You know how I always seem to be talking about making Aquaterra better, more stable, etc? Well, this can happen in many ways, and last week, Aquaterra became more stable in our Information Technology (IT) area by hiring an IT Manager. Over the past year, we have become increasingly aware of just how much is at stake with the way that we run our business via computer networks, not to mention how much the right systems will work for us as we strive to become preeminent throughout the Southeast. We have made the decision to take an aggressive step forward in stabilizing this important aspect of our business. We will be bringing Clark Parker into our firm as our first, in-house IT Manager. Clark will work with Jeff Breedlove out of the Chattanooga office.
Let me give you a little introduction about Clark, because we are so excited to find an individual with the experience and training that we need, along with great people skills to communicate with us effectively. Clark is no computer geek wannabe. He has over 20 years experience in the field of Information Technology, and has worked extensively in this specialized field. Clark has been a Microsoft Windows developer since 1993, and he maintains active status as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and Microsoft Certified Professional, among other certifications related to specialized computer networking systems. He most recently was working as a consultant with a firm in the IT field in Lexington, KY. It seems that Clark felt that the Lexington area and the IT consulting field were not the best for his and his family’s long-term goals. He saw this position as an opportunity to work in a vibrant growing company with increasing needs for his capabilities.
I am confident that Clark does not come into this job unaware of the demands of our firm. We have had several, in-depth conversations with him about our current systems and our needs. I think that this is what led Clark to accept this position. He sees Aquaterra as the place to best utilize his experience and skill, and we are happy to agree with him. We have had many frustrating days over the last few years as we have dealt with our IT needs at each office. We felt that the time was right to bring on a senior-level individual within our firm to remove these frustrations and to help us as we continue to set the pace for the use of IT in our profession. I am very excited about this investment, and I know that you are too.
Clark comes on board at a critical time for Aquaterra in this particular arena. We have also made the decision to invest in a comprehensive financial and business management software that we will be incorporating into our systems in the first quarter of 2007. We have elected to go this route after a thorough study of the alternatives by Pam Forestier, our accounting manager. Now Pam can work with Clark as we set about the task of incorporating this comprehensive new system into our firm. There will be much more information coming out about this soon, because this new tool will allow us to work more efficiently and effectively, changing the way we do business on many fronts and working to make us “pre-eminent”.
Jeff and Clark will also be working early in 2007 to identify other IT projects to make all our jobs easier and make us more efficient and productive. We’ll be telling you about these projects as they come on-line. Some of these projects will include a company information portion (one website where you can get company news and company related links), better corporate standards deployment and management, electronic field data collection and transmittal, Phase 2 of web-site development, and other exciting projects.
So there you have it. Aquaterra is serious about the placement and maintenance of stable, technology-based systems to help us serve our employees who serve our clients. These recent decisions catapult us into the next level of this effort. We have a lot to look forward to in this arena.
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