Inside Spectrum 2025: Highlights, Insights, and Moments from Chicago
By AJ Jennings, Marketing Specialist
When Odyssey ERP users, partners, and the B&L team come together, the results are immediate. Spectrum 2025, the annual user conference hosted by B&L Information Systems, brought the Odyssey ERP community together in Chicago for two days of focused collaboration.
More than a product training event, Spectrum was a forum for sharing ideas, solving challenges, and celebrating success. From inspiring breakout sessions to networking on Lake Michigan, attendees left with practical takeaways they could apply immediately as well as a renewed sense of the community that makes the Odyssey ERP experience so powerful.
Here are a few highlights of the connections, insights, and strategies Odyssey ERP users are bringing back to their teams from Spectrum 2025.
Leadership Address
The conference kicked off with a warm welcome from B&L’s President, Kevin Ramirez. As his first Spectrum event, Kevin shared both personal reflections and company history, noting how the event has evolved over the years—from PB&J lunches in the early days to the catered meals of 2025.
He recognized Radley, our event sponsor, for their support and partnership and noted the important role our partners play in supporting both B&L and the wider Odyssey ERP community.
Kevin’s opening message emphasized the value of coming together as a community to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and strengthen industry connections.
Driving Customer Value
Kristine Craft, VP of Professional Services, showcased how B&L’s support teams drive measurable customer value. Her presentation underscored that customer ROI comes from both the power of Odyssey and the dedicated teams who support its use.
Kris highlighted customer achievements that are translating directly to the bottom line:
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Using the Quality module, one customer reported a scrap reduction from 50% to an industry-leading 2%
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For another customer, Auto-Invoicing reduced AP data entry by 45%, significantly speeding up financial processing
In the past year, B&L resolved more than 3,600 support tickets and earned an average customer satisfaction rating of 4 out of 5. Whether you’re troubleshooting issues, exploring new features, or requesting custom reports, customers can rely on our skilled teams to help you every step of the way.
Navigating the Industry
Jim Eaton, VP of Business Development, provided an economic and industry outlook to help customers plan for the year ahead. Since B&L’s customers are suppliers to many industries, his insights connected broader market dynamics to the day-to-day operations in metalcasting.
A few market highlights:
- Agricultural Equipment: Projected revenue growth of 6.7% through 2026
- Defense Equipment: Projected 4.5% CAGR through 2032
- Heavy Truck: Production down 27% vs. 2024 due to freight and regulatory challenges
Jim’s message was a key theme of the conference: market conditions are always evolving, but with the right ERP solutions in place, Odyssey customers are positioned to succeed across industries.
Odyssey ERP Roadmap
Brad Clark, VP of Research and Development, shared a forward-looking view of Odyssey ERP’s roadmap, emphasizing a move toward proactive development and accelerated delivery. He confirmed a faster release cadence to get features into your hands sooner.
At its core, the roadmap is engineered for your success, prioritizing security and advanced productivity based on direct customer feedback:
- Odyssey 7.2 (Coming November 2025): The next major update includes a focus on security with the rollout of Single Sign-On (SSO/SAML Authentication) for the B&L Cloud, plus the continued conversion of key screens to the Modern UI.
- Odyssey 7.3 Preview: Look forward to major flagship features like Maintenance Notes & Checklists and Contract Review, alongside powerful customer-driven enhancements, such as Auto-Splitting Shop Orders.
This commitment to faster releases and incorporating customer feedback ensures your investment in Odyssey remains secure and aligned with the unique, complex demands of the metalcasting industry.
Learning and Collaboration
This year’s Spectrum event offered over 40 break sessions designed to help attendees sharpen their skills and discover new ways to leverage Odyssey. From technical deep dives to business strategy sessions, the variety ensured there was something valuable for every role and experience level.
Breakout Session: Maintenance Management
A breakout session on Odyssey’s Maintenance Management module presented by Walton Yeboah-Amoako, Customer Account Manager, explored the theme, “Prevention is better than a cure.” He discussed how customers are moving beyond costly, “reactive” maintenance using Odyssey’s Maintenance Management module. This module integrates labor, parts inventory, asset management, and gauge management, allowing teams to schedule and track preventive maintenance.
Walton shared eye-opening results from customers:
- 40% improvement in uptime
- $1 million reduction in annual unscheduled repair costs.
- 98% reduction in emergency parts shipments
Attendees learned the setup process and how the module empowers maintenance techs with direct access to machine manuals, videos, and work orders via Shop Floor Manager.
Breakout Session: Corrective Action Reports
In another session, Software Developer Stephanie Ruszkowski showcased the power of the Corrective Action Reports (CARs) module, demonstrating how Odyssey moves your team beyond simple nonconformity tracking to root-cause prevention.
Stephanie shared these three core advantages of the CARs module:
- Audit-Ready History: CARs provide an auditable, historical log of every step taken to resolve nonconformities (product, material, tool, or equipment issues).
- Built-in Accountability: The system assigns clear ownership to an individual for every issue and provides automated email notifications for tasks and deadlines.
- Custom Resolution: Attendees learned how to set up customized action paths (including the industry-standard 8D process) to systematically resolve issues and demonstrate compliance.
This session showed how the CARs module transforms quality management from paper-based headaches into a streamlined, automated process, making it a powerful tool for compliance and continuous improvement.
Personalized Guidance and Insight
While the breakout sessions delivered actionable insights, many attendees found the opportunity to sit down one-on-one with B&L staff a valuable part of Spectrum. These one-on-one connections allowed customers to dive into their own challenges, preview upcoming features, and get hands-on guidance from the people who know the software best.
“It’s about building connections with the B&L team. The technology seminar was a valuable resource, and the presenter went out of his way to answer all questions afterward. He even offered to be a point of contact moving forward, which is incredibly valuable for us.” – Eddie Woolf, IT Manager, Spuncast, Inc.
These meaningful conversations proved that Spectrum creates moments that turn into action, equipping attendees with strategies, solutions, and contacts they can immediately put to work.
Keynote Spotlight: Innovation Across Roles
Award-winning speaker Steve Lerch delivered an inspiring keynote that challenged attendees to rethink how innovation happens within their organizations.
He emphasized three principles:
- Look for innovation everywhere
- Prioritize iteration and feedback
- Embrace employees’ passions, curiosities, and skills
Steve encouraged attendees to actively solicit ideas from every level:
“Write an email to your team, partners, or customers. Let them know you want their ideas—random, weird, half-baked, or unrelated to their day-to-day role. Ask again and again, and show them you’re serious.”
The talk sparked a wave of creative thinking that attendees could apply immediately.
Celebrating Customer Success
Historically, Spectrum recognizes one customer for outstanding achievement, but this year, we had multiple teams whose leadership, innovation, and dedication to continuous improvement deserved recognition. Spectrum 2025 honored four customers whose work exemplifies the impact of Odyssey ERP.
Customer Excellence Award – Metal Technologies
This award recognizes a team whose strategic foresight and execution have led to an outstanding implementation and extensive, effective use of Odyssey ERP.
Metal Technologies has been a B&L customer since 2005 and were early adopters of Odyssey’s Inter-Company Cash module. They consistently offer feedback that has helped enhance Odyssey features, and they’ve also hosted plant tours for B&L staff, giving firsthand insight into operations.
“On behalf of our entire organization, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you for honoring Metal Technologies with the Customer Excellence Award at this year’s Spectrum Conference. We are truly grateful for the recognition and proud to partner with a company that values innovation, collaboration, and customer success. We’re excited about the future and look forward to the continued role Odyssey will play in our business.” – Brooke Ameling, Odyssey Support Manager at Metal Technologies
Transition Trailblazer Award – MCC International, Inc.
Awarded to a team who has boldly led others through a major change with vision, resilience, and integrity using Odyssey ERP, this recognition celebrates the company’s ability to embrace transformation and elevate performance.
Strategic Visionary Award – Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry Company, Inc.
This award honors leaders who see beyond today, build for tomorrow’s strength with Odyssey ERP, and exemplify transformative leadership, highlighting forward-thinking strategy and innovative use of technology.
Community Leader Award – Berntsen Brass & Aluminum Foundry, Inc.
Presented to a team that demonstrates outstanding leadership by offering insightful suggestions that improve Odyssey ERP, this award recognizes contributions that strengthen the Odyssey community through collaboration and knowledge-sharing.
Discussion Panel: Peer Insights and Best Practices
Spectrum also featured a dynamic discussion panel, giving attendees a chance to hear directly from peers and Odyssey ERP experts about best practices and real-world challenges.
Panelists included:
- AJ Menefee, Eagle Precision Cast Parts, Inc.
- Mark Danly, Danly Consulting Services LLC
- Jordan Barnes, General Die Casters
- Kevin Carlson, B&L Information Systems
- DJ Medlin, B&L Information Systems
Sparked by audience questions, there was a notable discussion about accommodating a multilingual workforce. Panelists shared practical strategies like:
- Collaborating with a local Spanish teacher to translate materials and load them into Odyssey
- Reducing language barriers through universally understood cues, such as customizing button colors in Odyssey (i.e., green for go, red for stop)
The discussion showed the value of peer learning and the depth of experience within the Odyssey ERP community.
Networking on the Water
We’d be remiss not to mention the epic boat cruise on Lake Michigan, where attendees had the chance to connect in a relaxed setting while taking in Chicago’s stunning skyline. Customers, partners, and B&L team members mingled, shared laughs, and enjoyed a delicious dinner.
B&L President Kevin Ramirez led a celebratory toast, honoring the collective achievements of the Odyssey community and the shared commitment to innovation, efficiency, and growth.
The evening also featured a lively friendly trivia competition, testing teams on everything from Chicago history to metalcasting knowledge and Odyssey ERP facts. Laughter and spirited competition filled the deck.
The cruise was Spectrum at its best—mixing fun, friendship, and the kind of conversations that strengthen partnerships long after the event ends. Attendees returned to shore energized and with a sense of community to carry into their work back home.
Looking Ahead
Spectrum 2025 brought the Odyssey ERP community together to share knowledge, solve challenges, celebrate wins, and build lasting relationships. It’s this mix of people, ideas, and innovation that keeps our industry moving. We can’t wait to bring the community back together for Spectrum 2026.
If you want to know more about what makes Spectrum a must-attend experience for Odyssey users or want to learn more about joining us next year, reach out to our team. We’d love to welcome you to our next Spectrum event!
