As the year comes to an end, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on our appreciation for our clients and partners, our 2017 accomplishments, and to share some of the best of our business insights from the past 12 months.
This proved to be a record year for BlueGranite – we’re thankful to our staff, clients and partners for that growth, and for our continued business development. We added new team members, expanded our capabilities, released a new logo, and our staff gave back to communities across the U.S. We’ve also continued to foster strong client relationships through our innovative industry-specific solutions.
Exciting Year-End Highlights
This year we added 11 new members to the BlueGranite team. Thanks to our newest associates, we now have a nationwide presence, increasing our ability to regularly connect face-to-face with our clients. In addition to our team expansion, we are pleased to announce that we spurred business growth by 14 percent this year.
Fortunately, our progress allows us to give back to our local communities. BlueGranite initiated our Day of Service program this year where we encourage team members to spend a work day in June volunteering for a local nonprofit organization of their choice. Across the country, employees came together to volunteer their time and service to 8 charitable U.S. organizations – rehabilitating housing for families with little to no income; implementing and upgrading tech at a kids’ summer camp; helping support local military personnel and their families; and working to feed the hungry in over 19 counties, as well as those who have trouble getting out of the house or are too weak to prepare food, and bringing a mobile grocery to communities with little access to fresh food.
In addition to donating our time in 2017, BlueGranite started the BlueGranite Give Back program: our team members nominate, then vote for, a nonprofit organization to support in December. We chose the Bronson Children’s Hospital this year, one of four Michigan hospitals that do wonderful work helping children and their families recover from serious illnesses. Thanks to our team members’ contributions, and BlueGranite’s donation match, we raised almost $5,000.
Our new logo release in October was another exciting BlueGranite first. After 15 years of growth under our former branding, we wanted to visually mark our evolution. Through research, dialogue, and team collaboration, we created a new, up-to-date design that represents BlueGranite’s passion for data, our expertise in building effective solutions, and our delivery of value across organizations.
We also expanded our Azure AI and Cognitive Services and Advanced Analytics industry-specific solutions in 2017. Additionally, we drove tremendous growth in our advanced analytics client projects – a trend we look to continue in 2018.
2017’s Top Blog Content
Every year our writers create a wealth of valuable blog content – this year proved to be no different. Check out some of our top 2017 posts for a look back at helpful tips and the latest and greatest analytics industry advancements.
- 5 Useful Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) Functions for Beginners, by Greg Foley
Want to start using DAX functions? We know from experience that it can sometimes be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Greg’s tips explain filter, calculate and related functions, and more, help you start strong with DAX.
- 3 Reasons to Consider Microsoft’s R Tools for Visual Studio, by David Eldersveld
Microsoft announced a preview of R Tools for Visual Studio (RTVS) in 2016 – but it left some users confused about when and where you might use RTVS if you are already using R Studio. David does a great job here exploring useful ways to incorporate RTVS under the right circumstances.
- Introducing Power BI Report Server, by Josh Crittenden
Microsoft made the Power BI Report Server publicly available in June as a part of its Power BI Premium announcement. Josh details Power BI Report Server’s functions, key features, and limitations.
- ImpoRting and ExpoRting: Getting Data Into and Out of R, by Colby Ford
Colby’s quick demonstration and walkthrough of reading and writing common flat files, importing and exporting data, and working with SAS files is full of tips, tricks, and code that you can try out in R yourself.
- Four Tips for Using Azure Data Factory to Load Your Data to Azure Data Lake Store, by Meagan Longoria
Moving your data to Azure Data Lake Store with Azure Data Factory? Start with Meagan’s blog post – especially if you are getting into ADF with a SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) background.
What a Year!
BlueGranite had a record year in 2017 – and we couldn’t have done it without you! From the BlueGranite team, we thank you for your support and wish you a wonderful holiday season and happy New Year!
