Frontier Imaging Succeeds with Reliability, Price, and Responsiveness

Started in 1999 in sunny Southern California by its CEO, Boon Leo, Frontier Imaging, Inc, has quickly become a reliable distributor of copier supplies and parts for major brands such as Canon, Ricoh, Konica Minolta, Kyocera Mita, Sharp, and Toshiba. Over the years, it has added Brother, HP, Samsung, Xerox, Risograph, and other brands to its product line.

“In this day and age where information is so readily available, trade secrets are non-existent. Every customer can find our vendor, and vice versa. The key to success in the OEM supplies business is to relentlessly develop very reliable procurement pipelines, such that we can consistently deliver very large volumes at very deep discounts.” says Leo. “Why should a dealer come to us if we cannot beat, but only match? “We need to deliver the products quicker, cheaper and with better customer service than the competition, especially the manufacturers!” he added.

International Sales Team

Frontier distributes OEM toners and parts to over 40 countries around the world. Its sales force is divided into three divisions, Domestic Sales Department, Latin America Department and Asia Pacific Department. “We have an excellent reputation globally for authentic OEM products at very competitive pricing,” says Joycelin Lin, newly appointed vice president, who has been with the company almost eight years. “Our export philosophy emphasizes high efficiency to deliver products. We work hard and we work fast. We communicate with customers around the clock to attend to their needs.”

While Frontier has always been better known for its ability to supply a wide variety of OEM products at great prices, it has also developed a very strong line of aftermarket products.
For years, Frontier has been distributing a high-end line of compatible copier toner products that is produced locally in California, which allows additional pricing and delivery advantages over the competition.

Sandra Sopa, assistant manager of the Latin America Sales Department, has enjoyed a lot of success selling the above-mentioned compatible toners. “Give our compatible copier toner a try,” she tells customers, “and you’ll realize that our product truly meets or exceeds OEM specifications and yield. We carry a lot of copier models, from Canon to Xerox, monochrome, color–you name it, we have it.”

Frontier’s Revolution brand of compatible all-in-one printer toner cartridge is manufactured at state of the art facilities with the best R&D and top grade materials possible.

Oliver Roan, marketing manager in charge of the Revolution brand and other imports, explains “In theory, a brand new cartridge made from top quality materials should have a zero percent failure rate, and will cost significantly less than a remanufactured product. We will continue to work with the best manufacturers to provide customers with the very best quality at the lowest possible prices.”

To tackle a fast-changing industry, Frontier has undertaken drastic operational changes in recent years.

“Our industry is undergoing very challenging times, and print volumes aren’t exactly growing, and could very well be declining,” Leo states. “To succeed, every operation must streamline accordingly, while maintaining a very strong focus to continue to expand its footprint. In other words, one must become leaner and meaner, yet be more aggressive and tenacious in its business approach.”

Today, Frontier’s group of companies has just over 30 staff in total. However, it boasts four shipping locations covering the USA and Canada. While Frontier ships across the USA out of its Los Angeles headquarters and a third-party logistics location in New Jersey, its sister company, Capstone Imaging Supplies, Inc, operates out of Vancouver, BC, and Mississauga, ON, covering Canada.

Warehouse

Leo feels he is blessed with a very good staff, with a vast majority having been with the company over 8 years. Frontier has a very good reputation for being friendly, knowledgeable, efficient and professional. Assistant Vice-President Juan Salamanca, for example, has been with the company since 1999. He started in the warehouse at 19 years old, and has grown steadily into the current role of head of the sales department.

“We have a very unique culture of promoting warehouse personnel into sales,” Salamanca explains. “Not always the easiest transition, but this system has allowed ordinary people like me to evolve into very knowledgeable and effective sales personnel.”

“Our crew in the warehouse works hard to impress because they know they will be given a chance to advance,” adds Salamanca. “And those of us that eventually get in here tend to be very knowledgeable because they touched the products daily. They are very hungry for success, because we’ve worked hard to earn this opportunity. Also, the system trains us to live and breathe the Frontier way; that is, top-class attitude and top-class work ethics!”

Headed by Steve Botonis, its Domestic Sales Department has recently enjoyed an up-turn in success.

“We will go out of our way for you,” says Botonis. “Everyone can advertise great prices, availability, etc, but it is outstanding customer service that brings the satisfied customer back!”

“We’d attend to every small detail to make you happy. It is all about attitude. Absolute tip top professionalism when it comes to customer service!” boasts Botonis.

Assisting Botonis is Jacob Chilton, who had also started in the warehouse as an 18-year-old in 2005 and has since worked his way up to become assistant manager of the domestic sales department.

“Our morale can’t be better since Steve (Botonis) took over a year ago,” says Chilton. “He has injected an incredible amount of energy into this department, and we’re loving it!”

“Steve is super demanding and he really keeps us on our toes. But we know he believes in us and wants the best from us” says Christopher Dones, another who has risen through the ranks from the warehouse, where he joined in 2010.

German Baquero, who has been a sales rep at Frontier since 2012, said, “Steve has taught me a lot — cold calling, overcoming objections, closing, and so on. It is his passion that has gotten us all pumped up like never before!”

Botonis goes on to say, “Creativity and fun are two important elements every successful sales department must have. It takes a very passionate salesperson to be able to continuously exude an attitude that brings about fun, brighten your day, and yet do so creatively enough to satisfy your most demanding needs!”