In August 1990, Gunnlaugur B. Hjartarson and Linunhonnun engineering office, along with Petur Gunnlaugsson, started the MainManager adventure. At the time, the concept of Facility Management did not exist in the minds of its founders. The main objective was maintenance of buildings and the development of knowledge banks for durability of building parts.

Founder, Gunnlaugur reflects:

We were lucky to get good customers from the beginning, but in these early years, we probably also made all the mistakes that could be made. Brave men and women were sent out to building sites to measure and record building components, ranging from windows and walls to technical systems and beyond. We soon became champions on registering building parts, but we had little focus on how maintaining all this detailed information would do the building owner any good. When we saw what they really needed; tools that solves daily tasks, we began to identify what kind of processes are useful for the general management of real estate.

This was a good lesson for us – and our customers. It should be mentioned that they are still our customers today.

After some time, we learned that our subject is called „Facility Management“. We have developed this subject further, with great partners in Scandinavia and the UK. The journey has been extremely instructive. Now, 30 years later, MainManager is used to manage 10.000.000 m2, in 7 countries.

Through our many and varied customers, and off course our skilled employees, we have learned which processes in Facility Management gives the most benefits. It is fair to say that MainManager over the years has developed recognized and tested solutions within the Facility Management sector. So, after 30 years on our own, we are now super excited to start a new adventure as part of the ØRN Software family. I always wanted our product to be accessible for everyone who needs a clear overview of their properties. With ØRN, we will achieve just that.

Graphic Designer, Gro Teig continues:

In 2017 I started my adventure in MainManager. That makes me one of the latest to join the MainManager team. Still, I think my observations, my experience, (and my survey for the employees…) can shed some light on the people behind the product.

So, what started with 1 person in Iceland 30 years ago, now consists of a group of talented individuals in Iceland, Denmark, and Norway. We love to educate ourselves, and in total we spent around 120 years doing so : )

As a goldsmith, turned graphic designer, I must admit, I was a bit nervous about joining the crew of developers, engineers, sales- and product experts. I had been very ill for a few years. I felt a bit off my game, and entered a high intensity work environment, with my own reduced work capacity. All my nerves were soon calmed, as I from the start was very well taken care of. A reason for this might be that we, in addition to working with making great software, also are raising 37 children, 5 dogs, 5 cats and 9 (!) rabbits. That requires a lot of care & love!

I guess we also really love our workplace, as we in average have spent more than 10 years in MainManager. Some a lot more, a couple of us a little less. One can only do so much business, without a good dose of pleasure. We are travelers, nature lovers, party people, sportsmen- and women. We love Fridays, but do not mind Mondays. For those of us, who needs coffee to get through the week, we drink around 4 cups of the brew every day.

Every year all employees, and our partners, meet up for a fun weekend. With offices in Iceland, Denmark, and Norway, we do not really see each other that often. The annual party is therefore an event we all look forward to! 2020 was sadly a year we were not able to keep up the tradition, hug each other and dance the night away. I hope we can reach out beyond the screen soon!”

Now we are entering a new era, with our new extended family; Ørn Software. It’s exciting and we are looking forward to the road we’re going to walk with our new colleagues in Norway.

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