SAO Member Spotlight: Dave Weber, CIO, NW Natural
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
SAO – Not For Software Companies Only
As CIO for NW Natural, you might think that Dave Weber would find little value in the Software Association of Oregon. But, you’d be wrong. In fact, Dave is not only a long-standing member; he is one of the tech organization’s board members and a committee chair. But even he would admit that before a business colleague got him involved in SAO six years ago, he hadn’t a clue that the organization even existed.
That all changed once Dave got involved in SAO’s CIO/IT Managers Forum – one of eight peer-to-peer programs that meet regularly to discuss critical issues related to their professional expertise.
"There are a lot of professional organizations I could join and conferences that offer opportunities to network or receive training,” said Weber, "but rarely do I leave these events with any feeling of time well spent. The CIO/IT Forum is different – its mission is to provide real value…and it consistently delivers.”
And Dave makes sure it does. As an active member of the CIO/IT forum, he and the group’s growing list of members work hard to ensure the forum provides CIOs with a level of information and exchange that they just can’t get anywhere else.”
"Each and every meeting is designed with the same core question in mind…what are the three things that attendees will get from this event that they can actually use,” said Weber. "This is how SAO is different.”
More Than Software Companies
But why would a CIO from a utility company care about software? According to Weber, it’s all about learning new tools and techniques that can be directly applied to work at hand. Weber points out that most of Oregon’s larger companies have huge internal IT staff, including those that write applications and maintain technical operations. SAO provides opportunities for these professionals to learn about leading-edge ideas and "tricks” that are being used to make businesses money and drive down costs.
According to Weber, in today’s world of developing business solutions, there are lots of software products that represent various puzzle pieces. Some of these pieces work, while others are either the wrong dimensions, made of the wrong materials or for some other reason, simply don’t fit. Developers often find different ways to make these pieces fit, or strategies to use the pieces in totally new and innovative ways.
"And that’s the type of information shared at the CIO/IT forum, where members connect and share with others that use these techniques,” said Weber. "With information like that, you leap from where you are to somewhere totally new.”
Weber believes it’s the quality of content that is responsible for the forums’ growing list of participants. Over the last couple of years, SAO has experienced a surge in interest for its full spectrum of forums and events.
"If people leave these sessions feeling good about their experience, they come back the next time around, and often bring colleagues with them,” said Weber. "Today, we have more buzz and more new attendees than we have had in quite some time. And it’s the quality of the experience that is the cause. For me, SAO’s tag line says it all – connect to innovate.”
Prepared by Brenner Associates PR
Brad Brenner brad@brennerassociates.com
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