Case Study

How ESI Modernized Operations with Microsoft Power Platform

July 17, 2025

ESI Electrical Contractors| Cincinnati, Ohio

ESI Electrical Contractors, a leading provider of electrical construction services across Ohio and the surrounding region, found itself at a technological crossroads. As the company expanded, its internal systems — specifically a legacy Microsoft Access database — needed to be modernized. Designed decades ago, the database had developed a bottleneck, hampering efficiency and threatening data integrity across critical workflows.

Recognizing the need for digital transformation, ESI partnered with Eide Bailly to design and implement a modern, scalable solution. Leveraging the Microsoft Power Platform, Eide Bailly helped ESI reimagine its data infrastructure and workflow systems, creating an integrated Power Apps environment that now supports over 150 users and continues to scale with the organization.

The collaboration with Eide Bailly has not only solved an immediate problem but also positioned ESI for long-term success in a digital-first world.

KEY RESULTS

Strengthened data integrity
Increased scalability
Reduced manual workflows
Automated key processes
Improved employee morale
Empowered data-driven decision making

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The Problem

Existing applications lacked scalability and jeopardized data integrity.

Over the years, ESI’s Microsoft Access application had been stretched far beyond its original scope. Field teams increasingly depended on the tool to manage projects, track data, and stay connected.

“As an electrical contractor, we use our apps to maintain information between these large electrical jobs,” said Rachel Oakley, Lead Application and Data Manager at ESI. “It's like a repository holding all of this project-specific information.”

What started as a functional tool had become fragile, inconsistent, and difficult to manage. The database was prone to errors, difficult to update in real-time, and lacked a single source of truth — with users often working off local copies that contradicted one another.

The company needed more than just a technical upgrade; they needed a trusted advisor who could guide them through the complexities of modernization with a long-term vision in mind.

The Solution

Microsoft Power Apps provide a foundation for future growth and customization.

Eide Bailly stepped in with a consultative approach, focusing first on understanding ESI’s business goals, existing processes, and pain points. Rather than simply replacing one system with another, the team helped ESI construct a long-term solution using Microsoft Power Apps — delivering both structure and flexibility.

“Having somebody who could so easily, just in a conversation, tell us what we needed to do to accomplish exactly what we wanted — that was so helpful,” Oakley said.

Eide Bailly guided ESI through the design of a dynamic system that could evolve over time. The new system includes:

Power Apps for time tracking and job data management, empowering field teams to input data directly from the job site
Power BI dashboards and reports for real-time insights and leadership decision-making
Power Automate flows to support seamless data integration and reduce manual tasks

"The Eide Bailly team brought familiarity with this app landscape that saved us so much time in the long run,” Oakley said. “These apps lift a weight off all of our workers and allow them to work more efficiently and with less frustration.”

-Rachel Oakley, Lead Application and Data Manager | ESI

The Results

With a solid foundation, ESI has built an app ecosystem that can grow with them.

What began as a mission to replace a failing database has evolved into a full-scale digital transformation — one that continues to deliver value every day. The new platform has improved efficiency, reduced manual errors, and empowered teams with real-time access to critical information. Field workers can now interact seamlessly with the system, while managers benefit from better visibility and control.

“Previously, we had one administrative employee who would have to take paper timesheets and log everything into the Access database,” Oakley explained. “Now with our current app system, we have the foremen out in the field using the apps themselves and entering time, which gets added to the database automatically. It's not hitting a bottleneck of this one administrator needing to log everything.”

With Eide Bailly’s guidance and Microsoft Power Platform at the core, ESI is more than keeping the pace — it's setting the pace. With ESI’s parent company recently shifting from MDU Resource Group to Everus Construction Group, Eide Bailly continues to support the technical aspects of that transition — a testament to the trust built through the project.

“Having Eide Bailly available with their knowledge and experience has been hugely valuable to us,” Oakley shared. “I don't think we could have done this project without them.”