Perry & Associates Transforms GASB Compliance into Top Results

Perry & Associates Transforms GASB Compliance into Award-Winning Results with Crunchafi

When GASB 87 and 96 loomed on the horizon, Perry & Associates needed a scalable solution. Crunchafi provided the efficiency and accuracy they needed, leading to significant time savings and award-winning financial reporting.

Key Results

• ​50% reduction in time spent on lease accounting

Company Overview

For over 50 years, Perry & Associates has served its clients, with the past 20 years marking its rise as a cornerstone in government and nonprofit auditing. With six offices across three states and a team of 60 professionals, they've built a reputation for excellence. Brett Burns, Director of Assurance, shares: "We cycle between being the biggest or second biggest volume auditor of governments in the state of Ohio, as well as being very prominent in West Virginia. We take a lot of pride in our work and the communities we serve."

However, pride and expertise alone weren't enough to tackle the complex and impending changes to lease accounting standards; the firm needed an efficient and scalable solution to serve their GASB clients.

Challenges Before Crunchafi

Before adopting Crunchafi, Perry & Associates was bracing for the impact of GASB 87 and GASB 96. Their internal template wasn’t equipped to handle the increasing demands of lease accounting, especially for clients with large volumes of leases.

Brett Burns recalls: “Crunchafi was a big savior. The lease standard was this inevitable wall coming toward us that we were trying to prepare for. We had a template built, but not really many controls around it.” When a client reached out regarding their 70 leases, it was clear their current process could not scale.

Burns consulted his network, specifically the Ohio Society of CPAs Audit and Accounting Committee, and the response was unanimous: Crunchafi was the recommended solution.

Discovering Crunchafi

Perry & Associates chose Crunchafi for its functionality and affordability. Burns explains: “The lease standard had been delayed for a few years, so when we finally decided to tackle it, we needed a solution that wasn’t just effective but also cost-efficient. We don’t serve clients with enormous budgets for software. Crunchafi fit perfectly—it scaled with the size of the client, without imposing monumental fees.”

"Crunchafi was the first lease accounting software I found that didn’t come with a massive upfront cost. It was scalable based on the needs of the organization, and the price was always in line with the value it provided." — Brett Burns, Director of Assurance

Implementation Without the Burden

Transitioning to Crunchafi was seamless. The user-friendly nature of Crunchafi meant minimal training was required. Burns shared: “I’ve done group trainings inside of the firm to get our accountants exposed to it. But after showing them one time, I rarely have to hold their hands. It's very user-friendly.” The firm also used Crunchafi’s knowledge base for self-education.

"The implementation process is extremely easy. Honestly, it felt like there wasn’t an implementation 'process' at all. If you have any accounting background, you can just jump right in and start using it."

Key Features and Functionality

Crunchafi’s ability to track compliance and create clear audit trails was particularly valuable. For governmental and nonprofit clients, meticulous documentation is critical. Crunchafi provides clarity and precision for both preparation and auditing.

Burns says: “The documentation is so clear and self-explanatory that when we send it to external parties—whether that’s an auditor, a CPA firm, or internally within our firm—we can easily export any report and provide a clear paper trail. The ability to house all the documentation inside the lease itself simplifies everything.”

Time Savings and Improved Client Service

Crunchafi’s biggest advantage was time savings. By automating lease accounting, Perry & Associates significantly reduced manual hours, lowering costs for clients.

"For a complex client with 50 or more leases, using a manual spreadsheet would have taken me days. With Crunchafi, I can complete the same work in just a few hours. That’s a massive time savings, which translates into cost savings for the client. We’re able to pass those savings along, making it far more affordable for our clients."

Crunchafi reduced the time spent on lease accounting by more than 50%, resulting in significant cost reductions. For example, what would have previously cost a client $2,000 now only costs about $700, thanks to Crunchafi’s efficiencies.

Award-Winning Results for the City of Twinsburg

One of Perry & Associates’ standout clients, the City of Twinsburg, won the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting, thanks in part to their use of Crunchafi.

“When we prepared the City of Twinsburg’s annual comprehensive financial report, Crunchafi was instrumental in helping us meet the stringent requirements of the award. We had to ensure full compliance with GASB standards and provide detailed, accurate reporting. Crunchafi simplified the process, allowing us to focus on the overall quality of the report rather than getting bogged down in the details of lease accounting.”

Reflecting on the Past & Looking to the Future

Perry & Associates appreciates how smoothly the transition to GASB 87 went and how Crunchafi continues to support their success. With the recent implementation of GASB 96, the firm is more confident than ever in Crunchafi’s ability to meet their needs.

Burns shares: "I was reading an article from GFOA the other day about how impactful the lease accounting standards have been across the country, from Seattle to Miami, New York to Los Angeles, everywhere in between. The article referenced how painful SBITA and GASB 96 implementation was. And I just really couldn’t relate, because with Crunchafi, it was so simple for us."

"The fact that they made GASB 96 as simple as they did GASB 87 when it was released — it was no sweat. I had peers who were very concerned about GASB 96 coming out, much like they were with GASB 87, but knowing we had Crunchafi prepared us for that. I had no concerns when we implemented it, and it was almost like the standard never even happened. It was so smooth."

With that level of confidence, Perry & Associates looks to the future with optimism. "I have a lot of confidence moving forward with any potential new offerings that might come our way from Crunchafi."