Shown from left are Phil Dixon, Earl Tarver (owner of AIS), Stuart Richardson, Paula Campbell, Andy Luther and Matt Smith
It might be said that RJ Young’s recent acquisition of Automated Imaging Systems (AIS) was 15 years in the making, but only needed 30 days for completion.
RJ Young President and CEO Chip Crunk had been discussing the possibility of acquiring the Monroe, LA-based dealership with its owner, Earl Tarver, on and off for the better part of 15 years. So when Tarver decided it was time to sell, he didn’t need to look far for a taker.
“This deal brings RJ Young together with one of the industry-leading office technology providers in the state of Louisiana,” Crunk said. “The AIS team has grown a fantastic business and an impressive network of customers over the years and we are confident their customers will benefit from the expertise and service for which we are known.”
Founded in 1969, AIS has serviced the greater Monroe and Alexandria areas with the industry best in multifunction copiers and printers as well as top customer service. The acquisition of AIS further expands RJ Young’s footprint throughout the southeast as they move into a new territory and state.
“They have a dominant position in their market,” Crunk noted of AIS. “It’s a second- or third-tier market, not a very large town, but it’s very close to some of our existing locations and we can use some of our resources to make them more efficient and hopefully grow that business.”
RJ Young will enable AIS to go upstream in offering solutions such as higher production equipment, software and a print management program. AIS thrived at serving the needs of medium-sized businesses, and Crunk sees a lot of opportunities to increase market share in that space.
All sales and service employees from AIS will remain in Louisiana to continue to support and service customer accounts and ensure they are running smoothly. These employees will join more than 600 RJ Young employees to assure the continued high expectations of standards in sales and service.
Crunk notes that while RJ Young has a business plan of growing revenue 5 percent through acquisitions each year, the dealer is currently on course to reach 10-15 percent this year due to the sheer volume of opportunities available. The pipeline of prospects, he says, probably has more than he can handle.
“The whole industry is going through a big change right now,” he said. “You have to figure out a way to get yourself bigger or figure out a way to get yourself out.”
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About RJ Young
RJ Young is one of the largest independent office equipment dealers in the country, specializing in document management solutions, managed print services, remote support, remote monitoring, fulfillment services, and office imaging for small business to enterprise level. Headquartered in Nashville, TN, RJ Young has been helping small to enterprise level businesses since 1955 and has over 600 employees in over 30 sales and service locations across nine states. Under the corporate tagline “Your productivity is our mission,” RJ Young helps modern professionals become more successful in their businesses with solutions to securely manage paper and digital information and empowers businesses with leading printing technologies.
