Events
On Point Technology sponsors NASWA's 2005 Annual Conference
October 4, 2005
On Point Technology recently returned from the Annual NASWA 2005 Conference, held in Rapid City, South Dakota, from September 12–15. Representatives Mike Lorsbach and Ron Burkhart had the opportunity to demonstrate the Barts and Aware products, share their project experiences and hear from state workforce agency administrators about current policies and best practices.
The conference agenda was packed with interesting topics during the day. Highlights of the conference included a presentation by Larry Temple, Executive Director Texas Workforce Commission, regarding his state's heroic response to Hurricane Katrina and a workshop entitled "In Pursuit of the Perfect IT System." During the workshop, representatives from New Mexico, Ohio and Texas shared the painful lessons learned from producing custom-built software solutions and managing consulting firms. Administrators were also impressed with the "Unemployment Insurance Financing" session, where Ron Wilus, Chief of the Division of Fiscal and Actuarial Services for U.S. DOL's Office of Workforce Security, illustrated the multi-year trend of decreased funding. Given the current budget environment and deficit levels, it is obvious that state workforce administrators have an urgent need to improve productivity and efficiency in their agencies.
Between sessions, On Point Technology representatives demonstrated Barts and Aware, the company's two unemployment insurance fraud detection and overpayment management programs. This included the opportunity to demonstrate a version of Aware targeted for SUTA Dumping. Several attendees mentioned their agencies are in the beginning stages of UI modernization efforts and they need to prioritize project efforts. On Point Technology's short timelines for implementing packaged software and quick and significant return on investment provide a compelling reason to move projects that improve UI integrity to the top of the priority list.
On Point Technology is especially grateful to the South Dakota Department of Labor for hosting this successful conference. Their tireless efforts in planning and executing the conference were celebrated during the last evening with a dinner at Mount Rushmore, an evening lighting ceremony and a special surprise multimedia presentation that was played in the national park's outdoor amphitheater. Thanks for a job well done!