Founded in 2013, Trillium Engineering was developed by three engineers with a passion for UAS (unmanned aircraft system) payload design and deployment. With a shared passion for innovation and an intuitive eye for design, they set out to create a company that would deliver high-quality vision systems for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions.
Over the past decade, Trillium has developed a rich community in the Columbia River Gorge. Their team of over 70 employees is full of passionate individuals who strive for out-of-the-box product execution.
What Sets Trillium Engineering Apart
Trillium Engineering’s continued success is two-fold.
First, Trillium consists of a tight-knit team with a thriving company culture. The company is located in Hood River, Oregon, a small community known for its scenery and recreational opportunities. That small-town feel extends within the company, promoting open communication, thoughtful collaboration, and pre-work bike rides. These values have created a culture within the company that translates to its business practices and customer service.
Second, Trillium prides itself on supporting all of its customers' needs while continuing to innovate new products. Their sizable Engineering department allows them to go above and beyond on customer engagement and support. When needed, they fly across the world to assist customers in real-time, ensuring customer success.
Today, Trillium serves domestic and international customers through military applications, maritime operations, and civil and ground system applications, providing best-in-class stability and imagery.
Within its position in the market, Trillium Engineering has found itself in the sweet spot: small enough to be nimble but large enough to provide exceptional customer service.
Why NetSuite Was Perfect for Trillium
In 2021, a leading middle-market private equity firm partnered with Trillium founders and employees to help pursue the next phase of growth for the company. The partnership fueled considerable capital and growth into the company, creating the need to select a more powerful and efficient ERP system.
Beth Alcouloumre, Senior NetSuite Business Systems Analyst for Trillium, was tasked with upgrading Trillium’s ERP to meet the demands of its increased business.
Beth described the previous ERP as a true starter system — something that worked early on but quickly unraveled as they scaled.
The existing system had very limited capabilities, required a lot of fumbling to make its processes work, and didn’t track workflows. Essentially, Trillium had graduated beyond its ERP’s capabilities.
This set Beth on a hunt for a new and improved system that could meet the demands of the expanding company. Beth pored over 38 different systems before whittling them down to eight contenders.
The Company ultimately made a unanimous decision to select NetSuite as its new ERP.
Beth said, “As an administrator, NetSuite stood out because of its integration capabilities and ability to configure and generate reports that pull from different tables.”
Others at Trillium were impressed with NetSuite’s customizability, supply chain features, overall functionality, and ease of use.
Why StratusGreen Was a Perfect Fit
Trillium’s experience with NetSuite got off to a rocky start. “When employees started using it, they felt really disorganized,” said Beth, “and there wasn’t a lot of support or extra help provided by our prior NetSuite consultant.”
In hopes of connecting with other consultants, the Trillium team set out to go to SuiteWorld in 2021.
“We met StratusGreen for the first time at SuiteWorld,” remembers Carly McFarland, CFO of Trillium, “and what stuck out most is that we first built a relationship with them outside of work.”
StratusGreen hosted a special event at TopGolf that year for prospects and customers to connect and blow off steam after attending educational sessions all day. The goal was to give attendees an outlet to unwind, have a drink, and share a few laughs. The Trillium and StratusGreen teams instantly hit it off.
“They were fun, friendly, understood NetSuite, and understood what Trillium needed from an ERP,” said Carly.
After SuiteWorld, Trillium brought the StratusGreen team onsite for a consultation. Trillium had struggled to effectively utilize NetSuite’s Materials Requirement Planning (MRP) System, a critical piece of their business operations.
“They walked through our entire MRP process and procedures and were timely and professional in their promises to help fix NetSuite,” said Carly. “They were more collaborative than any other consultant.”
Trillium and StratusGreen worked extensively over the next six months to help tailor NetSuite to the business’s unique needs. “We had very specific demands,” said Carly. “StratusGreen has been able to meet every issue that has come up. They’re highly responsive, professional, and have brought people onto the account that truly understand Trillium.”
Carly has been particularly pleased with the consistency in team members throughout their relationship with StratusGreen. “When they do introduce new people to the team, it’s always a smooth transition. There’s a lot of continuity, and we never feel like we have to adjust. StratusGreen has really learned our business and has the right people to help us with it.”
Beth and Carly have enjoyed their continued relationship with StratusGreen, both professional and personal. “We have a friendship and a business relationship with StratusGreen,” said Carly. “It means a lot when you’re struggling and want to reach out to someone, and that person is someone you’re comfortable with and trust.”
Since StratusGreen came on with Trillium in 2021, they’ve made strides in maximizing Trillium’s use of NetSuite, improving how the company views its inventory and streamlining order management. “They’ve really taught us how to fish rather than just fishing for us,” said Beth.
Level Up with the StratusGreen Team
We pride ourselves on providing top-tier service to manufacturing companies with our own team of industry experts. When you partner with StratusGreen, you’re guaranteed to receive a personal approach tailored to your company’s needs.
The StratusGreen consulting team is here to guide you through all of your NetSuite needs and ensure you’re utilizing the software to its full potential.
To get a customized demo showing how NetSuite can support your business’s growth, get in touch with our team. We are located across all North American time zones and are happy to hop on a call at any hour!
