Powered by AP Automation: How the San Antonio Zoo Kept the Bills (and the Animals) from Running Wild During the Pandemic

During the first three months of the global pandemic, the San Antonio Zoo – like so many other organizations – shut down.

But the zoo’s hundreds of species spread across 56 acres still needed care seven days a week.

The zoo had to continue paying electrical, plumbing, food and exhibit bills – all of which meant invoices needed to be processed.

So, how did they do it? With accounts payable (AP) and payments automation, the zoo made sure vendors and invoices were paid securely, efficiently and on time, even while its gates were closed to the public.

Join us to hear more of the compelling story from Dana Nelson, Finance Manager for the San Antonio Zoo, about how the organization has stayed on track through the pandemic by automating bill payments to maintain facilities and care for its wildlife.

Jess Scheer, Executive Editor of IOFM, and Heather Caudill, AvidXchange’s SVP of Relationship Management, team up with Dana to discuss:

• How the San Antonio Zoo shed paper-bound AP processes and invested in automation
• Findings from a new IOFM benchmarking study of more than 300 AP departments and how the data compares to the zoo’s experience
• 2021 AP trend predictions and the importance of building AP automation into your plans

Dana Nelson
Finance Manager, San Antonio Zoo

Dana Nelson is the Finance Manager for the San Antonio Zoo, responsible for all accounts payable and accounts receivable. Additionally, Dana is the administrator of the zoo’s AvidXchange software, accounting software and corporate credit cards. Prior to her current role, she spent 11 years as the membership manager for the development department.

Jess Scheer
Editor, IOFM

IOFM Editor Jess Scheer is an award-winning business reporter, focused on the intersection of accounting, finance and management. Before joining IOFM, Jess spent five years as a Process Consultant, helping organizations more effectively and efficiently manage end-to-end processes, including Procure-to-Pay and Order-to-Cash.

Jess is a popular speaker, keynoting IOFM’s annual conferences. His sessions draw on his experience helping organizations create effective measurement approaches, conducting custom survey projects, as well as personally managing several large-scale benchmarking programs.

Heather Caudill
Senior Vice President of Relationship Management, AvidXchange

Heather Caudill has built a 20-year career from her innate passion for delivering an exceptional experience for customers. This passion manifested itself in many roles that were ultimately preparing Heather for her current position as Senior Vice President of Relationship Management for AvidXchange.

Since joining AvidXchange in 2002, Heather has focused on technical support and project management, where she gained a deep knowledge of the solution and, more importantly, of the customer. As the company continues to grow exponentially, Heather has remained a constant voice for customer advocacy and served as much-needed connective tissue throughout the organization. Her exemplary relationship skills have made her a revered leader at AvidXchange.