Construction and Real Estate Diamond Realty Investments Inc. Chooses Sage Intacct to Power the Next Era of Growth
Diamond Realty Investments Inc. (DRI), headquartered in Irving, Texas, has been building a reputation as an outstanding national leader in real estate investment and development across the United States over the past 30 years.
DRI's investment covers a diverse and essential portfolio, including multifamily, industrial, medical offices, student housing, senior housing, as well as data center projects. The firm operates on a truly nationwide level, with projects spanning dozens of states from coast to coast, including key markets such as Texas, California, Florida, New York, and Washington. Over their three decades of operation, DRI has invested in more than 200 projects, representing a total acquisition and development cost surpassing $12.7 billion. As the dedicated real estate investment arm of the globally recognized Mitsubishi Corporation, DRI specializes in strategic joint venture partnerships and collaborates with top developers to create best-in-class residential and commercial spaces.
From initial setup and data migration to testing, training, and going-live, RKL guided us along every step of the way. Thanks to their support, we felt confident and fully equipped to leverage Sage Intacct from day one.
Daniela Von Ritzhoff, Managing Director and Treasurer
a continuous journey of growth
“DRI was established in July 1994 with merely five employees (including myself) and a handful of projects. Back then, every day felt like building something new from the ground up,” recalled their Treasurer and one of the Managing Directors of DRI, Daniela Von Ritzhoff.
Over the years, as the company steadily continued to expand to nearly 50 employees, it also grew in its ambition and scope, completing over 200 projects across multiple property types. It’s been a journey of growth, learning, and building partnerships that endure the test of time.
What Worked 30 Years Ago, Doesn't Work Today
For over 20 years, Diamond Realty Investments, Inc. relied on Sage 50 Accounting (formerly known as Sage Peachtree) for their accounting and financial reporting. While it served their basic needs in the early years, it held them back as the company evolved: “As DRI grew and our operations became more complex, it became clear that the system could no longer keep up with our needs,” said Von Ritzhoff.
Many of their key financial processes were still manual. Multi-entity consolidations in Excel, vendor payments, and employee expense reimbursements all required collecting and manually entering paper-based documentation. These tasks were time-consuming and prone to errors.
A Much-Needed Change
“Sage 50 provided a reliable foundation, but it simply lacked the automation, scalability, and real-time reporting capabilities we needed to support a growing, multi-entity business like DRI,” explained the Treasurer.
The DRI accounting team was drowning in manual work, spending countless hours entering data, processing reports, and reconciling accounts. Business trip expenses were submitted on paper, reviewed by hand, and approvals often took weeks. As transaction volumes grew, the manual processes became increasingly time-consuming. Quarter-end and year-end closings were especially challenging - the team often stayed late into the evening just to finish reports and meet tight deadlines.
Accounts Payable were equally challenging as every invoice required manual approval and data entry, and even the checks were typewritten. Consolidating with their subsidiaries was another major undertaking. With approximately 40 entities, quarterly consolidations were manually performed in Excel, making the process time-consuming, error-prone, and highly inefficient. “Our small accounting department was stretched to its limits. This simply did not work anymore; something had to change. We knew we needed a more robust system—one that could automate routine tasks, improve accuracy, and give management real-time insights,” Von Ritzhoff recalled.
The Chosen Path to Solid Foundations
Changing one’s ERP system is an extremely crucial step for an organization, and one that you want to get right. In July 2018, DRI brought in USJP Business Advisors to help them evaluate potential solutions, as well as negotiate contracts, and document the process. This marked the beginning of their transition to Sage Intacct.
Working with USJP Business Advisors, DRI explored several accounting software options (Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Acumatica, and Sage Intacct) to find the best fit for their growing needs. After careful consideration, one solution clearly stood out among the rest.
The company opted for Sage Intacct, a cloud-based platform, that allowed for seamless integration and offered scalability which made it the perfect solution for DRI, giving them the foundation to manage growth with confidence.
Choosing the Right Partner for the Journey
When choosing Sage Intacct as their preferred ERP system, DRI put great thought and care into who would provide them with the best support during this transition. Ensuring a smooth switch meant also picking the right partner.
“Working with the RKL eSolutions team has been an outstanding experience from start to finish…. The RKL team is professional and skilled, and extremely responsive, approachable, and genuinely invested in our success,” said Von Ritzhoff.
Our small accounting department was stretched to its limits. This simply did not work anymore; something had to change. We knew we needed a more robust system—one that could automate routine tasks, improve accuracy, and give management real-time insights.
Daniela Von Ritzhoff, Managing Director and Treasurer
From The Planning Stages to Reality
Like everything else they do, the rollout of Sage Intacct was meticulously planned in complete partnership with RKL eSolutions. “Rolling out Sage Intacct was truly a team effort and an incredible journey for us. We partnered closely with RKL eSolutions and USJP,” Von Ritzhoff recalled.
DRI and RKL eSolutions planned the roll-out in four key stages:
- The first stage took place from January to March 2019 and included planning and configuration. “RKL guided the company in assessing requirements, setting up our chart of accounts, and designing reporting structures,” said Von Ritzhoff.
- The second stage took place from April to June 2019 and was dedicated to data conversion and testing. Data from the legacy system Sage 50 was migrated and thoroughly tested, with parallel runs to catch any issues early.
- The third stage was carried out in tandem with the second stage; it was dedicated to training and employee engagement. RKL led comprehensive training sessions covering general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, and reporting.
- The fourth and final stage was going live and post-implementation support. This took place in July 2019. The system went live with ongoing support from RKL and USJP to fine-tune configurations and address questions.
“The entire rollout was smooth, collaborative, and ultimately exceeded our expectations. Usually, when you are implementing new applications and solutions, there are delays and additional costs, but with RKL and USJP, everything was carried out on time with no additional costs,” recalls Von Ritzhoff.
Following implementation, DRI opted for RKL’s Sage Intacct Premium Service Plan. It allows them to offload administrative tasks while receiving fast, reliable support—whether it relates to resolving issues, adjusting reports, or fixing transaction posting errors.
“Their (RKL eSolutions) Solution Architect, Scottie Burdsall, was incredibly knowledgeable, engaging, and made the entire process both productive and enjoyable. From initial setup and data migration to testing, training, and going-live, RKL guided us along every step of the way. Thanks to their support, we felt confident and fully equipped to leverage Sage Intacct from day one,” said the Treasurer.
“Over the years, our partnership with RKL has only grown stronger, and our friendship with their team has deepened… We truly appreciate the collaboration and look forward to continuing our journey with them,” said Von Ritzhoff.
The Courage to Change Leads to New Power
To say that DRI has gained efficiency, insight, and valuable time since implementing Sage Intacct would understate the true impact Sage has had on their organization.
Since the implementation of Sage Intacct, the way DRI manages their finances has completely and utterly transformed. Routine tasks that used to take hours are now automated, freeing the team to focus on higher-value work.
They are now able to consolidate over forty entities, meaning they no longer rely on error-prone spreadsheets and are using a fraction of the time to produce accurate reports. Expense reporting is now fully electronic, allowing for faster approvals and reimbursements. Vendor invoices are automated, reducing manual approvals and improving cash flow. Cash management is streamlined, and the Accounts Payable process is all seamlessly connected within Sage Intacct.
“Altogether, these tools give us a fully connected, cloud-based financial system that is accurate, efficient, and scalable—truly a game-changer for our financial operations. Sage Intacct has transformed how we manage our finance operations,” added Von Ritzhoff.
When the Solution Grows with You—Planning for the Future
Choosing Sage Intacct was an investment in the company’s future, not just a remedy for past inefficiencies. The cloud platform’s greatest strength is its scalability and future-readiness.
In an industry rapidly transformed by technology, DRI needed a platform that would constantly evolve alongside them, and that is exactly what Sage Intacct offers. It continuously embraces new technological developments, including Artificial Intelligence, with the aim of enhancing financial processes and providing deeper insight.
Looking ahead, DRI can leverage tools like Sage Copilot—the built-in generative AI assistant—to automate routine tasks even further, identify critical business opportunities from their financial data, and ensure that their finance team remains at the leading edge of technology.
This commitment to innovation proves that Sage Intacct is not a static tool, but rather a dynamic partner built to sustain DRI’s impressive growth trajectory for decades to come.
Achieving the Perfect Fit
“Sage Intacct fits us perfectly because it meets our operational needs, and scales with our growth. With real-time access to financial data, our team can make faster, better decisions. In short, Sage Intacct supports efficiency, accuracy, risk management, and long-term growth,” concluded Von Ritzhoff.
