Issue 31

July-August 2005  

HOME

SUBSCRIBE

FEEDBACK

ARCHIVES

The purpose of Karmak Compass is to keep all our customers informed of current activities within the Karmak family. This newsletter is designed for both technical and non-technical readers. 
In this issue:
What and when?
Conferences
Training: Legend, INFO 5, Director Series 		Hot tips
Did you know?
What's new at Karmak? About Karmak Compass

What and when?
The Power of TechnologyKarmak Technology Conference
& Expo 2005
October 17-21, 2005
Sheraton St. Louis City Center
St. Louis, Missouri

Join us for the largest user conference in Karmak's nearly 25-year history. The Karmak Technology Conference & Expo 2005 features the leading technologies to improve the flow of information for dealers and distributors.

With today’s complex and rapidly changing technology, you need to stay informed of the latest software solutions and the newest hardware. Karmak will explore all the latest advances and new power-packed hardware that will take your business into the future. In addition, you may attend new, expert classroom and roundtable sessions in order to increase inventory turns, improve service, and generally increase efficiency.

You may participate in a variety of other activities throughout the conference:

  • Demonstrations of developing and current Karmak software products
  • One-on-one sessions to gain a better understanding of your business system
  • Powerful security techniques to keep your system secure
  • New topics like parts warranties, placing part orders over the Internet, and more
  • Get Connected, a new discussion about Karmak development and technology
  • Social activities throughout the week
  • Networking with hundreds of other dealers and distributors

Visit our conference website for complete details and register online today!
Top of Page

Karmak Home Page

  Training: Karmak Legend® - INFO 5® - Director Series

New offerings through Karmak Legend Training Center
Whether you are an experienced user looking for ways to increase your efficiency on the Legend system or a new user who needs to get up to speed quickly, you’ll benefit from our intensive classroom training and convenient online Webinars. Our latest schedule includes seven new Webinars on pricing, year-end, and system upgrade procedures, in addition to our popular workshops held at the Karmak Training Center in Carlinville, Illinois. Visit our Training Center website for the current schedule and registration information. Out of the office during scheduled Webinars? Not a problem. Give us a call at 1-800-252-7625 and we will schedule one at a time convenient for you.

INFO 5 Version 7.2 Pre-Update Webinar training
We've added new 7.2 Pre-Update Webinar training sessions through October. These sessions, which are offered to INFO 5 clients at no charge, are designed to allow you an opportunity to get acquainted with the enhancements included in this release. You can have multiple attendees at each Webinar session, which lasts approximately 2 hours and includes time for you to ask questions. Visit the INFO 5 Training page for the current schedule.  To register for Pre-Update 7.2 webinars, visit the INFO 5 Updates section of Karmak's Customer Confidential website, or contact the INFO 5 Applications Support Department at or 1-800-865-8991.

Director Series training
 Call the Director Series Help Desk at 1-866-856-4846 to schedule a WebEx training date after Director Series has been installed on your server. For more on other training options, contact Barb Mitchell, Manager of Director Series Customer Services, at 1-866-856-4846, or e-mail .

Top of Page

Karmak Home Page

Industry news
Karmak customers receive Volvo dealer awards

Congratulations to the following Karmak customers on receiving top honors from Volvo Trucks North America.

  • GATR Volvo, Sauk Rapids, MN (Legend) – US 2004 Volvo Dealer of the Year
  • Mid-Ontario Truck Centre, Barrie ON (Legend) – Canada 2004 Dealer of the Year
  • Chicago Truck Sales & Service, Inc., Alsip, IL (INFO 5) – Volvo Gold Club
  • Coffman Truck Sales Inc., Aurora, IL (Legend) – Volvo Gold Club
  • Central Illinois Trucks, Inc., Springfield, IL (INFO 5) – Volvo Gold Club
  • Volvo and GMC Truck Center of Carolina, Charlotte, NC (Legend) – Volvo Gold Club
Top of Page

Karmak Home Page

What's new at Karmak?

Fast links to Karmak online services

Need to join a Karmak WebEx™ session, but can’t find the URL? Now you can get to Karmak online meetings and support sessions with a simple click. Go to the Karmak home page at www.karmak.com and click the new links on the menu under Web Services. You’ll go directly to the Karmak Online Meeting Center, or the Karmak Online Support Center. These services allow you to attend training webinars, support sessions, or product demos over the Internet while you talk over the phone with a Karmak staff member. Online sessions save you time and travel expenses, and allow Karmak to resolve issues for you efficiently. Now it’s even easier to log on and join in. Contact the appropriate Customer Support or Training group for more on online sessions, or contact your Karmak Regional Manager to set up a product demo. Visit http://www.karmak.com/contact.html for a complete list of e-mail and phone contacts.
Top of Page

Karmak Home Page

Scahill named Vice President of Corporate Relations
 

 Chuck Scahill		 Chuck Scahill was recently promoted to Vice President of Corporate Relations at Karmak, Inc. In this newly created position, Scahill will be the primary contact for all truck and trailer manufacturers, as well as leasing and marketing groups. When expanding these industry relationships, a crucial portion of Scahill’s responsibilities will include having more contact with Business Units, including Dealer Development and Parts Operations.

Previously Vice President of Operations and General Manager of Karmak’s Springfield, Mo. office, Scahill devoted much time and effort to the development of relationships with truck manufacturers. When it became apparent to Scahill and the Karmak Executive Group that this relationship development was vital to the continued success of Karmak, the decision was made to have him expand on these alliances. Scahill’s extensive background in management, development, computer operations, and the trucking industry made him the ideal choice for this duty. Continued>
Top of Page

Karmak Home Page

Osborn promoted to Director of INFO 5 Operations

Karmak recently named Jerry Osborn as the new Director of INFO 5 Operations, where he will oversee Karmak’s office in Springfield, Mo. In addition to heading up the Springfield office in his new position, Osborn will also be directly responsible for all aspects of the INFO 5 product, a product with which he is very familiar.

When he was appointed to this newly created position, Bill Healy, Executive Vice President of Karmak, said that Osborn has made a career learning the ins and outs of computer usage within the heavy-duty truck industry as it relates to Karmak’s market. In more recent years, he has worked to help build and manage the teams required to keep a fast growing company moving forward. Continued>


Jerry Osborn
Top of Page

Karmak Home Page

Karmak hires Greg Holcomb as new Manager of Consulting
 

Greg Holcomb		 Karmak recently announced that Greg Holcomb has been hired as Manager of Consulting. In his new position, Holcomb will oversee Karmak’s entire consulting team. In addition to heading up the department, Holcomb is responsible for continually researching customer and industry technological needs, and working with the team to provide customers with consulting services that assist in meeting their business objectives.

Holcomb joined Karmak in 1996 as Human Resources Director, and held this position for six years. After leaving the company in 2002 to take a position with Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Holcomb now has returned to Karmak. Continued>
Top of Page

Karmak Home Page

Tom Neitz joins Karmak as new Regional Manager

Tom Neitz has recently joined Karmak as a Regional Manager for the Eastern territory. In his new sales position, Neitz will oversee the states of New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maine, ensuring that Karmak customers receive the best sales and service support.

He has more than 30 years of experience in the commercial transportation industry with his most recent positions being with Autocar Trucks of Indiana and Western Star Trucks. Karmak is confident that Nietz’s management skills, combined with his dealership and manufacturing knowledge, will prove to be a valuable asset to Karmak.

Neitz has been a member of the American Truck Dealers Association, National Ready Mix Concrete Association, and National Truck Dealers Association. He currently resides in Elkton, Md.


Tom Neitz
Top of Page

Karmak Home Page

Karmak employees receive IBM Certification
Warren Muldrow and Mary Compton, who work in Karmak's Springfield, Mo. office, recently received IBM Certification in the following areas:


Warren Muldrow


Mary Compton
  • eServer i5 Series
  • Technical Solutions Designer V5R3
Top of Page

Karmak Home Page
INFO 5 software maintenance support increase

INFO 5 clients were mailed a letter at the end of July that explained a 10% increase on monthly support per back-release that will be applied to clients who are not on the last two releases of INFO 5 (7.1A or 7.2). Clients who are on Release 7.1 or older will have until December 31, 2005 to load 7.1A or 7.2.

For example, clients running 7.1 will receive a 10% increase, clients running 7.0B will receive a 20% increase, and clients running 7.0A will receive a 30% increase.

This monthly support increase, which will be effective January 1, 2006, is necessary to help cover the costs of supporting multiple versions of INFO 5. For assistance with upgrading to the latest release of INFO 5, or if you have any questions regarding this support increase, feel free to contact INFO 5 Applications Support at 1-800-865-8991 or .

Top of Page

Karmak Home Page

Hot tips
Legend accounting history parameters online

A new list of Legend program parameters for saving daily and monthly accounting history is now available in the Documentation section of our Customer Confidential website. This detailed list of more than 20 parameter settings and options will help you tailor programs to fit your company’s needs, clean up disk space, and keep your system running smoothly. For more information, or to receive your Customer Confidential login, please contact the Legend Applications Support group at  or 1-888-671-6009.
 
Top of Page

Karmak Home Page

Did you know?
Social engineering – how to protect yourself from a non-technical network attack

In the field of computer security, social engineering is the practice of obtaining confidential information by manipulation of legitimate users. The following typical social engineering tactics demonstrate that you don’t have to receive a computer virus to be stuck by a network attack, and are presented to help you avoid being a victim. Continued>
Top of Page

Karmak Home Page

  About Karmak Compass

This newsletter is designed to bring Karmak customers useful information using the convenience and speed of the Web.

Use our Feedback Form to send us suggestions, comments, or news items for publication.

To subscribe, update your e-mail address, or unsubscribe, use our Subscription page. Subscriptions are free to all Karmak customers.
Top of Page

Karmak Home Page

© 2005 Karmak, Inc.
One Karmak Plaza
P.O. Box 680
Carlinville, IL  62626
www.karmak.com