Building Metcon Excavation from the Ground Up with Bright Line’s Support

In early 2022, long-time colleagues Jeff Rhindress and Justin Raynard decided to take their passion for construction to the next level. Initially, they only planned to split the cost of an excavator to tackle some personal projects. Jeff was building a house, and Justin had property work to do. But what started as a practical, shared investment quickly evolved. Seeing the potential for something bigger, they decided to launch Metcon Excavation, transforming their equipment rental into a full-fledged business. 

Starting with just one machine, Justin left his full-time job to lead Metcon, while Jeff juggled his career and the growing business. By April of 2022, the company was official, and they immediately felt the weight of their rapid growth. Justin reflected, “We weren’t official until April of 2022, and from that point, it was just exponential growth from there on out”. 

The Challenge: Growth hindered by financial fog 

As Metcon quickly expanded, the challenges of explosive growth began to surface, with financial management becoming a major hurdle. Self-financing the company’s early stages meant Jeff and Justin invested their own money to keep things moving. However, managing cash flow soon became a challenge as they juggled payments and expenses to support their rapid growth. 

More than cash flow, Metcon needed support with accounting tasks that neither Jeff nor Justin had the time or expertise to handle. “Neither of us had any interest in that portion of the company,” Justin said. The pair initially worked with a previous accounting firm, but their experience was frustrating. “There was an absolute lack of trust,” said Justin. They knew they needed a change. 

The Solution: Bright Line’s Centre Line plan for growing businesses 

In the fall of 2023, Metcon made the switch to Bright Line on the recommendation of a trusted colleague. From day one, Bright Line’s team understood the ins and outs of construction and rolled up their sleeves to tackle Metcon’s backlog of accounting tasks. “The transition was brutal,” Justin admitted. “They were doing double duty—handling our current taxes while fixing everything from the past year.” With Bright Line’s support, Metcon finally felt like they had a financial partner who could get them organized and set up for future growth. 

Bright Line brought much-needed organization to Metcon’s finances, implementing systems and dedicating experts to each area, from payroll to payables. “It felt like Bright Line had somebody for all aspects of the accounting. They understand who at our company, you know, does what and can reach out to us. And we understood who to reach out to if we had any questions”. This new structure and efficient handling of tasks meant Metcon could focus on building the business rather than redoing administrative work. 

The Outcome: Reducing workload, saving costs, and gaining peace of mind 

Since joining forces with Bright Line, Metcon has saved significant time and energy, freeing up as much as 30-40% of their accounts payable manager’s workload. “I would say she’s gained at least 30 to 40% of her time back” Justin pointed out. “It’s not just time. It’s mentally wearing on staff to rework, and redo tasks over and over”. With Bright Line’s efficient cloud accounting, Metcon’s office staff could focus on more productive work rather than data entry & correcting past errors. 

The support also meant Metcon didn’t need to hire an in-house accountant, a cost savings that allowed them to bring on additional staff for field roles and operational support. Bright Line’s team anticipated their needs, helping Metcon prepare financial documents ahead of time and often saving them from last-minute scrambles. “Now, we’re getting emails [From Bright Line] saying, ‘We need this information by such and such date,’ instead of, ‘We needed this yesterday,’” Justin remarked. 

Justin noted that an added benefit of working with Bright Line has been their proactive approach to planning and openness to discussing long-term strategies. “It’s almost like we’re just finally back on track and now starting to open up the doors and the windows of, okay, you know, what is it that we haven’t been taking full advantage of with Bright Line yet?” Justin said. The team has started exploring new ventures, including additional sister companies and a potential real estate portfolio. 

Bright Line also introduced Metcon to other professionals in legal and tax planning, broadening the team’s resources for future growth. “They’ve really connected us with other professionals,” Justin noted, explaining that Bright Line’s guidance helps them “structure the company in a way that we’re protected and the company’s protected.”  

With Bright Line as a partner, Metcon has the support they need for every stage of growth, building on a strong foundation with confidence in the future. 

Key Results 

• Time Savings and Efficiency Up By 40%: With Bright Line, Metcon eliminated duplication of work and reduced time spent on administrative tasks by up to 40%, allowing them to hire additional roles.  

• Financial Security and Growth: Bright Line’s proactive financial management helped Metcon avoid potential CRA issues and build a stable financial foundation. 

• Strategic Partnership: Beyond accounting, Bright Line provided introductions to essential contacts and helped Metcon structure for future growth, opening doors to new opportunities.