both estimating and management, the product has gained enormous popularity in both small and large companies.
To keep up with this demand, McCormick has added two new support persons as well as one new developer (programmer) to its technical staff.
What makes McCormick so popular is that it’s product enhancements are driven primarily from input from it’s annual Users Conference. (see Conference ‘98) With the input from an excess of 130 estimators, all in the same room at the same time, future enhancements are brought up, discussed, and considered for future releases. This input is what makes McCormick product powerful, faster, friendlier, and easier to use then other products. The staff at McCormick wish to thank all of their customers who have been providing their input for more than 18 years.

Version 5.0, Windows
With the base product basically completed, McCormick has had time to back up and put in some of the "nice" things that you have been asking for. Included in our Windows Version 5.0 upgrade is:

uSchedule Program
uTime Calculator
u Proposal Sheets.
u Document Organizer
u Job Photo Viewer
u Graphs
u Parallel Key (optional)
u Additional Tool Bar Buttons
u Improved Range Editing

Schedule Program:
Plan, organize, and document every aspect of every job. Using a "Schedule Code" to group by, the user is able to assign a starting date, the number of workers, and the hours and days involved for each worker. The result is a visual appealing graph that is simple to read and understand.

Time Calculator:
Calculate the decimal equivalent for a given time value. Calculate the time value for a given decimal. Either way, the result is fast and convenient.

Proposal Sheet:
Automatically generate proposals from areas like Bid Summary, Extension, and Job Details, all fully integrated.

Job Document Organizer:
A new program to store, retrieve, and organize faxes, letters, and other job-related documents. with a job.

Job Photo Viewer:
Organize and store photos, with comments, electronically. Photos taken on job walks, etc. are now stored with the job for later review. (requires digital camera, check Arizona office for specifications)

Security Parallel Key (optional):
Takes away the need for the serial key by using a parallel key as a replacement. Place in between computer and printer without affecting printer performance. There is a lot of impact on this enhancement. Talk to the Arizona office if interested.

Graphs:
Automatically generate clean and professional data representation. Choose from many different data fields to get what you wish to see.

Advanced Audit Trail:
Explode and display assembly via a pull-down menu. Now, from the audit trail, see all the by-products contained in that assembly. Drill down further to see more. This was high on our "people" request list.

Additional Tool Bar Buttons:
Tool bar buttons are simply shortcuts. Click on the "Jobs" button to go to the Job work-space. Click on the "BidSum" button to go to the Bid Summary work-space, and likewise for other tool bar buttons. Totally user definable, the tool bar control can be set up to bring up any combination of forms you wish. In addition, Tool Bar buttons can also be used as macros. Choose the Tool Bar, set up the macro, and take a short cut to where you want to go. Version 5.0 expands the number of tool bars to 15.

Range Edit all Fields:
This feature will allow the user to edit all specification fields by range. i.e. Increase price adjust #1 up by 10% for items 20-200 or adjust BidLabor up by +0.3% for items 1-15,000 or, range exit cost codes, or, or, or...

DOS Version 9.0
In its completion stage and targeted for an October Beta test, McCormick’s DOS estimating product, with 10 years reliability, continues to get better and better. Dr. John has, over the past year, has installed mouse functions on all screens. With this major enhancement in its completion stages, you now will have the ability to "click" your way through the estimate using the keyboard only for required data entry. We have not taken anything away, we have just added mouse control, along with related menu options, to make the product more and more friendly. What’s next for the DOS product. We invite your comment

Staff Additions:
In an aggressive and positive move, McCormick has added two support and one developer to its technical staff. New to the McCormick support team but not to computers and software are Jeff Rivera and Chris Fallon. Both have heavy experience in hardware and software. With the addition of Jeff and Chris, McCormick now has five full time support persons working the support desk.
On the development side, Ed Bundy has joined the McCormick team and is presently working with our other developers on both Windows products.

Race News
Well, the news is there is no news. As most know, due to the change of the date for the Silver State Classic race, there was a conflict with Conference ‘98. It was a close decision however, the McCormick race team (Todd, Mike, Lou, and Jack) decided to attend the Conference and skip the spring race.
That doesn’t mean that we are not thinking cars and in particular, Corvettes. Todd now owns two Corvettes, the ZR1 that he races and a second one, a 1973 that needs a lot of tender love and care. He says he bought it for his boys so that they have something mechanical to work on. Yea, right....

PC Scale for Windows
Release 5.1 for PC Scale for Windows is now in testing. This release includes:

u Assemblies from any item
u Labor/Material adjustments
u Menu changes
u Clear takeoff
u Extension report changes

Assemblies:
Now, you can bring up the assembly window, lock it, and jump to any item screen when building an assembly.

Labor/material adjustment
With this addition, you can adjust labor and material separately by system. This gives you the ability to allow for the many variables that must be considered in the estimate.

Menu changes.
We have removed some of the confusion by removing forms (screens) when they cannot be used. i.e. the main menu is not visible when in Jobs.

Clear takeoff:
Based on the DOS version of PC Scale, you can now clear all quantities from a takeoff.

Extension report:
Changes have now been made to print out the materiel in the same order as they appear on the extension screen.

And More:
We have made many more small enhancements, some of which you will notice and some that you won’t.

With the above enhancements, PC Scale for Windows continues to lead the industry as the premier, low cost estimating software package for much of your estimating needs.

Conference ‘98
On April 29th, over 150 estimators, McCormick Staff, and third party vendors met for four days exploring McCormick product, seeing what is new, as well as talking to one another on how they do their estimating.
Held at the Sheraton San Marcos Hotel and Country Club, the Conference was a total success.

Comments include:

Ed Lammers, Florida
The sessions where excellent as usual. One of the best parts of the Conference is the "undocumented feature" of getting to share ideas, knowledge and areas of concern with my fellow electrical contractors

Tom Cioch, Indiana
I truly can’t think of a better way to show upcoming upgrades as well as detail specific issues....

Clark Brown, Colorado
I would like to express my appreciation for offering conferences for your customers, such as ourselves, to come with questions and to learn new tips and tricks....

Jennings Copley, Virginia
McCormick Systems Conference was a great success. I set high goals for the windows class and Conference and you surpassed both of them....

Patrick Alley, Colorado
My overall Conference ‘98 experience was positive. I have enclosed a list of suggestions which I feel could make the Conference even stronger....

David DeFelice, Ohio
Thanks for hosting another fun conference. Jeri and I both enjoyed ourselves immensely.... Hope to see you at next year’s Conference ‘99....

Keith Brown, our number one "Desert Dog" who had attended 13 Conferences stepped aside this year and McCormick welcomes Bill Kitchell as the new "Top Dog". Bill has been to 14 Conferences as the representative of Nordling Dean Electric, New Jersey. However, Bill told me that he will be retiring this year and this will be his last so.... it looks like the next in line is Louis McGoldrick from Little Rock, AK with 13 years.

In other Conference news, all went well, there was no serious incidents. (other than Erle falling off the stage at the awards ceremony) We had a lot of complements on this years opening reception which was hosted by Karaen and Jack McCormick at their home as well as great feedback from all the workshops including the two on windows and the internet. We are looking forward to try to top this years Conference next year.

Spanish Lessons
Recently, Jack McCormick spent a month in Central America.

Well, I am writing this letter from a small village somewhere in the highlands of Costa Rica as well as the Caribbean island of Boca del Toro in Panama. As many know, I am spending a month in Costa Rica and Panama going to school to speak Spanish. I have never been so tired nor so exuberated at the same time. At the end of the first week of working "one on one" with my instructor, I found myself saying simple things in Spanish and real Spanish people understand me and reply (I don’t always understand the reply but that’s OK) I know 0 through 10 backwards, forwards, and inside out. I can also order breakfast, lunch and dinner and I can ask simple questions and in most cases, understand the answer. In addition, I can greet people correctly. No more "Howo areo youo?. Io amo fineo". 

Regarding the trip down, I flew our Aero Commander down departing Phoenix on May 16 landing Costa Rica on the 17th. There, I was met by the director of the school who took me to the family that I would be living with. The Papa of the family is an attorney, we have a maid and a gardener, and my bedroom is in the main house. I am part of the family. Other then the two children, ages 2 and 4, the only other challenge I has is that I share (fight) bathroom rights with their 16 year old daughter. (I don’t always win) I go to school from 8:00am to 12:00, break for lunch, and then go back again for another 1-½ hours. Then, I am given about 2 hours of homework. And I though I would have a lot of free time.

On Saturday, May 30, I departed Costa Rica for Panama for a new family, a new instructor, and another week of lessons. Landing in the Caribbean Island of Boca del Toro (Panama) put me through a real time warp. Must have gone back 30 years. Transportation on this Island is by walking, bicycle, dugout canoe, and/or taxi. Breakfast of hotcakes and ham is US$1.50 and dinner of rice, beans, and chicken is US$1.75. Panama beer is US$.60 each As we are close to the center of the banana growing region, we have no bananas as they are picked green and shipped out leaving little for the locals. The two big days each week are Wednesday and Saturday when the ferry from the mainland comes in with supplies.

It is hot here. Most houses on the island, including mine, do not have air conditioning. You just stand in one spot and sweat. (at night, you just lay in your bed and sweat) My only comfort is that the locals also sweat.

Saturday I departed for Panama City for two days of work with one of our accounts as well as spent some time in the Canal Zone. Stopped by in San Jose CR for two days on the way back and then was back in the states for a hot shower, clean, pressed cloths, and a reunion with family and friends,

Would I do it again. Without question, yes. In a short four weeks, I learned survival Spanish, flew over 35 hours in or over six foreign countries, met many people who did all they could to assist, and through it all, lost 20 pounds. (not by choice, it was the rice and beans)