Miner & Miner Holds Annual User Group
Meeting in Fort Collins, CO

Fort Collins, CO -- The end of January saw Miner & Miner Consulting Engineers, Inc. (M&M) host its annual User Group Meeting (MMUG). More than 130 users and business partners from across the globe spent three days discussing advances in M&M’s products and services. The sessions, held at the Fort Collins Marriott Hotel, provided users with the opportunity to share their experiences, and concentrate on suggested requirements and added functionality for further product enhancement.

The MMUG sessions opened with a presentation by keynote speaker Ray Gifford, the Public Utilities Commissioner of Colorado. As an experienced regulator, Gifford shared insights about the current utility regulatory environment and its future.

Following the keynote speech, the MMUG sessions focused on demonstrations and discussions of product usability and functionality. Jeff Meyers, M&M’s President, spent an hour on the future of the ArcFM Solution, M&M’s Energy Utility application suite. The follow-up sessions considered design directions for individual products such as ArcFM, Designer, DistOps, Conduit System Management, and ArcFM Viewer. M&M officers and technical staff presented their latest R&D efforts, including advanced design tools, mobile solutions, versioning strategies, integration approaches, implementation methodology discussion, and examples from current projects.

“MMUG gave us more opportunities to interact as a community. We provided a forum where users were able to share and learn about our solutions and provide input into the direction of the ArcFM Solution technology,” said Michael Daniels, VP of Product Development.

Not only did the event provide participants with a greater understanding of the M&M product line, but it also allowed for discussions between a variety of company and utility representatives. A good portion of the conference provided the opportunity for guests to present experiences to the group. “Miner & Miner's User Group Meeting is an excellent forum for exchanging ideas and soliciting feedback on products and implementation methodology, as well as for meeting other users and having some fun,” said Jeff Meyers. “Most importantly, users had a wonderful opportunity to learn about our direction and give us the feedback that is vital to our success together.”

MMUG also included social activities. Attendees enjoyed a day of Rocky Mountain snowshoeing or skiing. The snowshoers hiked the Zimmerman Lake trail up Cameron Pass, at 10,000 feet above sea level, and the skiers spent their day at Winter Park Resort. An evening of bowling followed the hosted dinner on the first day of MMUG. Best high and low scores were acknowledged with a symbolic present, a M&M bowling shirt. Some participants were also lucky enough to see the Olympic torch passing through town only blocks away as it traveled to Utah.

Many participants provided very positive feedback. “The MMUG had a fantastic turnout. This is amazing for a two-year-old product,” said Ian Fitzgerald, Truckee Donner GIS Coordinator. “This is exactly what I anticipated, to make comments on products, to find out what is expected to change, and to make an impact. I am convinced Miner & Miner will take the feedback and try to create solutions for it.”

“I am aware of the fact that organizing such a conference requires a tremendous amount of time and effort, and it is all greatly appreciated by the user community,” said Kenton Graber, ONEOK’s Information Technology Development Manager. “This is truly one of the best conferences I have been to. It was so good; I literally could not find a time to skip class (not that I ever do skip class).”

“I would not change a thing,” concluded Ty Fabling, Logica’s Project manager for the Dominion project. “Everything was excellently organized and well done.”

About Miner & Miner

Miner & Miner is a world leader in the development and implementation of geographic information system (GIS) software for utilities. M&M products and services assist electric, gas, water and wastewater utilities in increasing productivity, lowering costs, and improving services by allowing them to effectively manage spatial information. Founded in 1946 as a full-service electrical engineering firm, M&M has been an equity partner of ESRI since 1987. This partnership has enabled M&M to become the world’s leading developer of ArcGIS applications for the utility industry. M&M services include implementation and customization of software to fit the needs of individual utilities. For more information, please visit www.miner.com.

Designer, Responder, Conduit System Management, and DistOps are trademarks of Miner & Miner, Consulting Engineers, Inc. ArcFM, and ArcFM Viewer are trademarks of ESRI in the United States.