Boyer is thrilled to announce that we’re growing again with the addition of Melanie DeKoning as a CRM and ERP project manager.
DeKoning received her bachelor’s degree in English. She had started pursuing a master’s degree in library science when a job with a temp agency changed her trajectory.
What was supposed to be a short-term gig entering data for a company switching out its ERP system turned into a long-term job. BrandPartners was moving from Solomon (Dynamics SL) to Great Plains (Dynamics GP) and hired DeKoning to migrate data to their new system.
That was in 2002, and the more time she spent in the system, the better she understood it. Eventually, she become one of the company’s GP power users and worked her way up to overseeing the entire IT department.
“I kind of fell into it and fell into project management that way,” she said. “It was a great experience. I was super green and I learned a lot.”
When the company went out of business in 2010, DeKoning was expecting her second child and unemployed. Thinking fast, she started her own company offering project management services.
Clean Plate Consulting was designed to help organizations without a PM take a few things off their already-full plates. “Let me help you clean everything up and get your systems live,” she would say.
In that role she focused more on the CRM aspect of a business, representing the customer and working with vendors. After a couple years, she decided she wanted more experience directly servicing the customer. She accepted an ERP project manager job with Tribridge and helped influence the development of a PMO.
At Tribridge, she worked with Microsoft’s ERP systems again, this time with Dynamics SL, GP and NAV. During her 20-plus years in the business, DeKoning said she’s spent about 80 percent on the ERP side and 20 percent on the CRM side — all within the Microsoft ecosystem.
“For Microsoft specifically I like just the flexibility of the app, the reputation of the app — and of Microsoft in general,” she said. She likes that it’s not a “niche” product per se and can help a business in multiple ways.
As far as project management goes, DeKoning likes the opportunity to use her organization, communication and leadership skills.
“I just like project management in general. I’m a PM at heart,” she said.
Having worked in the Microsoft space for many years, DeKoning was already familiar with the Boyer name when she started searching for a new job this spring. By then she was working for an ISV in the public utilities sector. The heavy travel and long hours left her with little time for her family.
A former colleague told her that Boyer was looking to add a PM so she applied for the job. Boyer’s focus on SMB clients and a strong work/life balance for their employees stood out to her.
“I like that there’s an opportunity to help develop processes, knowing that we are on a growth plan right now so I think I bring a lot of ideas to the table on that,” she added.
It’s been an easy transition to Boyer for DeKoning. She’s already familiar with the Microsoft solutions that Boyer’s clients use so can immediately start contributing on her newly assigned projects. The company culture has also lived up to her expectations.
“I’ve just been impressed with the level of transparency that exists … It really seems like (Boyer is) trying to infuse the values with our actions as a company,” she said.
DeKoning and her family live on the New Hampshire seacoast, about an hour north of Boston. Her husband, Brian, works at a marketing agency. They have two teenage sons, Max and Tyler, as well as a double doodle named Olive.
When she’s not busy with her family or work, DeKoning enjoys going to the beach, shopping and decorating/organizing.
And although she moved away from her plan to become a librarian, DeKoning does still enjoy a good book, especially memoirs or true crime books. Her favorite, however, is The World According to Garp by John Irving.
