We love hearing feedback from our users, and were very pleased to see Brandon Freeman’s excitement about Fulcrum when he reached out on Twitter. Brandon is a Civil Engineer with TREKK Design Group, and has been using Fulcrum for multiple projects.
User Highlight: Brandon Freeman, TREKK Design Group
Brandon has been utilizing Fulcrum for a while on his own, mainly to manage marketing contacts. Using Fulcrum as a cheap CRM system has been very usefully, since in his two months of working at TREKK Design Group, Brandon has visited 38 cities! With Fulcrum, he is able to keep track of whom he talked to in each city, what project(s) they have going on, who has been sent proposals, and more.
At TREKK Design Group, inspection services for wastewater collection systems generate the majority of the company’s revenue. The team believes their high-quality, field-collected data provides a significant competitive advantage in the industry. Recently, Brandon began using Fulcrum more extensively for both internal projects and client-facing initiatives, enhancing efficiency and data accuracy.
Brandon used Fulcrum at TREKK Design Group to prepare for a sewer system camera inspection project bid. Using the app, he tagged pictures with manhole IDs and added relevant comments for accurate documentation. On a Friday afternoon, Brandon collected data and sent it to Kansas City before heading home. By Saturday morning, his colleagues reviewed the data and began making decisions regarding TREKK Design’s project bid.
Fulcrum as beta tester
Brandon has also used Fulcrum as a “beta test” for installing new inspection devices during fieldwork. He explained, “Having the information on my tablet helped me locate the manholes during the initial installation process.” Before heading to the field, Brandon reviewed everything at his desk to ensure accurate preparation for the work. Fulcrum allowed him to collect the right data at each site, simplifying later reviews and data analysis.
Brandon has also been working on introducing Fulcrum to rural clients who are lacking in GIS implementation. Transitioning them out of the paper world takes some training, but once his clients get the hang of Fulcrum, they are excited about what a low cost option Fulcrum is for GIS data collection. Just last week, Brandon sent a proposal to a town involving the use of Fulcrum paired with QGIS (which is a FREE GIS program) to map out and inspect the town’s wastewater system. A colleague, Jared Carey from Tri-State Engineering, would provide training to the city’s employees should they accept the proposal.
@fulcrumapp Even small towns with small budgets can have data collection #rural #GIS #android
— Brandon Freeman(@IandIEye) March 8, 2013
Brandon has been using Fulcrum on a Samsung Galaxy Note, and mentioned that he loves the ease with which he can share collected data with others in real time. He is hoping to continue to use Fulcrum, and in even bigger ways, in the future. We love to hear his feedback and especially love to hear about all of the innovative ways he is using Fulcrum. If you have a story about how you’ve used Fulcrum, let us know!
Update 2023
Check out the TREKK Design Group customer success story to learn more about how TREKK uses Fulcrum in conjunction with GIS and 3D imaging software to provide comprehensive design, engineering, and inspection services for its municipal clients.