{"id":11008,"date":"2018-11-27T16:30:53","date_gmt":"2018-11-27T21:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/roofingmagazine.com\/?p=11008"},"modified":"2018-11-27T16:00:10","modified_gmt":"2018-11-27T21:00:10","slug":"roofing-technology-think-tank-members-hold-meeting-at-microsoft-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/roofingmagazine.com\/roofing-technology-think-tank-members-hold-meeting-at-microsoft-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"Roofing Technology Think Tank Members Hold Meeting at Microsoft Campus"},"content":{"rendered":"
In their continuing effort to learn, understand and share with the industry how the latest technologies can be applied to roofing, the Roofing Technology Think Tank (RT3)<\/a> recently held an exciting Live Meetup on the Microsoft Campus in Redmond, Washington. RT3 Board member Ken Kelly, president of Kelly Roofing, leveraged his relationship with Microsoft and their partner, HCL Power Objects, to arrange the event.<\/p>\n Kelly Roofing has been a pioneer in leveraging technology through the Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform to streamline and accelerate the company\u2019s business processes. Working through Power Objects, Kelly has a robust system running all aspects of his business from initial lead capture on his website, all the way through estimating, proposal, ordering, installation and warranty filing. Kelly Roofing was recognized by Microsoft, winning the Modern Small or Medium Business category of the 2015 Visionary Award<\/a>. <\/p>\n Kelly opened the day by providing an overview of how Microsoft solutions work together to help him be more productive in running his business more effectively and efficiently. He is passionate about technology and explained that passion in an interview with RT3 member and Art Unlimited CEO Anna Anderson saying, \u201cIf you think about our industry, we get stuck in our own little world, we have blinders on. To be able to come [to Microsoft] see what some of the world\u2019s best practices are and how they are leveraging tech in all industries and to be able to adopt that and bring it to our industry is super exciting.\u201d <\/p>\n After hearing from Kelly, the group toured Microsoft\u2019s Internet of Things (IOT) lab where they were able to see the future of how technology will be used to help keep workers safe on the jobsite. Pankaj Gupta, the general manager of the Business Innovation Group at Microsoft partner HCL, works in the lab and provided a tour and demonstration to RT3 members. Gupta showed how a hard hat was fitted with sensors that use the internet to communicate vital information to someone not on the jobsite. For instance, it could detect if a worker were struck on the head or experienced a fall. Similar sensors are available that could be inserted into a safety vest or on a harness.