Advoco, a leading Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) software and maintenance consulting company, today announced it has won the prestigious “Business Partner of the Year” award from the Austin Powder Company, a privately held manufacturing company in Ohio specializing in mining, construction and seismic exploration. Now in its seventh year, this award goes to one of more than 70 vendors for being an exceptional business partner.

 

“The word itself says a lot: partner,” said Marty Osborn, partner of Advoco. “It suggests more than a vendor-client relationship. As business consultants, we consider ourselves true partners in that both sides work together to get the job done, with the same sense of knowledge and care you’d find in a family. This kind of trusted relationship helps both sides succeed.”

 

Larry Domzalski, IT director for the Austin Powder Company and the administrator for the ELDY Austin IT Awards program, said, “The idea behind the ELDY Awards is to reward behaviors that are valuable to our company. We’re looking for partners that understand our culture and really add value.”

 

Advoco has been helping Austin Powder implement EAM software as the company builds new manufacturing facilities, most recently a new plant in Tennessee. “Advoco brought subject-matter expertise and experience in implementation in a space where we had none,” Domzalski said. “We could tell right from the start Advoco was experienced with EAM and knew the product well.”

 

He went on to explain that Advoco experts brought a tremendous amount of value to the process, easing pain for both IT and non-IT employees at Austin Powder. “I don’t know where we would have been if we hadn’t found Advoco. It would have been painful, real painful,” he said. “They know our business so well and are able to relate to what we do.”

This type of client service is what sets Advoco apart from other vendors, Domzalski continued. “We’re looking for someone who understands our business and brings insights that our own team doesn’t have. Not only this, but they are trusted. We trust Advoco to implement something and implement it the right way.”

 

He added, “Too many consultants will just give you what you want. Advoco will do that, but they’ll also tell you what you should have, which is a big deal.”