Socius

Socius’ Year in Review – A Look Back at 2009

Thursday, December 31, 2009 by Julie Stankey

2009 will be remembered as one that was challenging for businesses everywhere.  Although this year presented many challenges to Socius, it also gave us a lot to celebrate!  As this year comes to a close, I wanted to take a look back at the highlights by month.

January
We were honored to be featured in RCP Magazine along with our partner PCMS IT Advisory Group.  The article entitled “A Tale of Two Partners” explained how we worked with PCMS to exceed the expectations of a mutual client.  This article highlighted all of the reasons that Socius and PCMS had together received Microsoft’s Partnering to Succeed Award in 2008. 

February
Instead of asking our clients and prospects to brave the Ohio winter weather to attend in-person events, we hosted many successful webinars during the month of February. 

March
In March, we were delighted to participate in two very exciting events.  First we had the pleasure of hosting over 30 of our clients at Convergence, Microsoft Dynamics’ annual conference, which took place in New Orleans.  It was an amazing time of learning and fun for us to share with our clients.  After returning home, we were pleased to participate in the launch of the new Dublin Entrepreneurial Center (DEC).  Our Dublin office is located on the third floor of the DEC.  As one of the initial tenants, it has been very exciting to see the DEC take shape and the building fill with emerging businesses.

April
Socius was once again honored to be listed prominently on the VAR 100 list produced by Accounting Technology and Web CPA.  2009 was the fourth consecutive year that we have been on this prestigious list of the top value added resellers of mid-level accounting software packages. 

May
May saw the beginning of our annual three-city tour of client education and appreciation events.  The theme of this year’s tour was “RACE for Results” and featured our newly launched Business Intelligence methodology and how it fits with our various ERP and CRM solutions.  Following each of these educational events, we enjoyed a meal and a local sporting event with our clients. 

June
June was a huge month for Socius.  First, we launched this, the Socius blog, a project that was years in the making.  Shortly after, we received word that we were one of two finalists for the 2009 worldwide Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner of the Year award.  After winning the 2008 Microsoft Dynamics GP Partner of the Year award, we are absolutely thrilled to maintain our position at the pinnacle of our industry. 

July
We followed up our Partner of the Year success by being included in the 2009 edition of Microsoft’s Inner Circle and President’s Club.  This year was the 15th year (out of 17 possible years) that Socius has been a member of Inner Circle, the top echelon of all Microsoft partners. 

August
We ended our summer by sponsoring and participating in The Summer Scurry to benefit the PMP Research Foundation, an organization founded by a Socius client who is currently battling PMP, a form of abdominal cancer. 

September
September was very busy month for Socius.  We participated in several accounting shows put on by the Ohio Society of CPAs and presented at two SpechTECHular events throughout the state.  In the midst of these events, we launched a newly redesigned website!  Our new site not only allows us to present more information in a more streamlined fashion, it also enables us to interact more via various social media channels like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

October
In mid-October, we hosted our annual client conference, Aspire at The Conference Center at NorthPointe just north of Columbus, Ohio.  This year’s event featured a keynote address by business innovation expert, Bonnie Robertson, 36 educational breakout sessions on software specific and general business concepts, presentations and exhibits by our ISV partners, and sneak-peek presentations about the future of our software products by Microsoft and Sage executives.  We also presented five of our clients with awards for innovation at the event. 

November
We traveled to Atlanta, Georgia in November with several clients to attend Summit, Sage’s annual conference.  It a was a great time of learning for all!  We returned to find out that we made the inaugural list of Bob Scott’s Insights VAR Stars.  It is a true honor to be recognized on this list. 

December
We are ending our year on a high note by receiving the 2009 Best of Business Award in the Business management consultant category by the Small Business Commerce Association.  Finally, we are privileged to make holiday donations on behalf of 200 of our clients to the American Red Cross, the Arthritis Foundation, and Autism Speaks. 

Thanks for taking this walk down memory lane with us and celebrating with us all of these great successes of 2009.  We wish you and your business a prosperous 2010!