Welcome the Online Home of AscendantVG

We're a boutique, low volume / high quality Construction Accounting, Fractional CFO and Software Consulting shop serving only General Contractors, Homebuilders and Remodelers.

Get Ready for a 30 Minute Read

There's a lot to read here. And that's intentional, for two reasons. First, we feel it's important that our website not only give you the details of how we do what we do but that it also leave you with a keen sense of who we are as people. And, second, it´s not easy for a homebuilder or a general contractor to get its finance department and its accounting systems right. It takes a lot of work and it requires that the effort be led by someone who knows how to make it all come together. So, please, settle in with a hot cup of coffee or a cold beer and read on to get to know us better.

Your Passion is Our Passion

Our clients are passionate about developing, designing, building...in short, all share a passion for creating spaces that improve, enhance and enrich people's lives. As Construction Accountants, Fractional CFOs and Software Consultants our passion is enabling our clients to pursue their passion profitably. And we look forward to doing the same for you.

We've Been Working Remotely Since Before Working Remotely Was a Thing

AscendantVG was founded in 2016 as a fully-remote firm; in other words, we were working remotely for our clients long before the COVID-19 pandemic made working remotely a thing. Now, perhaps you're wondering why this should matter to you. It should matter because there's a certain art to successfully working, coaching and leading accounting and finance departments from afar. And we've mastered it.

We're Based in the USA

We're in Jackson, Wyoming, at the base of world-famous Jackson Hole Ski Resort. Our USA staff are each and all American citizens and all share a passion for the outdoors - we're skiers, snowboarders, hikers, dog lovers. We enjoy the lives we live and the work / life balances we've struck.

This means you can take comfort in knowing your work is being done by USA-based Accountants, Controllers and CFOs who are living lives of our own intentional design; that's important because, in our experience, happy people do better work.

We're Led by a World-Class Construction Accountant

Our Managing Partner, Marco Vargas, has 27 years of construction accounting experience and is one of a handful of guys worldwide who has overseen, audited or otherwise been involved in the construction accounting of multiple mega-projects  (projects with development budgets in excess of $1 billion USD...and, yes, that's billion...with a "b"). A LearJet factory (ACT $1.1B USD, Queretaro, Mexico). A Nissan factory (ACT $2.0B USD, Aguascalientes, Mexico). And perhaps the most complicated ever: the budgeting, cost estimating and feasibility analysis of constructing both the upstream and downstream oil and gas infrastructure anticipated within the Pemex / Exxon-Mobil joint venture agreement of 2014 (EST $8.0B USD, various sites in Mexico).

And, at budgets more down to earth, multiple large public works projects (both USA and Mexico, including roads, bridges, airport improvements, lift stations and processing plants, many with certified payroll requirements), multi-floor high rise tenant improvements, (including multiple build outs for WeWork in Mexico), restaurant remodels (including, fun fact, two Michelin starred restaurants), residential subdivisions and homes (both USA and Mexico, including hundreds of production and semi-custom homes and dozens of custom homes and high rise condominiums with construction budgets north of $1 million USD, and several north of $5 million USD), refits, condominium conversions, residential remodels and flips and, lastly, commercial, industrial and retail build-to-suits.

Marco retired from Pricewaterhouse Coopers in 2016, at the old age of 45, having achieved Global Relationship Partner (a big deal in the Big Four space). Since his retirement from PwC, Marco has led AscendantVG and has served as Fractional CFO to a short list of General Contractors and Homebuilders, helping each of them professionalize their back offices, grow their businesses and -- most importantly -- empowering them to pursue their passion profitably.

Yes, It's a Big and Bold Claim

It's a big and bold claim...we admit it. But we don't hesitate to say it: our clients make money.

Now, that's not to say that everyone who has hired us over the years was making money when we began working with them. Many weren't. Or, in several cases, some wrongly thought they were when, in fact, they weren't. But, in the end, clients who listen to what we have to say, and who do what we say needs to be done, operate profitably.

It's not magic and, no, we're not rocket scientists or brain surgeons. We´re mere mortals. But beyond our nerdy accountant veneers lies a uniquely knowledgeable, highly experienced, data-driven team that knows how -- both intellectually and intuitively -- to shape and mold a General Contracting or Homebuilding business into a profitable operation. Or, in the case of an operation that's already genuinely profitable, that knows how to right size a General Contracting or Homebuilding business -- up or down -- to optimize its profitability.

And now a test (yeah, that's right...there's a test). Did you notice we said data-driven? Read on to learn more about why this matters. Spoiler alert: in our experience, General Contractors and Homebuilders rarely struggle with understanding their data; rather, they struggle with maintaining and extracting meaningful data from their system.

Stop the WIP Madness...Please! 

Here's a great example: WIP. The most common request we get from inquiring, potential new clients is that we put an end to the WIP bouncing around -- up one month, down the next -- and that we bring some stability to the month-ending financials. But here's the issue with that request: WIP is actually very simple to get right. The mathematical formula for calculating WIP only requires four data inputs: (1) contracted build amount, (2) amount billed to date, (3) budgeted cost to construct and (4) remaining cost to complete. Using these four inputs, WIP is a five second calculation (okay...15 seconds if you're a slow learner).

In fact, the issues these potential clients are inquiring about typically have nothing to do with the calculation being wrong; instead, the core issue is that one or more of the four required data inputs isn't right. In other words, getting WIP right requires data integrity and discipline. Unfortunately, organizations must learn to do this. It requires procedures, systems, protocols and then often takes several months of hard work and training to get it right. And to keep it right.

Learn this Term: Duality

And one last thing, from along the same line as being  "data driven." Be sure you don't leave this site without first learning what the term duality means and why it might just be the key to solving the issue or pain point that brought you here.

Once Again, Welcome

Welcome to the online home of AscendantVG. We're pleased you're here and we look forward to working with and serving you.