IRON SWUG 2023: Two Motorcycles, 1,200 Miles, 12 presentations …the Epic Ride Continues!

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First off, if you are unfamilar with IRON SWUG, let’s do a little recap. Back in 2020 and 2021, the SOLIDWORKS User Group Network (SWUGN) was unable to meet in person due to restrictions put in place during the pandemic. As the world re-opened, in-person SWUGN meetings were back in full swing, but one that deserves a special mention is IRON SWUG.

IRON SWUG was actually a series of events that took place in late July, 2022. Adam Ebernickel, the leader of the WNC-Asheville SOLIDWORKS User Group, and Brad Meador, leader of the StarCity SWUG, put together a series of six, back-to-back user group meetings along the south east corner of the U.S., spread over five days.

Adam and Brad attended each meeting and delivered a new presentation each day. That meant they would each deliver six new presentations, which is a serious challenge for even the most skilled presenter. They even created a Virtual ZOOM option and live streamed each meeting for anyone who was not able to make the meetings in person.

To top it all off, they were riding their motorcycles on this epic journey. That’s right, 1,200 miles in one week! These guys are the real deal and this event pumped a lot of energy into the SWUGN community. Adam also asked his son to ride along with them to help take pictures and document the trip. They encountered mechanical problems, brutal heat, pouring rain and a tight schedule, but they pushed through and completed this event in style!

You can catch up on all the action that happened during IRON SWUG 2022 in this blog post.

A new year, a new IRON SWUG challenge

This year’s IronSWUG  tour will consist of 5-6 different user group meetings over five days.

Fun fact: the term IronSWUG is derived from the “Ironbutt Association,” a long-distance motorcycle group and the SOLIDWORKS User Group network. If you live close, don’t miss out on these amazing events. There will also be awesome and different presentations at each location to nerd out on.

The Riders:

Adam Ebernickel is a native of northeast Tennessee, works and serves around his area. He has a degree in drafting and design, mechanical draftsman, technology, and certification in CSWA, CSWP, CSWP-DT, CSWP-W, CSWP-SM, CSWP-S, 3DEXPERIENCE. He has 20+ years of design/engineering experience. He has worked for Altec Ind. for Nine years and has taught at Mayland in the Applied Engineering Department for seven years and ConEd for five years. He volunteers in the SOLIDWORKS Community as the WNC Asheville SWUG leader, Southeast Regional SWUG rep, Altec SWUG rep, and SW Champion. In his spare time, he loves to ride his motorcycle, travel, camp, and boat with his wife, daughter, and two sons.

Brad “Tank” Meador is a native to the Roanoke, VA area. He is a mechanical designer with 16 years of SOLIDWORKS experience and a Project Designer at Altec Industries for the past 10 years.  After being awarded his CSWE in 2018, he has been on a mission to help SOLIDWORKS users worldwide level up their CAD game by teaching at many 3DEXPERIENCE World Conferences, leading the StarCitySWUG user group as well as being a member of the SOLIDWORKS Champions program. When not working or teaching, Tank is a husband, father, motorcycle enthusiast, live music producer and overall tech nerd.

Where will we be this year?

Burnsville, NC – 6/19/2023

Roanoke, VA – 6/20/2023

Philadelphia, PA – 6/21/2023

Albany, NC – 6/22/2023

Waltham, MA 6/23/2023 **** Finale****

 

To learn more about SWUGN and find the group closest to you, visit www.SWUGN.org

If you don’t have a group in your backyard, consider starting your own group.

www.SOLIDWORKS.com/UserGroupLeaderApplication

 

Dan Wagner

Dan Wagner

Dan is manager of the SOLIDWORKS User Group Network (SWUGN). he has spent over 12 years in the reseller channel providing technical support to SOLIDWORKS users, teaching SOLIDWORKS classes, and delivering marketing & sales presentations to new and experienced SOLIDWORKS users. He is a Certified SOLIDWORKS Expert and is thrilled to continue serving the SOLIDWORKS community for many years to come.