Alleviate and Educate: When Financial Pressures Mounted, GreatAmerica Delivered on Value Proposition

In times of economic turmoil, despair and anxiety, one of the last places a business would expect to find comfort, solutions, education and perspective is a financing company. Yet, when the pandemic struck and uncertainty was the lone assurance, GreatAmerica Financial Services
Read More

Pride in Performance: Exemplary Technical Service Enables Modern Office Methods to Win Customer Hearts

Like many office dealer executives, Kevin McCarthy stakes a claim to having the best technical service team in the business. But where the president and CEO of Cincinnati-based Modern Office Methods (MOM) parts from his industry colleagues is his ability to demonstrate it in
Read More

Choose Your World: Production Print Applications Abound for the Initiated

Taking on the subject of production print is akin to a conversation about politics or religion. Tread lightly, because just below the superficial level lies a world of nuance, technicality, history and trends. Thankfully, there’s no emotion involved in the world of print, unless
Read More

When Creativity Meets Opportunity: Nontraditional Marketing Ploys Spark Engagement

It doesn’t take a pandemic to alert office technology dealers to the possibilities that unique and nontraditional marketing initiatives can provide in generating engagement among existing and prospective clients. But what we have learned since March 2020 is that ingenuity, humor
Read More

Customers for Life: B&B Consulting Difference Maker Barbara Bragger Willing to Go Extra Mile

Barbara Bragger remembers one particular New Year’s Eve fondly. It certainly wasn’t for any of the reasons generally connected with the occasion, and at the time it was more than a little inconvenient. In the long run, this particular NYE experience solidified her standing as a
Read More

Social Media Becoming a Cornerstone Element in Dealer Marketing Programs

In the movie “The Social Network,” the actor portraying Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is more than a little hesitant about selling advertising on his fast-growing platform. Advertising, he felt, just isn’t cool, and he didn’t want it to become a wet blanket that could stunt
Read More

A Little Traction Goes a Long Way for Loffler Companies Difference Maker Jim Loffler

The proverbial road to success is hardly a linear one. Every few thousand miles or so, it requires the traveler to pull out a map to better gauge the path that’s been followed and to see which options—or forks in the road—lie ahead. For Jim Loffler, that map turned out to be the
Read More

M&A Roundup: Applied Imaging, Fruth Group and Donnellon McCarthy Pull Off Deals

As we head down the home stretch of 2021, the volume and frequency of industry acquisitions continue to grow. This week, three major dealers—Applied Imaging, Fruth Group and Donnellon McCarthy Enterprises—each added to their geographic holdings through deals. Applied Imaging
Read More

Take No Prisoners: Inauspicious Start Doesn’t Deter Vision Office Systems Difference Maker Jason Habbal

There was once a time when Jason Habbal wondered what he had gotten himself into. The son of Fred Habbal, owner of Vision Office Systems in Charlotte, North Carolina, Jason had graduated from Western Carolina University, where he had also worked in the school’s IT department,
Read More

Two-Minute Drill: ITEX Returns to Las Vegas Nov. 9-10 with Mission to Guide Dealers in Post-Pandemic World

Marc Spring isn’t pulling any punches. He feels there are certain realities that have been brought about by the pandemic, and in order to thrive in its aftermath, dealers need to equip themselves with not only the tools to make it happen but also the perspective to accept that a
Read More

Website Optimization Tools Enable Dealers to Measure, Tweak Marketing Endeavors

Remember those old television commercials for local automotive sales? Some fast-talking huckster would blather on about, say, the AMC Eagle—which looked like it belonged in a 1970s romp room with its wood-grain paneling—and wrap up his spiel with the promise, “just tell them
Read More

Toshiba Difference Maker Kenny Hiteman Chases Storms, Tech Service Excellence

Few people outside of Kenny Hiteman’s inner circle are aware that he is a Skywarn Storm Spotter for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Science and nature have long been a passion for him, and the curiosity regarding the secrets of nature indicates an
Read More

Epson Mourns Passing of Business Development Manager Jarrod McCarthy

The imaging community is mourning the loss of Jarrod McCarthy, Epson’s South region business development manager for the BTA/dealer channel. He passed away Sept. 7 at the age of 46. Mr. McCarthy’s industry career began in 1997 when he became a major account representative for
Read More

Unlikely Journey Beyond IT Master Continues for Difference Maker Juan Fernandez

It might be said that technology actively seeks out individuals who yearn to find a better, more efficient and cost-effective way of accomplishing goals. That certainly seems to be the case for Juan Fernandez. The truth is, technology wasn’t on Fernandez’s radar screen during his
Read More

Xerox Puts a Name, Marketing Heft Behind Aftermarket Toner Program

The value proposition of aftermarket toner has long been driven by price. After all, OEM supplies are highly tailored and optimized to work perfectly within a given manufacturer’s printers. How often do you hear of end-users wanting an alternative to the manufacturer’s toner
Read More