SWUGN Group Leader Spotlight – Jose Saldana

Jose Saldana – SOLIDWORKS User Group of Fresno – Fresno, CA

IMG_20141116_163615“Even though I’ve been using SOLIDWORKS for 15 years, I’m still learning new modeling, assembly and drawing techniques from other users. I’ve learned to be more open and meet new people and have become a more confident public speaker.”

Jose Saldana has been the leader of the SOLIDWORKS User Group of Fresno since 2012; just 2 years after the group was first formed. In addition to this, Jose is also “the documentation manager for M2 Antenna Systems Inc. in Fresno California.  We design and build custom communication systems for armature radio, aerospace and national defense.” He first used SOLIDWORKS back in 2001 while attending Fresno City Community College.  Besides being a SOLIDWORKS user, Jose describes himself as “a family man, traveling man, photographer, disc jockey, retro gamer, and avid cyclist.”12745498_762710973830678_1956853825219863736_n

When asked what the worst meeting the Fresno user group has ever had, Jose said “It was the worst meeting only because it’s the meeting with the lowest attendance. I believe we had 26 attendees. The meeting was still great, but we normally have 35+
users attend. The more users attend the better.”

The more, the merrier; right Jose? So, why should people join a user group? Jose says: “Free Pizza! Free SOLIDWORKS training! Free SOLIDWORKS swag! Everybody loves the F word: “Free”. Besides the freebies, the user group meetings are awesome. The meetings provide the opportunity to meet new people, ask for help, learn from others and talk about some of our daily struggles. It’s a SOLIDWORKS moral support group.”

Since 1996, SOLIDWORKS User Groups have been a valuable resource for SOLIDWORKS users all over the world.  The SWUGN Committee and DS SOLIDWORKS provide ample support, but the real stars are the SOLIDWORKS User Group Leaders. Every week or so, we’ll spotlight one of our group leaders and the local user group chapter that they are responsible for leading.

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Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corp. offers complete 3D software tools that let you create, simulate, publish, and manage your data. SolidWorks products are easy to learn and use, and work together to help you design products better, faster, and more cost-effectively. The SolidWorks focus on ease-of-use allows more engineers, designers and other technology professionals than ever before to take advantage of 3D in bringing their designs to life.
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