Phil LaRochelle, Manager of Business Applications at Dead River Company, as well as President of the ADD User Group, along with Megan Carr, Director, Logistics & Business Intelligence at Paraco Gas, as well as incoming President and Chair of the Business Intelligence & Reporting Committee of the ADD User Group join Brian Cohen, ADD Systems Multimedia Specialist and host of ADDcast, to discuss: the AUG’s purpose and benefits of joining; what AUG members can expect at ADD Systems’ upcoming Business Tech Conference; the group’s overall goals for the coming year; and details surrounding chair positions and the time commitments involved.
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5Rx76q2GT2SaZsO6z4roNk?si=c8780b0d6aba4241
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Brian Cohen: Welcome to ADDcast. I’m ADD Systems Multimedia Specialist Brian Cohen. Today, I’m joined by Phil LaRochelle, manager of business applications at Dead River Company, as well as current president of the ADD User Group, along with Megan Carr, director of business intelligence and analytics at Paraco, as well as the incoming president and chair of the Business Intelligence and Reporting Committee of the ADD User Group. Phil and Megan, thank you so much for joining us today.
Megan Carr: Thank you for having us.
Phil LaRochelle: Yeah, absolutely. It’s great to be here. Go, Patriots. I know this season’s over. So, it’s always football season.
Brian: Yes, it is. And Phil is joining from up in Maine, being an New England fan. And we were talking before we started recording. Megan and I being hardcore Giants fans, Phil might not be happy being outnumbered in this podcast. But this is not about football today. This is about the AUG. We’re all one team here.
Phil: You got it. Yeah, absolutely. You got it.
Megan: Well said.
Brian: Well, Phil, let’s start with you. As the president of the AUG for the last two years, can you give us a quick overview of the group, including what its purpose is and the benefits to joining?
Phil: Yeah, I mean, absolutely. So, to me, the AUG is all about customers of ADDs getting together, sharing ideas, talking about how we can improve one of the most important applications we all use, being the ADD’s application. The thing that I find really interesting about the process is just sitting down and talking about all the different things we can improve about the product, and hearing what everyone has to say in their points of view about that. I’ve heard some really great ideas from all different corners of the customer base. And then it’s really neat to see those things move through the product roadmap into development. We just had a call recently with Chris Glenn, and it was just, it was really neat to go through and hear the group talking through how would we design and solve some of the problems that AUG members have brought to our attention.
Brian: Now, Megan, as the chair of the BI and Reporting Committee for the last three years, and now the incoming president, what have you found most useful about the group, and what prompted you to move on from a member to a chair and part of the leadership team?
Megan: I guess, so I think what I found most useful about joining the AUG years ago was the networking and camaraderie amongst the members. So, as much as I adore the F1 function, I also very much appreciate the ability to ask questions and use real-life examples, where you always get great feedback from your peers. You share best practices, and you’re able to tackle that real-life issue. So, when the opportunity arose for me to take over the BI Committee, I felt it was a great way to kind of give back to the group. In terms of the support, I know I was able to receive, you know, throughout the several years prior to joining as a leader, and I think, too, anytime you have an opportunity to lead in any capacity, it’s just a great way to grow professionally, personally, but in this case, professionally.
Brian: If Phil, asked the same question to you, you were formerly the chair of the SmartConnect group, and now the president. What did you find most useful? And what prompted you to seek that leadership role within the AUG?
Phil: So, I have a passion for SmartConnect, and ways to interact with the ADD’s application. A lot of the work that I’ve been involved in has been related to, let’s say, our digital online presence, but also internal applications that we can integrate with E3. So, I always had a fondness for SmartConnect. It was neat to be involved in that. I think, to me, the reason I sought out a leadership role was for a couple of reasons. I like to facilitate, and really being in that chair role for SmartConnect allowed me to say, “Hey, all the people that are in that group, let’s get together. Let’s talk through, you know, what would you like to see happen? And what challenges are you facing?” Really understand what people are having to say, and then, “Hey, how do we all get that into – what’s the enhancement we’re going to request then?” So, that was a lot of fun. Still is a lot of fun, just I’m not as involved in specific committees now. And I think that the whole props to become part of the leadership team related to the president role. We had our previous president, left the industry. And that left an opening there and, you know, just kind of talking through those things with him in it, it was definitely an interesting opportunity. So, it was a good transition. Had been working with other members in the leadership role, anyway, so, ended up working out. And it’s been a great experience for the past several years.
Brian: Now, Megan, with the BTC fast approaching, what are some of the things people can expect from the AUG during that event?
Megan: So, I think the AUG, but in particular the Leadership group, we’re gonna be pretty active and trying to encourage other folks to join that were maybe hesitant to do so before, maybe didn’t know what a right committee was for them, as we just hoped to kind of give people a sneak peek as to what the groups are about, just a little real-life preview. And, you know, really explain and showcase what the benefits are of joining.
Brian: And, Phil, you’ve attended the BTC before. Were you a chair back when you last attended? Or did that meeting have anything to do with you joining and taking a more active role in the AUG?
Phil: Yeah, so I was actually trying to think about this. And it was six years ago now, so I’m having a hard time remembering if I was the SmartConnect chair at that point. But I know I was deeply involved, and I was already part of the AUG. And it was really cool to see everyone get together. I was actually asked to help do a presentation, and I don’t know how many of you know Josh from Penn Valley Gas, but he was in that, as well. And it was really neat for us to get up there with someone from ADD Systems and talk about our experiences related to SmartConnect. So, I can tell you, if I wasn’t involved in the ADD User Group as much, being at the BTC definitely would have stoked my interest and say, “How do I get more involved here?” Because the presentations that I’m seeing, the fact that customers are involved in some of the presentations, the topics are just all really cool. You know, I think understanding what the members of the AUG do that are on a committee, it’s really neat to see them get involved in saying, “How do we improve the product?” They’ll go back to that.
Brian: Let’s start looking into our crystal ball beyond the BTC. Phil, what are some of the goals for the AUG this year post BTC? And what, if any changes, can people expect this year?
Phil: So, I think we have several goals. One of them is a goal we have every year, which is, let’s take a look at the enhancements that the committees facilitate up through the process, and then start voting on them and getting them into the roadmap. That’s one of our biggest functions. It’s one of the most important functions we have. We are recruiting, and we’re always recruiting. And it’s great to see the AUG total membership grow which we’ve seen over the years. I don’t remember the specific stats, but I’m pretty sure we have over 200 members, which is excellent. And we’re recruiting for chairs. So, it’s really important to have people chair the committees and help facilitate that. We’re recruiting for several chair roles. I think we have the BI role once Megan moves out of that – Technical Support group, the General Committee, so we’re recruiting. And it’s important to get folks to be engaged in that. So, if you’re interested in joining the AUG, and you’re listening to this, you should definitely do that. And if you’re interested in being a committee chair, you should definitely do it.
Brian: Now, Megan, are there any particular goals you have in mind for this year as the incoming president?
Megan: I would just echo what Phil said, and keep that momentum going of gaining new membership, increase the participation on the monthly calls, new enhancement submissions are always great. It’s nice to see a lot of enhancements, but it’s also nice to see the submissions go down because we know they’ve been implemented. So, I think getting some new perspective from individuals that maybe just joined the industry would be fantastic. And even some existing users of the platform. They live in this application all day long, trying to pull out of them, you know, what are some of the ideas that they have to make it better? It’s just so powerful. And we’re able to do that. I think, you know, like Phil said, the most important thing we do are these submissions and getting these enhancements pushed up and put into the roadmap. It’s just so important.
Brian: So, Megan, someone is listening to this podcast right now, and they’re on the fence. How about some advice for anyone considering taking on that chair position? What kind of commitment does it take in terms of time? And what are the benefits for them to do this?
Megan: Yes. So, I think, you know, like I said before, any time you do have the opportunity to lead something, it’s just a great way to expand your skill set in general. Specifically, for the AUG, you’re really a facilitator of the committee. I always like to see the organic conversations that take place among the committee members, not just within that hour block once a month, but in between meetings. So, you know, having an agenda is always nice, but leaving that roundtable available for the members to just kind of throw ideas out, ask questions unrelated to a topic is always kind of where the magic happens. So, we’ve been in the BI Committee, I know we’ve had obviously several meetings, but then a lot of these one-off conversations where we’re really solving for things and sharing ideas. And there’s just a lot of great information that comes out of people, once they, I think, connect with someone that’s like-minded. But the time commitment is very manageable. It’s approximately an hour a month. Some committees pause for the winter season. But all in all, it’s really what you make of it.
Brian: Phil, what would you say to anyone who might be on the fence about attending the AUG meetings or becoming a member in the first place? Just at the base level, so to speak here.
Phil: Anyone who’s on the fence, I just have to say that, you know, if you want a voice in the direction of the product, if you want to hear what other companies are doing, and learn from that. And we can learn from you. You know, the experiences that anyone who wants to join the AUG has, we all have our experiences, they’re a little different, sometimes they’re the same. I’ve learned a lot from other people in what they’re doing and how they’re approaching things. So, I think other people might have something to learn from the rest of the group and might have something that we can learn from you. So, what Megan said is so true. There are people who don’t always get a lot of leadership opportunities where they’re working. And if you want one, being an AUG chair is a great way to do one, I’m going to say in a low-pressure environment, right? We’re just getting together, we’re trying to talk through things, we’re trying to facilitate. And, you know, leadership through influence is one of the best skills to learn. And that’s really what you’re doing with the AUG. So, if you think that’s interesting, then I would say sign up. Let us know if you want to be a chair. And if you’re on the fence about attending the BTC, it’s in Florida. Who doesn’t want to be in Florida in May? It’s beautiful down there. I’ve been before. It’s a great place to be. And I think the last night’s like a big party with great food and a lot of good people, so should definitely be there.
Brian: Well, I, for one, will most certainly be there. Phil and Megan, I am looking forward to talking with you, seeing you both at the AUG meeting, and maybe talking a little bit of football as well in between sessions, just a little bit.
Megan: Deal. Sounds good.
Phil: Yep.
Brian: Thank you both so much for joining me today.
Megan: Thank you for having us.
Phil: See you at the BTC.
Brian: To learn more and to register for the BTC, please visit addsys.com/btc. And to keep up with the latest happenings at ADD Systems, visit addsys.com/blog or connect with us on social media by following ADD Systems on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. If you have any questions about ADDcast, feel free to reach out to us at addcast@addsys.com. Thanks for listening, and have a great day!
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