Megan Carr, Director of Field Ops Support Team at Paraco Gas, and Justin Bolus, Wholesale Fuel Director at Bumgarner Oil, unpack the ADD User Group (AUG) in this latest ADDcast.
They discuss the AUG’s mission to foster collaboration, problem-solving, and innovation among end-users.
Megan provides a glimpse into the AUG’s upcoming initiatives, including the launch of a comprehensive quarterly newsletter and how user group enhancments factor into strategic roadmap discussions.
Justin details the importance of narrowing down specific areas of interest or departmental needs when considering joining the AUG committees, advocating for quality over quantity in involvement.
Learn more about the ADD User Group at: https://www.addsys.com/services/add-user-group/
You can subscribe to the ADDcast at any of the following locations, or read the transcript below.
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Brian Cohen: Welcome to ADDcast. I’m ADD Systems Multimedia Specialist Brian Cohen. Joining me today is Megan Carr, Director of Field Ops Support Team at Paraco Gas, as well as President of the ADD User Group and Interim Chair of the Best Practices Committee. Also joining me is Justin Bolus, Wholesale Fuel Director at Bumgarner Oil, as well as Vice President of the ADD User Group and Co-chair of the Wholesale Committee. Megan and Justin, thank you both for joining me today.
Megan Carr: Thank you for having us, Brian.
Justin Bolus: Yeah. Thanks, Brian. Looking forward to it.
Brian: Megan, can you start by telling us a little bit about yourself and your role at Paraco Gas?
Megan: Sure. So I am currently the Director, Field Ops Solutions Team, which encompasses both our delivery team and our service team. So we do the scheduling, routing, planning for both the bobtails, rack trucks that are on the road, as well as our entire service footprint, new installations, reinstalls, you name it.
Brian: How long have you and Paraco been partnered with ADD Systems?
Megan: We have been partnered for over 40 years, I believe. I don’t know the exact number but it has been over 40 years.
Brian: Justin, bringing you into the conversation. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself as well as your role with Bumgarner Oil?
Justin: Yeah, so I’ve been here seven years. I’m the Wholesale Fuel Director at Bumgarner Oil Company. We are out of Hickory, North Carolina. We do a little bit of everything, you know, wholesale gasoline, diesel fuel, propane, oil, and operate some c-stores. And then we run a fleet of transport trucks. We aren’t a huge company, but we do have our hand in a bit of everything.
Brian: So how long have you and Bumgarner been partnered with ADD Systems?
Justin: We went live in August of 2022. So we’re about 18 months all in right now.
Brian: Now the two of you head up our ADD User Group, more commonly known as the AUG. Megan, can you start by telling us a little bit about the intent of the group as well as your role as president?
Megan: Sure. So the intent of the group from my perspective is to really bring end-users together in a way that they can find solutions either within themselves to solve a problem that they’re having using the application, come up with creative ideas on how to leverage the modules within E3. And also just to kind of have that sounding board against somebody that is doing exactly what you’re doing, has the real-life issues, problem, whatever you want to call it, with the similar customer base, and they can help you navigate that. So I think I said this at the AUG: I love the F1 button. I really do. I think it’s a great function. But sometimes talking to somebody that is also using the application the same way you are is invaluable. It’s a good way to network. And then my role is just to kind of facilitate an environment where that can exist. We can come up with ideas, we can talk about real-life issues, and then we group them together, pass them along, and that is the whole enhancement portion of the AUG. And then putting things on the roadmap that really will bring the best out of the product.
Brian: Justin, can you tell us about your AUG roles as well as what drew you to the group in the first place?
Justin: Yes, so I am the VP of the ADD User Group and the Co-chair of the Wholesale Committee. As the VP, I helped Megan with the communication for ADDs to the various committee members. And then I also work with Regina, overseeing membership, trying to get people involved in the right groups, making sure that they are not biting off more than they can chew, and stuff like that. Then with the wholesale group, me and JoAnn oversee just the group of people that buy and sell fuel at the wholesale level. It was recommended to me by our Implementation Specialist Johnny O’Shea, “Hey, you need to join this group.” And our company likes to learn things. So jumped in and what drew me to the group is that I figured, hey, this can help our operations. Like if we don’t know something, we have a whole group of people that are willing to help assist with problems and seem to be eager to do so.
Brian: Megan, what made you initially want to join the AUG?
Megan: So I had a mentor that really encouraged me to kind of join the user group when I got into the business intelligence world because it was a little foreign to me in terms of reporting and how to, you know, navigate some of the fields and joining the information. So my intro was to join the Business Intelligence Committee, understand reporting data, how information bleeds into one report from another. And then it was a great opportunity just to kind of learn how other people view information, how they use it, and how powerful it can be, what insights can be drawn from it, and then how you become that catalyst within the company to feed information for a solid business decision. So I got a lot more out of it than I thought I was going to, to be completely honest.
Brian: Justin, what do you think are some of the most valuable things the AUG has to offer ADD clients?
Justin: Yeah, so I just touched on it briefly a second ago. But a phrase I commonly use is, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” And I think that’s especially true with software. We all come live at various points, you know, over the years. And when you’re training, you don’t know exactly what you’re going to use, or what you need, you’re just trying to get the thing running and billing correctly and showing the correct taxes. So when you have a sounding board of other users that are eager to help you run a better business, it really is a thing of great value. And it’s pretty unique to have a group of people that are technically your competitors that seem so willing to assist you in various issues.
Brian: Megan, what do you think are some of the most important things users can gain from the AUG?
Megan: I think just knowing that you have another person that you can reach out to when you have a question. I think sometimes we all get stuck in the ways that our companies do things, that it’s sometimes hard to think outside of that. So getting a different perspective from somebody, again, similar industry, could even be a similar position that you’re in, but just understanding how they solve for something I think is, to me, is the most valuable. It’s just looking at your database from a different set of eyes.
Brian: Justin, can you talk about the opportunities that are available for an ADD user to get involved in the leadership of the group?
Justin: Absolutely. There are always opportunities. That’s case in point. I was a committee member for the wholesale group for about a year. And then I simply reached out to Megan, the president, about heading the committee. And after some discussion, we landed on co-chairing the Wholesale Committee. It was that simple. And then, one of the meetings down the road, Megan’s like, “Hey, you know what, we need a VP.” So I reached out to Megan and said, “Hey, I’m interested in being a VP, if that’s something you guys are truly looking for. I know I’m the new guy in the group.” And they had no problem with that. Those are two very specific examples that show, hey, we are yearning for leadership. We’re yearning for activity. And if you have a desire to help move the ship across, there’s a place for you.
Brian: Megan, along with your role as the AUG president, you’re also the interim chair of the Best Practices Committee. Can you tell listeners a little bit about what the Best Practice Committee offers those in attendance, and what the role of the chair is, in case someone was interested in taking on that role within the group?
Megan: Absolutely. I think the Best Practices Committee is one of the best to join as an intro member of the AUG. But also, I think it’s a good way to encourage other folks in your organizations to sit in with you. The topics are so broad. We talk about budgets; we talk about delivery; we talk about tank monitors; we talk about all sorts of things. So I think it gives you a full picture of what the product is capable of doing. I think it’s a good way for new users to come in. I think it’s a good way to recruit other people to come in. But also, you know, we invite our friends. You can invite people that technically aren’t part of the AUG, although they should be. But I think it’s, get your SMEs for that particular subject on the call just to listen in, participate on behalf of your company, or they might have a takeaway from it. The subjects are unlimited, and we think we don’t have a topic something comes up or we revisit it from years ago, just as a refresher. So it’s good for any level of employee, you know, you could be the most, experienced one on your team, and you’ll still find something or you can be green as anything and find a lot of value out of the best practices calls. And yeah, if somebody is looking to chair that, it is really just being that facilitator, jumping on, having a topic, a couple questions to kick it off and get people talking about how their company does a certain, you know, whatever it is or how they handle a certain type of subject. But that’s really it. You’re really just there to kind of make sure that there’s a space for people to talk through that particular subject.
Brian: Megan, can you give us a little preview of what to expect from the AUG this year?
Megan: We have a lot of exciting things this year. I think the most exciting is the newsletter that is starting. I think it’s got a lot of great information in there. It’s got contact information, you know, so people can reach out to us directly if they so choose, ask questions, maybe if they’re a little unsure if they want to join or not comfortable yet, and feeling if that they have to participate. So that gives a nice preview of what’s to come. There’s been a lot of conversations. The chairs are all really pretty active with their groups trying to establish the framework for the year, get topics on the board, so we know what the participation levels are going to be. And just continue to engage with the entire user group community, and also within their internal organizations. We’ve heard some of that, I think, in our leadership calls, people trying to recruit from internally, which is always fantastic. But again, putting that message back out to the group, so they can do the same thing at their organization. So yeah, I think, there’s going to be a lot of, I hope to see an increase in membership. I think that’s always a good testament to what we’re doing. And then also the submissions, although, ADDs has done such a great job with putting, you know, some of the most important things into the roadmap for us. So a shorter submission list isn’t a bad thing either. But it’s good that people start to think like, “How, how can I make my day easier by adding you know, a button here, or by having the system do that.” Just having people start thinking about how they can influence the product that they use is really super powerful.
Brian: Justin, what advice do you have for new ADD clients that are thinking about joining or users who are may be new to the group?
Justin: Simply put, it’s worth it to join. I think there’s a common misconception to join as many groups as possible at the start. You know, you’re excited about learning a bunch of new things with ADDs. Oh, I can be in this committee, learn all this. But these groups, they’re about quality, not quantity. You are expected to meet monthly and, you know, we’d love if you give your input and your feedback, and help diagnose some issues for other people. So what I try to help people with is narrow the specific things they are wanting to learn about or that are specific to their department, and then encourage them, hey, let’s start with that committee, you know, join there. Let’s see if you find value in it. And then as you grow in your relationship with ADDs, and you learn some other parts of your company, maybe you get invested in another committee. But I think it’s certainly worth it. And you always want to hone in on a specific one or two things or industry-specific things, then go from there.
Brian: Megan, the AUG Annual Meeting is coming up on May 7. Can you give everyone a preview of what they can expect?
Megan: Absolutely. The meeting is going to kick off on the seventh with the user group. We’re going to just go through what we accomplished in the past 365 days, what’s to come in the next 365 days, how to reach us, what each group is about in case people are just a little unsteady, a little uncertain if they’re joining the right committee or not, but just give them a little taste of what it’s about. So we’ll be going through our presentation. We’ll be available to talk to anybody, answer any questions, but kind of helps humanize the idea of the AUG as well. And then we’ll jump into, you know, some of the additional topics that Rob is going to cover and some of the breakout sessions for some of the other modules.
Brian: Justin, if someone’s interested in joining or getting more information about the ADD User Group, how can they go about doing that?
Justin: Reach out to me directly. You can email me at jbolus@bumgarneroil.com and I’m happy to help you with the spelling on that. I would like to ask a few questions about what specifically you’re looking to find or learn about and then I can get you plugged into the right group.
Brian: Well, Megan and Justin, thank you both for joining me today.
Megan: Thank you, Brian. This was fun.
Justin: Thank you for having us. I hope this helps some people out there.
Brian: 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/X. 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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