How Hursh Painting Uses Clearstory to Protect Revenue, Eliminate Change Order Headaches, 
and Keep GC Relationships Strong

✅ 10x improvement in COR processing efficiency

✅ 8-10% of annual revenue captured and protected

✅ 3 hours to be trained, up, and running 

For more than 45 years, Hursh Painting has been a trusted trade partner to General Contractors from Philadelphia to Baltimore. Built on decades of integrity, the company has thrived by keeping communication clear and projects on track.

“There are GCs we’re working with now that we've been working with since the company was started,” says estimator Zack Graham. “Relationships like that in commercial construction are priceless.” 

But as Hursh’s business has grown, their Change Order workflows haven’t been able to keep up. Like many painters, Hursh relied on hand-written T&M tickets, email printouts, and paperwork handoffs between the field and office just to package up a Change Order Request (COR). 

“We were sharing documents back and forth, trying to keep track of everything manually,” Graham says, describing both time-consuming and confusing workflows that often felt upside down. “Sometimes a ticket might not even be worth the time we put into chasing everything down and pricing it for a Change Order. Now, with Clearstory, we can save hours on a single ticket. Everything’s in one place. It’s a huge time saver, and a headache saver, too.”

Purpose-built to help Specialty Contractors reduce risk and get paid faster on out-of-contract work, Clearstory’s core product is a shareable, cloud-based Change Order Log that creates instant alignment between stakeholders with powerful tools like a mobile app for digital T&M Tags, built-in Change Order templates, instant pricing, and more.

“Clearstory is the first thing we look at to know what’s been
sent out, what’s pending, and what’s in review. It’s all there 
and keeps us on top of everything so nothing gets forgotten and we don’t end up giving work away.”

Zack Graham

Estimator, Hursh Painting 

From Easy Adoption to Real-Time Alignment

For Graham and his team, getting started was quick. Within a few hours of training, they were already running real work through the platform.

Even team members less comfortable with technology were able to jump in.

“Let’s just say not everyone in commercial painting is on phones and computers and knows how to use apps,” Graham says. “But even for them, Clearstory came across so easy. You use it once, and it's like, OK, I'm sold.”

Today, Hursh uses Clearstory to track every Change Order Request with their GC customers in real time. Whether a project has one COR or twenty-five, the live Change Order Log shows exactly what’s pending, approved, or in review.

GCs appreciate the clarity. “We’ve gotten some pretty positive feedback from GCs on how organized and clear our COR Log is,” Graham says. “Even the Change Order Requests themselves just look so professional and build on the trust factor that you know what you’re doing.” 

Clearstory has also become Hursh’s reference point for monthly billing and project closeouts. “The first thing we look at when we’re billing is Clearstory,” Graham explains. “What’s been sent out, what’s pending, what’s in review—it’s all there. It keeps us on top of everything so nothing gets forgotten and we’re not just giving work away.”

But Clearstory provides insight far beyond a single project. With one view, the team can see exposure, approvals, and revenue across the business at a glance.

“Looking at that dashboard and seeing what dollar amount we've sent out in CORs, it’s remarkable,” Graham says. “It’s probably around eight to ten percent of our revenue coming through Change Orders, and that’s an incredible amount to capture and protect.”

Turning Change Order Transparency Into Trust

Clearstory isn’t just helping Hursh internally — it’s making life easier for their GC customers too. By sharing a live Change Order Log, Hursh gives their partners a clear picture of where things stand without constant back-and-forth. GCs no longer need to call or email for updates, and Hursh doesn’t have to chase down confirmations.

That transparency reinforces the trust Hursh has spent decades building. Instead of questions or disputes over missing paperwork, both sides stay aligned from start to finish. Graham explains that it’s as valuable for their GCs as it is for them: “It’s very clear to the GC what we’ve sent and when, it’s a great reminder for us, and it makes the relationship that much stronger.”

The efficiency gains are equally significant. By cutting out paper tickets and manual handoffs, Hursh has multiplied their processing speed. “The time we save is tenfold—just having everything put together in one place,” Graham says. That means fewer hours wasted on admin, faster approvals, and smoother closeouts. And because the system keeps both sides aligned, those savings extend to GC partners as well. 

When asked what he’d tell peers about Clearstory, Graham doesn’t hesitate. “I don’t know what other people do with Change Orders, but it’s going to be your best friend. It keeps you organized and it’s very easy to use. I can’t imagine there’d be something out there that would be easier or better than what Clearstory has been for us so far.”

With Clearstory, Hursh has modernized Change Orders, strengthened GC relationships, and protected up to ten percent of annual revenue. The platform delivers clarity, speed, and trust on every project, saving hours of admin and ensuring every COR is captured, aligned, and closed out without the headaches of manual workflows.

For Hursh, Clearstory has turned Change Orders from a constant grind into a competitive advantage.