THE CHALLENGE
Collier County, Florida, home to over 400,000 residents, has grown dramatically over the past few decades. With a $2.4 billion budget, a small but mighty finance team, and multiple independently elected constitutional officers, the Countyโs financial reporting demands are vast and complex. Before Gravity, Collierโs ACFR process was extremely manual and prone to error. Spreadsheets were siloed, password protected and managed by an administrative assistant. Accountants created disconnected schedules in Excel, then manually linked them into Word documents. A whiteboard tracked progress. Rounding errors were frequent. Version control? A constant headache.
โIt was a one man show, and thatโs a lot of pressure,โ said Kelly Jones, Assistant Director of Finance and Accounting. โWe had a web of spreadsheets, manual formatting, and a whole lot of duct tape.โ
THE SOLUTION
In 2019, Collier County adopted Gravity to modernize its ACFR and Budget Book processes. After deep research, Kelly Jones championed a single source selection based on Gravityโs flexibility, ease of use, and pricing. โI cyber stalked every solution I could find. Gravity was the only one that let us manage the process, not just generate a book,โ said Jones. Collier published their ACFR with Gravity, and the feedback was immediate.
THE TURNING POINT: MDFM
Collier was an early adopter of Gravityโs MDFM (Multi-Dimensional Financial Model) engine. While the rollout had hiccups, the Gravity team responded swiftly.
MDFM has since transformed Collierโs workflow. Rule based logic replaced spreadsheet chaos.
Year dependent rules allowed for nuanced reporting without duplication. Check figure logic and centralized adjustments reduced rework and audit stress.
โIt just fits how we work,โ said Jones. โI think in rules, and now Gravity does too. Itโs more logical, easier to manage, and just smoother.โ
TIME SAVINGS AND TEAM EMPOWERMENT
With MDFM in place, Collier saved at least a week in ACFR preparation. More importantly, they gained visibility and peace of mind. โI can assign a task, see whoโs working on it, and track progress without asking โWhere are we at?โ all day. Thatโs huge.โ
Jones also spearheaded bringing the budget team onto Gravity in 2024. โI couldnโt work the old way anymore. Gravity helps us move faster, work smarter, and hit deadlines without excuses.โ
A new staff member was onboarded into Gravity within months of hire, reinforcing how scalable the platform is, even during transition.
