Free Pizza and a Tour!

by Lisa Carbaugh

SWO STC members returned to Miamisburg for their final meeting before summer break. O’Neil & Associates, located at 495 Byers Road, were our hosts providing our meeting room, dinner, and a tour of their facility. After some networking, receiving some O’Neil marketing materials and a really neat spiral notebook (you should have been there!), about 20 STC members and O’Neil representatives enjoyed pizza and beverages before the meeting.

Outgoing 2007-2008 SWO STC President Jean Fudge opened the meeting thanking our hosts. Announcements to consider into a new SWO STC year included:

• Regional conference at Cedarville University – (November 8, 2008)
• Volunteer positions
  • Open officer slots
  • Employment
  • Web master
  • Program committee
  • Membership chairperson
• Summer planning meeting – July 26 (open to all)

Jean then presented awards to active members based on a point-system that included showing up for meetings, bringing guests, and participating. Awardees received their choice of Amazon or Best Buy gift certificates. There’s a creative side to Jean too as she then presented various computer graphic inspired ribbon awards to officers, committee members, speakers, and volunteers who helped throughout the year. As with many organizations, the same names kept coming up of those who served in multiple areas.

Incoming SWO STC President, Louise Tincher, presented Jean with flowers and a gift from the chapter for her service this year. Please contact Louise and ask what you can do for the upcoming 2008-2009 year. There are many jobs both large and small which open up opportunities for professional growth and new friendships. [No guilt intended…well just a little.]

After a short break, Tom Milligan, VP at O’Neil & Associates introduced SWO STC members to what their company offers its military, aerospace, and industrial clients through integrated product support in technical information development.

Since its beginnings in 1947, O’Neil has grown to 300 employees who have a vested interest in the company through its stock option plan. The corporate culture expressed emphasizes the employees to think like owners, provide promotion opportunities, and encourage friendly service. “Customers are only as happy as the employees that serve them.” Perhaps this philosophy prompts O’Neil to provide the motivation and support to employees to empower them to better serve their clients.

Two young technicians at O’Neil presented a Web site developed for equipment dealers to better support their customers. Parts and service manuals, graphic schematics with bidirectional hot spots (yes, it was that cool), updates, and translations were just part of the support offered through this site.

A brief question and answer session followed. We then broke into two groups to tour the facility. After getting through the cubicle maze, we were guided through a demonstration of some of the e-learning capabilities developed at O’Neil. Through another hall, past the fitness center, we came to a room full of washing machines and other home appliances in various states of disassembly. O’Neil provides support to GE Appliances by producing and maintaining monthly updates of their Illustrated Parts Catalog on CD. In 2000, GE Appliances put out to bid the outsourcing of their technical publications. O’Neil won the contract and develops GE appliance technical service guides. In both areas, O’Neil has reduced costs for GE. There’s much more to what O’Neil & Associates develops than what we had time to see on the tour. You can find out more at www.oneil.com.