New Lab Focal Point of Upcoming Annual Conference

A la mode will introduce its new laboratory to media and customers on June 18.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK. – a la mode, one of the most mission critical and influential technology companies in the real estate industry, will unveil a new initiative to the industry during its upcoming Annual Convention to be held at the Rio Hotel in Las Vegas, June 18-20, 2007. The a la mode labs project is a revolutionary new vendor/customer relationship that has already resulted in some exciting changes to the way the company develops new technology.

The labs are an “idea farm” for appraisal technology, where the company, its customers and paid Research Fellows collaborate on new products to help make appraisers more productive, efficient and profitable.  As ideas percolate, developers build prototypes and appraisers test and deliver feedback, the next generation of appraisal technology will mature into the marketplace.

“In the labs, we’ll be working on truly revolutionary products and ideas, not just evolutionary improvements,” said Dave Biggers, a la mode’s founder and Chairman. “We will collaborate with practicing appraisers who have a penchant for grand ideas and a thirst for cool technology.  Through the labs, appraisers are more than ever a direct part of the company’s efforts.”

Biggers said that for a la mode customers, the new labs will be like seeing concept cars at an auto show, with the exception that his customers will actually get to drive the new products.

“The way appraisers work never stops changing,” said Matt Barr, a la mode’s Communications Director. “Our feedback from customers and non-customer appraisers alike on the labs initiative has been extremely positive.  There are a lot of great ideas out there, and the labs are where we’re going to grow the best ones into products in the market.”

The labs launched its first e-mail newsletter May 2 and the response was impressive, Barr said.

Thus far a la mode has hired four Research Fellows for the labs, but Biggers said he plans to hire more in the future.

“We’re looking for appraisers who consider themselves visionaries when it comes to appraising and technology,” he said. “The labs will allow us to work on leading edge technologies without taking company employees away from the day-to-day tasks geared at satisfying our customers’ daily form filling and production needs.  That means we need to work with our customers, and we’re doing it like no one else in the industry ever has.”

“There are many new areas of opportunity, from wireless connectivity to voice control to data and signature security to field data gathering using Ultra-Mobile PCs,” Biggers continued. “The labs will ensure that cool new ideas see the light of day and our customers will get to try them long before they mature into production-level tools.

“That’s always been our approach: cutting edge ideas years ahead of our competitors.”

To find out more about the new a la mode labs, surf to http://www.alamode.com/labs.

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About a la mode

Founded in 1985, a la mode develops desktop tools, mobile tools, web sites for real estate professionals, mortgage brokers, and appraisers. a la mode’s flagship product, WinTOTAL form-filling software for appraisers leads the residential appraisal industry.  a la mode’s Mercury Network, a vendor management platform for lenders, provides the most experienced local appraisers in an HVCC-compliant, easy-to-use loan ordering and management application. a la mode’s mission-critical products are used by hundreds of thousands of appraisers, agents, inspectors, and lending professionals to complete the nation’s real estate transactions.  The company’s state-of-the-art offices are located in Salt Lake City, Oklahoma City, and Washington, DC.  To learn more, visit www.alamode.com.