Advanced Imaging Solutions (AIS)
North Las Vegas, NV
Year Founded: 2001
President/Owner: Gary Harouff
Number of Employees: 72
Primary Vendors: Kyocera, Konica Minolta, Savin
Primary Solutions Offerings: DocuWare, Intellinetics, PaperCut, HyPAS, Drivve, ViaWorks, ShoreTel, PrintFleet
Primary Supplies Vendors: Kyocera, Konica Minolta, Savin
Primary Leasing Partners: GreatAmerica, GE Capital
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $18 million
Fastest Growing Segments of AIS’s Business: Managed IT Services, Unified Communications (VoIP), and 3D printing. AIS’s transition to an IT Services company has yielded 20-30 percent growth over the past two years and is on target for 40 percent growth this year.
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Introducing Unified Communications (phones) and a 3D Print-For-Pay program, as well as adding two new locations in San Diego and Orange County.
Why We Consider AIS Elite:
- Combined average response time for all five AIS locations is 1.1 hours with 35 percent of calls completed in less than one hour and 73 percent of calls completed in less than two hours.
- Its service technicians average over 58+ certifications from the OEMs, carry two to three times the average parts in their vehicles, and $4.3 million in supplies and parts at all times.
- It has implemented a program to identify anomalies in billing and flags them before going out to the customer. This has enabled AIS to have 97.8 percent invoice accuracy.
- It has been named a Kyocera Premier Dealer for more than 10 years and was named one of Inc. magazine’s Top 5,000 Fastest Growing Companies.
- It gives all of its employees three days VTO (Volunteer Time Off), a total of 1,632 hours, to give to a cause or their communities.
ASI Business Solutions
Dallas, TX
Year Founded: 1989
President/Owner: Ken Copeland
Number of Employees: 64
Primary Vendors: Lanier (Ricoh), Lexmark, Kyocera, HP, FP Mailing Solutions, Formax, MBM
Primary Solutions Offerings: Document Management, Managed Services
Primary Supplies Vendors: Lanier (Ricoh), Supplies Network
Primary Leasing Partners: GreatAmerica, US Bank
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $13-$15 million
Fastest Growing Segments of ASI’s Business: MPS and Managed Network Services
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: The opening of a second location in Fort Worth, TX.
Why We Consider ASI Business Solutions Elite:
- The way it differentiates itself via its culture. ASI embraces the 212° SERVICE philosophy that promotes 10 Rules for Creating a Service Culture both externally and internally.
- The ASI Business Technology Review, an insightful and revealing tool for fleet management. Timely adjustments are made based on facts and statistics by reviewing fleet usage, performance metrics, and relevant costs in a user-friendly format. Completion of the resulting action items ensure original objectives are met and future goals are on the right track.
- TRACTION, an Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) that is holistic, self-sustaining, and addresses the six aspects of ASI’s business. With the use of the VTO (Vision Traction Organizer), leadership is able to communicate to the organization the dealership’s core values, core focus, revenue targets, marketing strategies, rocks (goals), and issues.
- The ASI FREEDOM Program, a new spirit and commitment behind its approach to earning a new customer’s trust and confidence. The FREEDOM Program was developed for “First Time ASI Customers” to assist in the important decision process when considering a new technology partner. ASI is committed to providing the customer with the latest and best technology, service, and support, so much so that it is willing to offer them the FREEDOM to cancel their contract obligation after six months.
- The ASI Business Development Executive (BDE) Program, which represents a team of marketing professionals that data mine important market information to equip ASI’s field sales managers with the appropriate landscape of the opportunity. This team generates over 10,000 outbound calls per month, which result in approximately 75 new customer opportunities per month.
Century Business Products
Sioux Falls, SD
Year Founded: 1984
Owners: Aaron Gerdes, Brett Gildemaster, Kevin Jergenson
Number of Employees: 50+
Primary Vendors: Kyocera
Primary Solutions Offerings: Square 9, InfoRouter
Primary Supplies Vendors: LMI, Supplies Network
Primary Leasing Partners: GE Capital, CBL
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $15 million
Fastest Growing Segments of Century’s Business: MPS via Kyocera’s Total Document Solution analytics with 10-15 percent year-over-year growth.
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: The development of its management team to support growth and diversification of its product offerings to include hardware, software, and network services.
Why We Consider Century Business Products Elite:
- Its monthly e-mail marketing and educational pieces, which integrate pop ups for customers in its region searching for hardware or software related to the document imaging industry.
- It offers clients exact billing with automated fulfillment and no lease escalators or hidden charges via its internal leasing company.
- It has won the Premier Dealer and Service Solutions Provider award from Kyocera for the last ten years. It has earned the title of Total Document Solutions Provider and its service department has won the “Top Service Technician” award in America from Kyocera twice in the past six years.
- Its work culture. Century has a family atmosphere, offers flexibility to its employees, and fosters an environment where there is a desire for mutual success and cultivation of individual talents.
- It’s a caring corporate citizen with employees serving at the local food kitchen. Employees also help with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and the company is active in several local Chamber of Commerce events.
Coordinated Business Systems
Burnsville, MN
Year Founded: 1983
President/Owner: Jim Oricchio
Number of Employees: 85
Primary Vendors: Kyocera, Sharp, Lexmark, OKI, HP
Primary Solutions Offerings: Square 9, PaperCut
Primary Supplies Vendors: West Point, Synnex, Kyocera, Sharp
Primary Leasing Partners: GreatAmerica, U.S. Bank
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $18+ million
Fastest Growing Segments of Coordinated’s Business: In the past three years it experienced growth in virtually all areas of the business. Traditional imaging hardware/software business has increased around 15 percent during the last three years. It has experienced nearly 20 percent growth in MPS revenue. In addition, its nontraditional revenue sources have increased with MNS growing just shy of 60% in renewable monthly revenue, as well as more than 50 percent growth in telephony hardware sales.
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: It was able to make significant contributions to Light the Night. This year Coordinated will exceed its goal of $10,000, most of it coming from a picnic and raffle hosted by the dealership’s sales department. It has also grown its social media presence and now has everyone from its team (admin, sales, service, and customer service) blogging. This has become very useful for LinkedIn and Google+.
Why We Consider Coordinated Business Systems Elite:
- Its ability to respond to customer issues quickly regardless of the source (service, administrative, billing, leasing, etc.), which helps sustain a loyal customer base.
- Its three unique color offerings designed to meet the unique needs of the customer. Coordinated’s model segregates users based on how they print color. By offering tiered color billing, which is well suited to the general business, Coordinated can reduce color costs and reduce some of the fear around color. For the light color user, it has a smart color program that gives a customer the same cost per page for color as black and white. It also has a traditional CPP program for those that do heavy coverage. The traditional CPP model by itself rewards the heavy coverage user and supplements their high toner consumption with the general business.
- Its ability to maintain a family culture even as it has grown in revenue and number of employees.
- Employees raised more than $10,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Light the Night Walk. It also helps a family in need at Christmas. In 2014, one of its customers/business owners (a single mom) had stage 4 colon cancer. Coordinated closely worked with her to make her children’s Christmas special, including inviting the family to its company Christmas party and presenting the children with all the gifts they wanted for Christmas.
- It has been named a Kyocera Premier Dealer since 2015 and this year reached the Lexmark Premier Circle.
Copy Products, Inc.
Springfield, MO
Year Founded: 1963
Owner: Erik Crane
Number of Employees: 55
Primary Vendors: Toshiba, Konica Minolta, Samsung, HP, Lexmark, KIP, RISO
Primary Solutions Offerings: Ademero-Content Central, DocuWare, PaperCut, NSi AutoStore, Drivve, Re-Write, Nuance, Prism, Square 9, RSA
Primary Supplies Vendors: Q2, Arlington, Parts Now, ACM
Primary Leasing Partners: U.S. Bank, GreatAmerica
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $10-$15 million
Fastest Growing Segments of Copy Products’ Business: Digital Signage (100%), MPS (50%), EDM/Document Workflow (50%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Copy Products, Inc. has implemented a new benchmarking system that gives practically every employee an opportunity to earn a bonus every month. The company has seen this lead to a renewed energy in improving the company as well as improved customer satisfaction. It also has derived higher performance levels from the dealership’s service teams.
Why We Consider Copy Products Elite:
- Its dedication to finding fair solutions for any client issue. Copy Products is honest and upfront with its clients and does a great job of explaining proposals, options, and the office equipment industry. This helps customers make a more educated decision, which helps them recognize that Copy Products offers the best value.
- It has successfully added digital signage to its menu of product offerings.
- Its sponsorship of a regional Youth Triathlon. This event has doubled in size in the four years since it started. This event also has been a great volunteer opportunity for Copy Products’ employees and clients.
- As a family-owned business, Copy Products understands the importance of family and having a high quality of life outside work. Employees also know they can reach out to management and ownership at any time.
- It is the recipient of the U.S. Bank Gold Award and a member of U.S. Bank’s Million Dollar Club
Des Plaines Office Equipment (DPOE)
Elk Grove Village, IL
Year Founded: 1955
President: Chip Miceli
Number of Employees: 84
Primary Vendors: Sharp, OKI Data, HP, Kyocera, Toshiba (telephone systems)
Primary Solutions Offerings: Managed Print Services, Managed Network Services, Social Media Services, Archiving Solutions
Primary Supplies Vendors: Sharp, OKI Data, Kyocera
Primary Leasing Partners: GreatAmerica
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $15-$20 million
Fastest Growing Segments of DPOE’s Business: Managed Network Services, MPS, Video Conferencing, Records Archiving
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Celebrating 60 years of serving the Chicago area! DPOE reached out to the business and larger community, and across its industry channels to host a gala event, preceded by a number of smaller events. The firm received recognition on the federal, state, and local levels.
Why We Consider DPOE Elite:
- It’s not hesitant to adapt new technologies and services and is enjoying success with Sharp’s Whiteboards and displays, and has won several large video wall jobs—one for a Chicago area liquor distributor and one for a Chicago area school.
- President Chip Miceli is one of the most active dealers in the industry and a frequent attendee at industry events. He’s also a founder and President of the Select Dealer Group.
- The dealership has initiated a “Speakers’ Bureau” where a representative of DPOE will address a business association, individual company, or civic organization such as a Chamber of Commerce to talk on the subject of Managed Print Services and its importance to the business owner.
- It continues its campaign to instruct business owners on the issue of information security as it relates to the office copier/MFP. DPOE has offered free seminars on the topic, includes this in its Speakers’ Bureau topics, and has promoted its importance through guest editorials in local media.
- It was chosen by Smart Business Magazine as the recipient of its prestigious “2015 Family Business Achievement Award,” one of 11 businesses from the Greater Chicago area. It is a consistent winner of Sharp Document’s Hyakuman Kai Award for sales excellence.
Eakes Office Solutions
Grand Island, NE
Year Founded: 1945
President: Mark Miller
Number of Employees: 229
Primary Vendors: Sharp, HP, Muratec
Primary Solutions Offerings: Square 9, GoldFax, PaperCut
Primary Supplies Vendors: Sharp, HP
Primary Leasing Partners: Local leasing company
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $15-$20 million
Fastest Growing Segments of Eakes’ Business: MPS (15% growth per year)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Expanding its Technology Consultants team to four members, who are dedicated to training end users on how to get the most from their printing devices and software.
Why We Consider Eakes Office Solutions Elite:
- Tenured, knowledgeable employees who leverage their expertise to create long-term relationships with customers.
- The launch of new copier and HR website with the objective of making the site a great tool for information for customers, potential employees, and employees. This includes a new company video that explains the Eakes organization to customers and a series of four employee testimonials about their careers at Eakes.
- It continues to expand its Employee Outreach Program for employees to find a balance between work and personal life. This year’s additions include Life Balance Lunch & Learn (a series of six seminars conducted by outside experts as a preparation to launching a full Wellness Program next year).
- HR Employee Training (a series of three seminars on communication, including focusing on topics such as helping unhappy customers and decision making).
- Its community involvement and charitable contributions, including United Way campaigns, Relay for Life, Alzheimer’s Walk, Susan G Komen Race for the Cure, American Red Cross Blood Drive, Walk at Work Day, and Homestead 100 Bike Ride. Plus Eakes donates over $50,000 to more than 200 organizations while employees donate hundreds of hours annually.
Fisher’s Technology
Boise, ID
Year Founded: 1936
President/CEO: Chris Taylor
Number of Employees: 88
Primary Vendors: Canon, Konica Minolta, Lanier, KIP
Primary Solutions Offerings: Laserfiche, DocuWare, Parascript, LincDoc, xMedius, ABBYY
Primary Supplies Vendors: Canon, Konica, Ricoh, Lasermasters
Primary Leasing Partners: GreatAmerica, US Bank, EverBank, GE Capital
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $15-$20 million
Fastest Growing Segments of Fisher’s Business: Managed IT Services, Software Solutions and Professional Services, Production Equipment and Service, Facilities Management
Biggest Accomplishment of the Year: Successful expansion into Managed IT Services. Fisher’s acquired three small managed IT companies in the last two years, which it describes as the easy part. The significant accomplishment was identifying how to build a differentiated offering supported by culture, process, and infrastructure.
Why We Consider Fisher’s Technology Elite:
- It grew 17 percent last year.
- Hosting its fourth annual Boise Technology Show with a “Leadership in Technology” theme at the Owyhee Plaza in Downtown Boise in May. Guests had the opportunity to listen to some of Boise’s most talented, innovative Business Leaders speak throughout the day and were entertained by several technology vendors who showcased their latest products and technologies.
- Fisher’s hosts a tailgate event for every home Boise State Football game. This is a great way to thank its current customers and help potential customers get to know Fisher’s.
- The Faces of Fisher’s Calendar, which showcases its customers and service technicians/engineers in the customers’ environment. This has proven to be a fun and unique way to capture the fun relationships Fisher’s has with its ustomers as well as highlighting the product and services it both offers.
- Fisher’s has been awarded Best Place to Work in Idaho for the last eight years. This is because it has a culture of doing what is right for the customer at all costs and of having fun doing it.
Offix, LLC
Gainesville, VA
Year Founded: 1999
President/Owner: Stephen Valenta
Number of Employees: 45
Primary Vendors: Canon, Sharp, Konica Minolta, Samsung, Océ, KIP, HP, FP Mailing, Formax, Secap, MBM, Duplo
Primary Solutions Offerings: Canon (Uniflow, EFI, Worldox), InfoDynamics, PaperCut, Everyone Print
Primary Supplies Vendors: Canon, Sharp, Konica Minolta, Canon Solutions America, KIP, FP Mailing, Collins Distributing, Digitek, Supplies Network, DCS
Primary Leasing Partners: Canon Financial Services, EverBank Commercial Finance, GE Capital, DLL
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $10-$15 million
Fastest Growing Segments of Offix’s Business: Wide Format (approximately 200% growth), Software Solutions (approximately 150% growth), Mailing Equipment (approximately 100% growth), MPS (approximately 50% growth)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Software Solutions sales are up approximately 150 percent and the Wide Format division had its biggest year, selling approximately 50 units. Offix also started the process to create a small business GSA schedule.
Why We Consider Offix Elite:
- Its 94.5 percent customer retention rate.
- It provides several free options for remote monitoring systems to each account depending on the equipment type (e-Info, imageWARE Remote, FM Audit, Bizhub vCare, FM Audit). This helps Offix get meter reads, send toner, and notify the service department of any issues, often before the customer is even aware there is an issue.
- Its free Offix Managed Print Evaluations. The dealership works directly with customers to devise a strategy that allows the customer to control and manage the costs of their print environment, maximizing productivity so they can focus on core competencies.
- Its Service Smart Guarantees. These include 15-month equipment and/or money back guarantee; 36 month lease upgrade guarantee; guaranteed certified technicians; service response time guarantee; 95 percent uptime guarantee; free delivery, installation, and training guarantee; free maintenance contract for any laser printer; referral program guarantee; loaner equipment guarantee; lifetime performance guarantee.
- Its creatively redesigned new website (www.offix.com) and new focus on social media marketing to better engage with customers and prospects.
Ohio Business Machines, LLC (OBM)
Holland, OH
Year Founded: 2002
President/Owner: Salvatore J. Spagnola
Number of Employees: 56
Primary Vendors: Sharp, Canon (Wide Format), FP Mailing Solutions
Primary Solutions Offerings: Infodynamics
Primary Supplies Vendors: Sharp
Primary Leasing Partners: LEAF Capital, GE Capital, UniFi Equipment Finance, DLL, PNC Equipment Finance
Approximate Yearly Revenues: Does not release revenue numbers.
Fastest Growing Segments of OBM’s Business: Production Color (double-digit growth for two consecutive years)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: It’s been honored as a Sharp Platinum Dealer and a Sharp Hyakuman Kai dealer for five consecutive years.
Why We Consider OBM Elite:
- Its Seven Year Security Blanket, which provides customers with total protection of their equipment.
- It has done a fabulous job of integrating hardware with other media, e.g., iPads and Sharp Aquos interactive displays.
- It has successfully added multiple new technologies and services to its offerings, including MPS, VoIP, and mailing solutions.
- It gives employees the autonomy to creatively problem solve, which helps increase their skills.
- It’s the Preferred Provider of copiers and document services for the Cleveland Browns.
OneDOC Managed Print Services, LLC
Oklahoma City, OK
Year Founded: 2009
CEO: Kevin Morris
Number of Employees: 19
Primary Vendors: HP, Muratec, Xerox
Primary Solutions Offerings: Y Soft
Primary Supplies Vendors: Supplies Network, West Point, LMI
Primary Leasing Partners: EverBank, GreatAmerica, DLL
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $18 million
Fastest Growing Segments of OneDOC’s Business: MPS growth has grown on average 100 percent per year throughout its first four years.
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Being listed by the Photizo Group in their MPS Leaders Index for the third consecutive year. The dealership also achieved the CompTIA Managed Print Services Trustmark.
Why We Consider OneDOC Managed Print Services Elite:
- It is a true MPS provider rather than a copier dealer, and proud of it. Even though HP, Xerox, and Muratec are its main suppliers, OneDOC is vendor neutral in its approach with clients. It does not sign a quota with any manufacturer and does not inventory equipment, parts, or supplies.
- The extraordinary growth of its MPS business.
- Its salespeople love working for the company. As soon as a lease is funded, they are paid that same day.
- Although OneDOC’s target market is SMBs and rarely competes for enterprise accounts, last year it signed a large retailer with over 400 locations to an MPS agreement.
- It was named one of the 50 fastest growing companies in Oklahoma for the second straight year.
Rhyme
Portage, WI
Year Founded: 1945
Owner/CEO: Mike Steinhoff
Number of Employees: 70
Primary Vendors: Sharp, Kyocera, Lexmark
Primary Solutions Offerings: PaperCut, Square 9, and others for MPS and Document Management
Primary Supplies Vendors: Sharp, Kyocera, LMI
Primary Leasing Partners: GreatAmerica
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $15-$20 million
Fastest Growing Segments of Rhyme’s Business: IT Services, growing at more than 300 percent, and MFPs with revenue growth of 41 percent
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: The addition of 15 talented new hires who have made the dealership a much stronger company.
Why We Consider Rhyme Elite:
- Its ability to work closely with its customers to leverage new ideas and technology. Rhyme’s people are fiercely committed to bringing positive change to an organization through ongoing training and support.
- With the launch of its new website this past June, Rhyme has been focusing its marketing efforts online by optimizing its pages, developing relevant content, and making sure the dealership is easily found in online searches. These efforts have already brought many leads via the site that have turned into quick sales.
- It has received thousands of sincere thank you cards and letters over the years from the organizations and people it touches, whether it be for the time, money, or energy Rhyme has invested into helping them.
- As a group, the company has a lot of positive energy that’s been instrumental in creating growth, and as a result quality people want to be associated with it. In addition, Rhyme cares about its people and looks to be a compassionate company that will do anything possible to support them. This positive energy extends to its vendors/partners, customers, and its communities, demonstrating to the people who work at Rhyme that they’re making a difference.
- Its charitable foundation, Rhyme Time, awarded six scholarships in 2016 to graduating seniors who have been affected by cancer. In total, the Foundation has awarded 20 scholarships in six years.
Stratix Systems
Wyomissing, PA
Year Founded: 1970
President/Owner: Brent Simone
Number of Employees: 70
Primary Vendors: Ricoh, RISO, Dell, Datto
Primary Solutions Offerings: ECM, MNS, MPS
Primary Supplies Vendors: Ricoh, TST Impreso, International Laser Group, Samsung, RISO
Primary Leasing Partners: GreatAmerica, DLL, EverBank, GE
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $10-$15 million
Fastest Growing Segments of Stratix’s Business: IT Support, Managed Services, ECM
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Completing the purchase of Keystone Business Products based in Bethlehem, PA. The acquisition represented a major milestone in the history of Stratix Systems as it not only increased the company’s client base and service area/footprint, but also strengthened the dealership’s position and relationship with its primary partner—Ricoh.
Why We Consider Stratix Systems Elite:
- It understands the solutions it offers are only as good as the subsequent support and service provided. Proactive methods aim to prevent issues from arising, thereby minimizing any potential for client difficulties and downtime.
- It has shifted its marketing focus by incorporating more inbound/Buyer 2.0 strategies/methods, developing and following a defined conversion path, and better aligning sales and marketing around the same goals.
- In the spirit of the company’s three core ideals—Client Service, Technical Excellence, and Innovation—Stratix Systems continues to focus on and invest in its people, best practices, and technology to create and deliver scalable, cost-effective solutions that work.
- It focuses sales efforts and marketing strategies on the verticalization of its technology solutions for AEC, education, financial, healthcare, legal, local government entities, manufacturing, and NPOs.
- It focuses on its employees’ work-life balance, creating and maintaining a supportive and healthy work environment, which enables balance between “the office” and personal responsibilities, thus strengthening employee happiness, loyalty, and productivity.
Woodhull, LLC
Springboro, OH
Year Founded: 2000
Owner/President: Susie Woodhull
Number of Employees: 67
Primary Vendors: Ricoh
Primary Solutions Offerings: Managed Print Services, eCopy, SmartSearch, PaperCut, Commercial Imaging, Document Mall, Equitrac, RightFax
Primary Supplies Vendors: Ricoh, Supplies Network
Primary Leasing Partners: U.S. Bank, GreatAmerica
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $18.1 million
Fastest Growing Segments of Woodhull’s Business: Software Solutions revenue has grown 80 percent year-over-year. Woodhull also has experienced excellent success selling Commercial Imaging (CI) through Ricoh’s CHAMPS Program.
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Recognition as a Ricoh Service Excellence Certified Dealer for both 2014 and 2015. Plus two Woodhull technicians were recognized for testing at the Ricoh Prestige Level for Exceptional Levels of Knowledge and Technical Proficiency. Only three technicians in the state of Ohio and 90 in the United States received this level of distinction and two were Woodhull technicians.
Why We Consider Woodhull Elite:
- Its amazing success in selling software solutions.
- A family-oriented culture centered on a close-knit group of people dedicated to partnering with customers and employees alike to earn the right to be the employer and vendor of choice.
- Its partnership with Ricoh to pilot customer “How-to Videos” on its website. These videos are by MFP model and show how to use copy, print, fax, and scanning functions. They have proved to be excellent tools for Woodhull’s Help Desk technicians to help customers as well as demonstrating the ease of training users on Ricoh products.
- Dinner & Learn Seminars on SmartSearch, an intuitive document management and search software that can be easily adapted to automate any paper intensive process. Woodhull’s close ratio has been high on these dinner seminars because a customer must really want to learn about a product to agree to an evening sales event.
- It has been honored by Ricoh with a National Award of Excellence for Sales Solutions involving Ricoh CHAMPS and been recognized by U.S. Bank as a Diamond Award Partner.
- The Cincinnati Business Courier recognized Woodhull as one of the Top 25 Women-Owned Businesses in the Cincinnati Ohio region.