How Riverbend Development Streamlined Construction Expenses Without Spreadsheets

Riverbend Development is a real estate investment and development firm headquartered in Charlottesville, VA. With 25 employees using corporate credit cards for business expenses across multiple entities, tracking and reconciling those transactions manually was slowing down the finance team.

CIO & CFO Paul Broaddusrecognized that their spreadsheet-based process, chasing receipts, categorizing expenses, matching charges, and entering data manually, was no longer scalable. They needed a smarter, easier way to track spend across projects and companies.

The Challenges

Cumbersome Manual Workflows

Employees submitted 15–20 receipts at once, leaving the finance team to sort, match, and code each charge manually. Splitting expenses across multiple accounts or companies added to the workload.

No Real-Time Visibility

Without an automated system, the team had no way to monitor spend as it happened. This made it difficult to track budgets, enforce compliance, or catch overspending early.

Receipt Collection Was Disorganized

Receipts were scattered across emails, paper copies, and delayed submissions. Missing or unclear receipts often caused back-and-forth, delaying approvals.

Disconnected from Accounting

With no integration between their expense system and Yardi Breeze, Paul’s team relied on Excel-based exports for financial reporting.

Transformation with Fyle

Receipts Matched Automatically

Paul wanted a system where receipts didn’t require extra follow-ups. Previously, 40% of receipts were delayed or missing. By introducing a real-time card feed, his team ensured employees could simply reply to a text with a photo, making the process easier for everyone involved.

Project and Company Coding at the Source

To eliminate the need for back-and-forth after expenses were submitted, Riverbend configured their workflow so employees could choose the correct company and project while entering each expense. By tagging expenses at the time of submission, Paul’s team ensured cleaner data and less manual sorting later.

Mileage Reimbursement Without the Guesswork

With employees frequently on the move, tracking mileage manually was tedious and error-prone. Today, reimbursements follow IRS rates and can be submitted in just a few clicks.

Simple, Structured Approvals

Paul kept things streamlined: one level of approval based on card type. This gave managers visibility and kept admin reviews clean and focused. Over a third of expense reports are approved in under 12 hours. ​​Previously, it took the team around 2 full days to review and approve a week's worth of expenses. The streamlined flow helps Paul’s team move faster without compromising accuracy.

Clean Exports for Yardi Breeze

To ensure accurate and hassle-free reporting, Paul’s team utilizes custom export templates designed explicitly for their Yardi Breeze setup. Expenses are filtered, coded, and formatted in Excel or CSV exactly as needed, ensuring a smooth and error-free transfer of data into their accounting system.

Ready to Grow With Budgets and Policies

Riverbend implemented a soft receipt policy from day one and plans to layer in budgets and more controls over time, without making life harder for employees.

The Outcome

Riverbend replaced its manual spreadsheet process with a streamlined, automated expense workflow that fits their real estate operations. With all 25 users connected to real-time Mastercard feeds and a structured approval process in place, the finance team gained visibility and control, without slowing anyone down.

• 90% of receipts are submitted within one hour
• 44% of users submit receipts in real time using the text message feature
• 60% of reports are approved within 2 days
• 400+ expenses are processed monthly
• By eliminating manual matching and data entry, the finance team now saves approximately 20 hours every month