CRS Client Stories
Do you want a better understanding of the breadth of our work? Here are examples of how CRS has helped meet the ongoing needs of clients.
| Training Solutions: the Minnesota GIS/LIS Consortium
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| After years of relying on loaned computers—a strategy that required volunteers staying up into the wee hours of the morning to load specialized software product onto each—the coordinators of the Minnesota GIS/LIS (geographic/land information systems) Consortium’s annual conference found a much better, and easier, solution. “We hired professionals to come in and take care of all the technology arrangements for us,” explained Jeff Storlie, chair of the Duluth, Minnesota event. “We were very pleased that we chose Computer Rental Systems to handle the details.” GIS/LIS experts from universities, cities, counties and states in the Upper Midwest have come to rely on the annual conference to provide valuable computer training, especially during a time of dwindling budgets that makes such training difficult to fund. Organizers of the GIS conference devoted a full day to software training workshops last fall, which required them to set up four computer labs at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (DECC). This hands-on training is critical to the growth of the organization. “If we couldn’t set up the computer labs, we’d have to rely on a lecture format, which wouldn’t be nearly as valuable to our members,” Storlie said. “But we weren’t sure exactly what we needed to pull it off this year, and CRS provided the expertise and the flexibility—including a last minute decision to bring more computers—that we needed.” Computer Rental Systems delivered over 80 computers for the event. Corey, Chris and Steve made the 150-mile journey to Duluth on a cold, rainy fall day, took care of all set up, reconfigured some rooms between the morning and afternoon sessions, and took everything down once the event wrapped. Best of all, according to Storlie, CRS took care of all the software needs for the conference, meaning that the GIS software used by trainers was loaded in advance onto the computers at CRS’ Minneapolis location, saving planners many hours of valuable pre-event sleep. “It’s a stressful time before a conference, and no one wanted to waste energy scrambling to load software and set up hardware. But that’s what our people were doing in past years.” Regarding pre-event planning, Storlie said that everything felt different as the conference in Duluth approached. “Even though we were doing something bigger and broader than we had ever pulled off, CRS assured us that the computer portion of our event would work out.” CRS arranged a two-year agreement with the GIS organization, which means that the signature yellow truck will once again make the trip to northern Minnesota in fall of 2010, once again full of computers pre-loaded with GIS software. Storlie and his colleagues are planning for greater attendance—and a good night’s sleep. |
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CRS will be providing equipment for these upcoming events:
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Computer Rental Systems
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