Scaling HR with confidence: Why the right technology partner matters more than ever

Fast Company

09-07-2025

Choosing the right human capital management (HCM) platform is a critical decision for any company, especially ones that are growing fast. Foundry Commercial, an integrated real estate firm serving industries in 22 states, knew that to continue its mission of building a generational real estate company, its HR systems had to evolve alongside its rapid expansion.
As Foundry expanded its 3,500-person workforce and diversified its property portfolio, the cracks in its old systems became impossible to ignore. 'We were finding we had to have a lot of workarounds with our existing platform,' says Brandy Garnero, Foundry's chief human capital officer. Data integrity issues, service inconsistencies, and frustrated HR teams were getting in the way of focusing on larger strategic priorities.
That's why Foundry made a pivotal decision to partner with Dayforce, a single, AI -powered people platform for HR, pay, time, talent, and analytics.
'Brandy and the Foundry team were experiencing challenges similar to those faced by many of our customers,' says Eric Glass, chief marketing and communications officer at Dayforce. 'Rapidly growing companies require scalable technology to help them operate with confidence, but success involves more than just the platform's capabilities. A trusted partner that provides real value is essential.'
After 10 years, Foundry's existing platform simply couldn't keep up with the company's evolving complexity. From senior living communities to industrial parks, each of Foundry's wide variety of property types introduced new challenges that the old system wasn't flexible enough to handle.
Garnero and her team started evaluating potential HCM providers in January 2024. By April, Dayforce had won them over with its ability to customize solutions and provide industry expertise tailored to Foundry's specific business model. 'We're looking at this long term, and we needed a partner that would scale with us in the direction we're going,' she says.
The real proof came in the eight-month implementation. 'Dayforce really listened to us and customized their approach,' Garnero says. They didn't push unnecessary modules or rush implementation for the sake of speed, and they even recommended pushing back the original October go-live date to January 2025 to ensure Foundry's team was fully prepared. This reflects a commitment to long-term success rather than rushed delivery, Glass says.
FIXING PROBLEMS, CREATING POSSIBILITIES
The new system worked seamlessly from the start. More importantly, the nagging problems that once plagued Foundry's HR operations—manual workarounds, data errors, and time-consuming processes—were gone. The HR team could once again focus on more strategic, high-value work, including developing talent and supporting leaders.
'Streamlining and automating tasks frees up teams to really lean in and do the strategic work that has the highest impact, the work they're meant to do. That's truly what it's about,' Glass says.
One solution in particular has had a surprising impact: Dayforce Wallet, an on-demand pay application that lets employees securely access their earned wages in between pay periods. It has helped reduce turnover rates among frontline healthcare workers from 97% to 85% in the first quarter post-implementation. That 12% improvement translates to an estimated annual savings of $450,000, a surprisingly high return on investment from what might seem like a simple payroll tweak.
Along with enhanced efficiency and scalability, the newly implemented Dayforce platform also restored a sense of credibility for the HR team, which had been eroded under the previous system, Garnero says.
AN ONGOING PARTNERSHIP
The collaboration will continue as Foundry and Dayforce look to optimize additional talent modules and automate more routine tasks, Glass says. 'There are always small challenges that come up as a company grows, and our approach is to respond openly and quickly. When a payroll system doesn't work properly, it's more than a technical issue, it directly impacts people and their livelihoods. That's why we're committed to being a long-term partner our customers can count on.'
As Foundry expands its presence across the commercial real estate landscape, it can do so with confidence that its HR operations are scalable and reliable, Garnero says. 'Companies often make decisions based on fixing an issue or solving it from a cost perspective. Those things are important, but it's equally important to have somebody who's in it with you. And I feel like we have that now and will continue to as we grow.'