US Airways - July 2013 - (Page 140)

★ North Carolina High Country Selling Points A Boone-based business software company has become a major player in the retail world. A laid-back mountain town isn’t a location most people would associate with leadingedge technology. From left: ECRS headquarters; ECRS and Appalachian State students are developing solutions such as RAPTOR™ to revolutionize how you shop. 140 july 2013 usairwaysmag.com phOtOs cOurtesy Of ecrs 277 howard street Boone, Nc 800.211.1172 ecrs.com But with breakthroughs in software, robotics, and even artificial intelligence, Boone’s ECR Software Corporation (ECRS) is a high-tech trailblazer on a national scale. Entrepreneur Peter Catoe founded the company in 1989 with a vision to develop software that would help independent retailers improve business practices. Today, ECRS’s point-of-sale-based products are servicing natural-foods grocers, supermarkets, pharmacies, convenience stores, wine, beer, and liquor shops, and other high-volume retail outlets. “We excel in making accessible automation solutions that solve a retailer’s most challenging loss points,” says Catoe. And excel they do. ECRS recently took the consumer checkout experience to the next level with RAPTOR™, a state-of-the-art robotic checkout machine equipped with a 360-degree automated scanner. As RAPTOR™ quickly scans each item, the cashier is left free to bag groceries (don’t’ miss the video of RAPTOR™ on the ECRS website – seeing is believing). Other ECRS solutions include self-checkout robots, vending automation software, customer loyalty programs, warehouse management, inventory tracking, and a revolutionary bi-directional supply chain system for order automation and supplier integration. Aided by the brilliant minds of Appalachian State University students, ECRS continues to grow and holds many specialized patents, with more pending. Catoe notes that advances in robotics and artificial intelligence mean that the possibilities are nearly endless. The ECRS tagline, “automating the science of retail,” may sound enigmatic, but “automated science” is now something you encounter almost every day. http://www.ecrs.com http://www.ecrs.com http://www.usairwaysmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - July 2013

US Airways - July 2013
Table of Contents
CEO Letter
From the Editor
Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: Family-Friendly Vacations
Wine & Dine: The Other Portland
Great Tastes: Benjamin Steakhouse
Wine & Dine: A Crafty Measure
Diversions: Fresh as You Please
Great Tastes: Savor
Great Escapes: Now Resorts & Spas
Adventure: Climbing Mt. Rainier
Travel Feature: Grand Cayman, the Epicure's Island
US Airways: Top Dogs
Special Section: Northwest Arkansas
Golf: Primland, a Course Apart
Special Section: North Carolina High Country
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - July 2013