From Dusty Binders to Dynamic Data: How the MPO-Matador Joint Venture Transformed Facility Assessments with AkitaBox

Acceptance of innovation in the world of facility assessments hasn’t always come easily. When the MPO Solutions-Matador Joint Venture formed in 2022 in the Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex, they combined not only their collective engineering expertise but also a vision for how technology could transform their industry.

MPO-Matador JV came together with Sergio Bustamante PE and partner Blake Boyd PE of Matador Engineering and Rey Roca and Monica Osorio of MPO Solutions to provide technical engineering and facility assessment services for various clients.

Bustamante, who has been immersed in facilities services and engineering since 2006, spearheads the collaboration with AkitaBox.

Matador Engineering partners Blake Boyd (left) and Sergio Bustamante (right)

“Construction can be kind of a late adopter. It’s been a career-long struggle for me,” Bustamante explains. This technological gap presented a significant challenge: how to modernize facility assessment methods for clients who weren’t aware better alternatives existed. In an industry still relying heavily on binders, spreadsheets, and complicated systems, MPO-Matador JV sought a solution that would transform not just how they collected data, but how they delivered value to clients.

The limitations of traditional facility assessment methods became crystal clear to Bustamante in a moment that would be familiar to many engineers. During a visit to a client facility, he discovered a binder containing a report he had written in 2009 sitting untouched exactly where he had left it years before. “I found it on the shelf where I left it in 2009, and it has all of the information that I’m currently being asked about at a facility,” Bustamante recalls.

This experience highlighted a fundamental problem: comprehensive reports were being created but rarely fully utilized. The information was valuable, but its presentation made it inaccessible to the people who needed it most.

Beyond the issue of unused reports, Bustamante noted that previous assessments lacked standardization, with “no rhyme or reason to how it’s done” across different facilities and contractors. This inconsistency made it difficult to compare data over time or across properties.

Another significant barrier was communication. Engineers tend to communicate in technical language that’s often incomprehensible to non-technical stakeholders. As Bustamante puts it, “Engineers speak their own language. ‘How worried should I be that there’s a direct expansion valve that isn’t working or whatever the issue may be?’”

This communication gap meant that even when reports were read, they often failed to drive action because decision-makers couldn’t translate technical findings into business priorities.

The platform’s customizable templates allow the MPO-Matador JV to tailor information to client priorities—whether they’re focused on immediate costs or long-term maintenance planning. As Bustamante explains, “If they care most about cost because they’re about to sell it, I could lead with that. If they’re going to own it for the next 25 years, if they’ve outsourced maintenance and they want to know how they’re doing—those are all potential priorities of a client that could be addressed easily.”

The transformation of the MPO-Matador JV’s deliverables has had a profound impact on how clients engage with and understand facility assessment data. AkitaBox serves as what Bustamante calls a universal translator, helping them “speak many different languages to many different clients”—from engineers to financial decision-makers.

“The engineers are saying, ‘how bad is this?’ And the bean counters are asking, ‘how much is this?’ So everybody has an equal understanding across the board, unlike with the binder — it only speaks to like two people. And odds are they’re not decision makers.”

The MPO-Matador JV now delivers recommendations with substantial visual evidence. “Each block had six pictures, so there’s no question as to where the assessment values came from, where the findings recommendations came from. They’re substantiated right there,” Bustamante notes.

Perhaps most practically, the ability to sort and filter data creates what Bustamante calls “almost a to-do list” for clients, highlighting the most critical items requiring attention.

Field Data Collection Improvements

Beyond transforming deliverables, AkitaBox has dramatically improved the MPO-Matador JV’s efficiency in collecting and processing assessment data. Bustamante reports that data collection is now at least 25% faster, adding that “if someone said 50%, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

This efficiency gain comes from multiple sources. First, the platform allows the MPO-Matador JV to complete assessments with fewer personnel while delivering better results. The intuitive interface of AkitaBox’s Capture module has “the smallest learning curve from inception to effectiveness” of any software Bustamante has used in his career. “Other software I’ve used, it feels like you’re boxed in. With Capture, it’s extremely open ended and intuitive.”

One particularly valuable feature is the automated data extraction from equipment nameplates, which eliminates tedious manual entry. “Hand typing a serial number? Give me a break. That’s tedious and inefficient. One of the best parts about Capture is that it automatically identifies and inputs the nameplate information including serial numbers. You simply click through to confirm and proceed quickly.”

The platform also provides flexibility in time-constrained environments. Bustamante gives the example of assessing boarding bridges at an airport: “There’s a plane going to park in 15 minutes. So we have to get this assessed quickly, and we may not have the time to sit there and punch stuff in. We just go take a thousand pictures of everything, and then you can go back to the office and go through the pictures and go, ‘Okay, there’s what I need.'”

Reporting Efficiencies

Once data is collected, AkitaBox continues to save time through streamlined reporting processes. The AkitaBox Insights module provides immediate data visualization without the need for manual chart creation, allowing the MPO-Matador JV to quickly identify patterns and priorities.

“With the other softwares, here’s this mountain of information you’ve gathered for four straight weeks. Now it’s time to process this and paint a picture with it, and that is way more cumbersome doing it the old ways, or with Excel, or with any other software I’ve used frankly. With AkitaBox, it’s just bang. It’s right there. Here’s your pivot table. Here are your charts. Here’s everything that Insights offers to crunch this data.”

Multi-format exports (PDF, Excel) are available for RFP or other specific deliverable requirements. When needed, Bustamante can still tell the story by sticking a chart in an email, sharing a screenshot, or embedding it in a slide.

Internal Communication and Team Engagement Improvements

AkitaBox has created greater transparency with the MPO-Matador JV, where “everyone can see what you’re doing right away”—eliminating information silos that previously hindered collaboration.

The platform standardizes data collection with custom fields and dropdown menus, ensuring consistency regardless of who performs the assessment.

Knowledge transfer improved as experienced engineers could review findings and share their expertise with newer team members directly in the platform. “Once you have your pictures and your individual components assessed, if you have any concerns with what you think the overall rating is, you can sit down with one of us. We’ll go over the pictures. We’ll go over your ratings and ask you, ‘Why do you think that this needs to be replaced in X amount of time versus Y amount of time?’ And that’s training, that’s learning.”

Quality control transformed into a streamlined process where everyone can see and improve the same data in real-time. “The field teams gather it. We can look at it together, formulate our concepts together, put those in AkitaBox, and then it goes through one more layer of QA/QC.”

This review process includes non-technical team members who ask clarifying questions, ensuring reports are understandable to all audiences. “It helps that the folks doing that wordsmithing QA/QC are laymen. They’re not subject matter experts when it comes to mechanical systems or plumbing systems. So they ask a lot of questions, which is good because it keeps us on our toes.”

The ROI story becomes clearer with data, helping overcome client hesitation by demonstrating the value of preventive maintenance and timely replacements.

Information becomes as accessible as checking a smartphone, putting critical facility data “right here on your phone, at your fingertips” for busy professionals. As Bustamante notes, “People don’t have time to sit there and crunch the 3-ring binders. The more accessible you make it, the better it is.”

Facility Assessment Industry Transformation

AkitaBox creates a culture of accountability through data transparency, helping “tell the true story of accountability” without finger-pointing. As the MPO-Matador JV team likes to say, “We’re not fault finders. We’re fact finders.”

The visual nature of the platform bridges the gap between technical experts and decision makers, helping those who control budgets prioritize critical infrastructure. “Everyone wants the nice new windows… And it’s like, ‘Have you seen the air handling unit? Man, that thing is a paperweight.’ Infrastructure is not sexy. Nobody wants to spend money on this stuff.”

By making the invisible visible through compelling data visualization, the platform helps facility managers and decision-makers understand that while infrastructure may not be glamorous, it’s the foundation everything else depends on.

Moving Forward with AkitaBox

AkitaBox has transformed the MPO-Matador JV’s assessment process from creating reports that sit on shelves to delivering actionable intelligence that drives decision-making. The platform’s visual storytelling capabilities turn complex technical information into clear narratives that facilitate better facility management.

As an early adopter in a traditional industry, the MPO-Matador JV demonstrates how embracing technology can create competitive advantages and better client outcomes. Their experience with AkitaBox shows that the right tools can not only improve internal processes but fundamentally transform the value delivered to clients.

Contact us today to learn how your firm can partner with your clients with AkitaBox software solutions.