Six months ago I was introduced to Shafat Qazi, the energetic, insightful and perceptive founder and CEO of BQE Software Inc. BQE’s flagship product, BillQuick, is widely regarded as the most comprehensive time billing system on the market today.

Shafat and I quickly developed a great friendship. Over the weeks and months that followed, we learned more about each other’s mission and objectives. We share a passionate commitment to serving the A/E industry. It was obvious that BQE and Orange Loft are on the same trajectory.

While our stories are remarkably similar, the most salient difference is that I was trained as an architect and Shafat was trained as a structural engineer. As an architect, I’ve always appreciated and valued the power of bringing together professionals from various disciplines to help us accomplish our objectives and complete our projects. It is the synergy between the parties that improves our own designs and benefits the greater society.

In this spirit, I am extremely pleased to announce that this month, the Orange Loft team is joining forces with BQE Software Inc. This combination will accelerate the development and enhance the support of ArchiOffice and EngineerOffice. By combining the resources and talents of our companies, we will better serve the A/E industry, which is our mutual passion and heritage.

On November 9, 2009, BQE will issue a press release that will go into more detail regarding the acquisition. However, I wanted to give you the good news first and assure you that the acquisition is fantastic and encouraging news for all of us. I will be joining BQE as Director of Innovation and Product Strategy. In that capacity, I will be working with the talented and capable team at BQE to develop and refine our ArchiOffice and EngineerOffice solutions. We are committed to delivering the cutting-edge technologies that will help you provide the finest quality services to your clients.

On December 3, 2009, Shafat and I will host a live webinar where we will outline our roadmap and answer your questions. Please watch your email; information and instructions on how to join us on this webinar are coming soon.

Until then, thank you for being a loyal customer. I look forward to continuing to serve you as we move into the future under the aegis of BQE.

Congratulations to our customer GH2 Architects! For the second year in a row, GH2 has been listed by ZweigWhite as one of the “hottest architectural fims in North America.” That means they’re part of a select group listed as the 200 fastest-growing architecture, engineering and environmental consulting firms!

It’s always nice to see firms that use ArchiOffice being recognized for their accomplishements. We coldn’t be there during the awards ceremony, but I wonder if anyone gave a shout-out to ArchiOffice.