Jim Blevins

Jim BlevinsAssistant Controller, One Price Clothing Stores, Inc.

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Jim Blevins, Controller of One Price, says "We used to pay all our own utility bills.The problem was that a clerk was looking at them.You need someone with expertise to look at the bills to see if you're being charged the correct rate."

Why is that important?Blevins says that costly billing errors were regrettably common across the various One Price stores.Some locations were being billed not only for their own energy expenditure, but also for their neighbors' meters.In other cases, there were water leaks that went undetected.

These problems started going away when One Price hooked up with Cadence, says Blevins.Cadence gets in touch with a company's various SUMO vendors and arranges to receive, digitize, and analyze all the paperwork.

What does this mean?"They do basic things like looking for duplicate billing and spot checking.But they also do rate analyses.With their experience, they can recognize -- based on our store footprint -- what the average utility should be.
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They notify us, get us fixed, and we get a refund from the utility company or the landlord," explains Blevins.

Cadence helps One Price answer some important business questions.According to Cadence, every company with several locations should ask whether the right amount is being consumed in each SUMO service category, whether the company is purchasing from the right suppliers, whether the company is getting the services it's actually paying for, and whether facilities are being operated in the most effective manner.

Taming SUMO costs is an important, worthwhile undertaking for One Prince.Although Cadence's subscription charges begin at $100,000 a month, Blevins says, "We're getting $3 in savings for every $1 we invest."

There are other benefits to using an outsourced SUMO solution.Blevins says the "regulation quagmire" has made it very difficult to navigate the utility provider landscape without the assistance of a specialist like Cadence.Furthermore, Cadence removes a blizzard of paperwork from One Price's desk, as it scans all utilities and uploads them for web browsing.Blevins says, "I can go to a website and drill all the way down to a store's invoice.I can look at how regions are doing, examine different factors --like weather [which Cadence logs in a database] -- to see what's driving costs up or down."

Asked to summarize how the solution has impacted his job, Blevins puts it simply."They make sure my bills are going okay.I'm happy, and I don't bother them."

"Our costs are down," says Jim Blevins, assistant controller of the Duncan, S.C.-based retailer, which operates approximately 660 stores nationwide.

The chain utilizes Cadence, Cincinnati, for bill payment, auditing and rate analysis.In addition to making sure One Price stores are on the best rates, Cadence stays alert for such utility-related irregularities as spikes in water usage.Blevins says the firm provides a valuable service to the chain, particularly in light of the new opportunities becoming available under deregulation.Cadence, for instance, recently helped One Price with an energy contract in Georgia.

"We don't have the time or expertise to research all of the possibilities out there," Blevins explains.
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"We can do in minutes what once took hours," Blevins says.

While Blevins appreciates the reduced paperwork that has resulted from outsourcing, the most important advantage has been the reduced costs.

"Cadence keeps finding us opportunities to lower our utility costs," he explains."It has done a great job for us."

One Price has a fixed-payment contract with Cadence for rate analysis.For Blevins, it is money well spent.He estimates the chain is saving about three dollars for every dollar it spends.

"I'm very pleased with the return," Blevins says.