ROAMWORKS - TEAMWORKS
Q1 2013 - Employee Email Newsletter
ROAMWORKS M2M Management Approach
As we look at what makes large organizations like Google, Facebook and Apple successful, we
see a consistent pattern that systemically runs through the core business infrastructure. All show
an unwavering commitment to developing best of breed products and services for today’s
changing global marketplace. Their employees share a palpable sense of dedication and
devotion to using, helping and promoting these products. Each company has a community of
users that feeds off of these “brand ambassadors” — regularly interacting with them to help foster
change and growth of their products. And, there is a level of empowerment and self-worth within
each organization that keeps them ranking on “top places to work” lists year after year.
At ROAMWORKS, we like to think that we have a similar approach to how we treat each other,
our products and the community of users that work
with us. Beginning with the company we keep (a.k.a.
our clients) we foster change and growth every day.
It’s up to every member of our team— from sales to
developers to project managers and administrators —
to listen, ask questions, learn and offer ways to
improve our business. It’s up to our management team
and the officers of the company to find ways to make
those requirements happen in order to better service
our customers and the “machine” we call
ROAMWORKS.
Our philosophy centers on truth, openness, honesty,
integrity and respect. We live by these core principles
in our daily lives as well as beyond our office walls,
through relationships with our clients, partners and
suppliers.
Our ability to maintain long-running relationships with
clients, partners and suppliers, as well as an extremely
low employee turnover rate, are evidence that this
philosophy, as simple as it sounds, really does work.
SPOTLIGHT: BONN
Carnival in the Rhineland /
A clownish time of the year
Many of our employees may not be aware
of local custom or holiday traditions
happening throughout the year at each of
our ROAMWORKS offices. Each quarter,
we will highlight some fun, local facts and
customs specific to our various regional
offices. Enjoy!
When February approaches, people in certain regions of Germany – especially those in the
Rhineland (where Bonn is located) – are getting ready for carnival. The carnival celebrations are
an old tradition, dating back to the year 1823 when the French occupied the Rhineland.
Passionate carnival fans, mostly members of some carnival clubs, dress up in costumes and
congregate at carnival sessions in villages, towns and cities. During the sessions there is a lot of
dancing, drinking, eating and singing in “Kölsch” (a Rhineland dialect).
The highlight of each session is the arrival
of the local triumvirate, consisting of the
Prince, the Farmer and the Virgin. The allmale triumvirate is elected each year (yes,
the role of the Virgin is performed by a
man); for dedicated carnival people, it is
considered a great honor to become part
of the triumvirate. During the carnival
season, the triumvirate members wear
glorious uniforms, and most take the
carnival weeks off from work to fulfill their
many carnival tasks. The tradition of costuming and wearing masks symbolizes a desire to banish
the winter season.
On “Weiberfastnacht,” which usually falls on a Thursday during the month of February, but always
50 days prior to Easter Sunday, the 6-day street carnival begins, with the peak of celebrations
falling on the following Monday, which is called “Rosenmontag.” Schools, universities, local
businesses and almost all retail shops are closed on that Thursday and Monday. Throughout the
day and during the evening you can see costumed and masked people walking the streets and
gathering in bars and restaurants. On “Weiberfastnacht” it is a tradition, that women cut men’s
ties. Men – in return – can kiss the women who cut their ties (so you’d better be careful whose tie
you cut…).
On “Rosenmontag” there are processions with lots of decorated parade floats, music bands and,
of course, the triumvirate and their guard. The triumvirate and the people on the parade floats
throw tons of sweets for the spectators, which adds to the enjoyment of the holiday, especially for
the children. This celebration dates back to past centuries when food storages ran low in
February and remained so until Easter, when the first vegetables could be harvested again.
Carnival was a special time where people would celebrate, eat and drink in order to prepare
themselves for the following six weeks of having very little until Easter.
The processions last several hours and take place throughout the main streets and centers of
villages, towns and cities. The larger processions like those in Cologne, Düsseldorf and Mainz
are broadcasted on television similar to the Thanksgiving Day Parade in the U.S. On the following
Wednesday the carnival season ends. For religious people, the fasting period begins during the
Lent Season and lasts until Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
Employee News
We’d like to welcome new employees to the ROAMWORKS team and celebrate those who have
been with us over time. Below are a few new employees that have joined us over the last several
months. If you’ve not had the opportunity to meet them, reach out to them via Skype or email and
welcome them aboard.
After working with the Bonn team remotely for two months, Itamar Medeiros
moved from Shanghai to Bonn in December of 2012. He works for us as a
Senior User Interface Designer. Itamar is 38 years old, a Brazilian national, is
married and has a 1-year-old child.
Peter Litkei joined ROAMWORKS Bonn in February 2013 as a Software
Engineer, after just recently moving from Hungary. Peter is 29 years old, a
Hungarian national and is married to a German native.
Andreas Malerz joined ROAMWORKS Bonn as a Software Engineer in
February 2013.
Andreas lives in Bonn, is 38 years old and is a German national.
Akash Shah joined ROAMWORKS USA in December 2012 as a Software
Engineer. He is helping Peter and the ROAM Development team with
everything from user interface updates, testing and customer training
material.
Customer Corner
Exciting projects are taking center stage in 2013 in both the U.S.
and throughout Ghana, Dubai, Egypt and other parts of the world.
Read the latest news about some of our new clients this quarter.
ROAMWORKS USA has been aggressively ramping up their
trucking, transportation and industrial client roster over the last
several months.
With current
customers deploying
our solution for their
industrial rental
equipment, solar
lighting towers,
manufacturing
process and vehicle
and fleet management solutions, the U.S. team has been busy on-boarding and managing
customized apps for each clients’ requirements.
While our vehicle and fleet tracking solution quickly caters to customers with small-to mid-sized
fleet operations, it is exciting to see how many different industries our clients represent. Most of
you may be aware of our larger clients such as UPS, DHL and Aramex, but many service
companies have an urgent need to better utilize their fleet and drivers across industries such as
chemical transportation, land management, oil and gas transport, and various sectors of local
government municipalities. For instance, clients in the environmental space such as Certified
Radon, located in the Midwestern United States where radon testing is required of homeowners
and businesses, operates a fleet dependent on strict schedules and timely service.
ROAMWORKS MENA also recently launched an application for Halifax, a fuel and lubricants
services provider to the marine industry. Based out of Dubai, their customers are mainly large oil
companies and barge and shipping lines. Their service offerings include the sale of bunker fuels,
lubricants, and blend stocks as well as storage services and the transportation of goods through
their intermodal services group that owns Inland barges, boats, trucks, and containers.
The ROAMWORKS fuel tanker monitoring solution is the first
of its kind deployed to this industry and will monitor various
assets including their tanker trucks.
The customer is currently in pilot phase but will quickly move
to production once some application development work is
complete. Read more about Halifax here…
CONNECT WITH US
The M2M Industry is rapidly growing and ROAMWORKS is leading the way with new, intelligent
solutions for growing industries. Together with our clients, we are changing the way people use
information to operate their business, track assets, keep their employees safe and build better-
performing software and systems. Share our stories, industry links and news with customers,
partners and peers — and JOIN THE CONVERSATION!
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