Paul Hanna
On July 5, 2015, Blue Technologies in Cleveland, OH, celebrated a major milestone—the completion of its 20th year in business. No matter what the business sector, that’s a significant accomplishment for any business. It’s been quite a ride for President Paul Hanna and the Blue team as it begins its 21st year in business. For Paul, this is his 29th year in the industry, having started in September of 1986 shortly after the end of his professional football career.
Last week I caught up with Paul to discuss Blue Technologies’ anniversary, how it got there, and what’s next.
Congratulations on your 20th Anniversary, how does it feel to still be doing this and doing it as well as you have been 20 years later?
Hanna: To be honest, it’s more exciting than it ever has been. We’re at an exciting time in our business because the industry is changing.
Are you still enjoying yourself?
Hanna: I’m loving it!
How did you celebrate Blue’s 20th Anniversary?
Hanna: We have over 200 employees and brought all of them together in July and had a big celebration. It started off as more of an educational party. We told them what we’re doing different, what we’re going to do in the future, and got them geared up for growth.
After 20 years, what are some of the things keep this job exciting for you?
Hanna: Today, we’re students of our business. We’ve migrated from copiers and fax machines to where copiers are supported by software solutions. We now do Managed Network Services, full IT infrastructure, and Managed Print Services. And we’re learning, and when you’re learning, you’re motivated and moving forward.
How are things going now that you’re starting your 21st year?
Hanna: Great.
What’s the biggest difference between the Blue Technologies of 1995 and the Blue Technologies of 2015?
Hanna: We’re obviously a lot bigger. Twenty years ago we were trying to get on the map and today we’re on the map. Twenty years ago we were trying to gain financial independence, which we [accomplished] four years after we started. We were completely debt free and have been debt free ever since.
Did you ever have any concerns about Blue not being successful?
Hanna: We were profitable from Day 1. The first day we sold 11 machines. I don’t think I was educated enough back then, I didn’t know all the taxes and all the medical, which I’m sure anybody in this business would have been prepared for. I was from the sales side, but I knew then that if we delivered superior service and branded it, we would take off and we have.
What’s the primary reason or reasons you’ve been able to grow and thrive in the Cleveland marketplace besides the superior service?
Hanna: The manufacturers that we work with were very supportive in the early days. We have good relationships, we moved a lot of products, and they supported us very well. One was having a good brand [to sell]. It didn’t hurt that as soon as we got started with Konica Minolta they came out with their first digital machine, the 7050. We have good products and named our service off of a Vince Lombardi quote, “A Commitment to Excellence.” To this day the only thing that’s changed is “A Commitment to Excellence” is now “A Commitment to Excellence Every Day.” That’s the theme behind what we deliver to our customers and it’s helped us grow. Year after year we have good growth and we’re growing at a faster clip than ever.
What do you do when not working?
Hanna: I’m an outdoorsman, I like to hunt, fish, and farm. I like to work, and our business model gives us that ability. The great thing about our business is that it’s Monday-Friday, we don’t work evenings and we don’t work Saturdays or Sundays. We work hard during the week and that’s when the majority of our business is done.
If you could gaze into your crystal ball, what will Blue Technologies look like in 2020 when you’re celebrating your 25th Anniversary?
Hanna: Today, the majority of our profits still come from the copier model. I envision they’re still going to come from there. I don’t think that’s going away. We’re migrating and we will be helping people improve their software solutions and taking care of their networks. If you control the networks you control what hardware goes on those networks.
Do you expect to be bigger than you are now?
Hanna: Yes, we have a very aggressive five-year growth plan. We anticipate in the next three to five years to double the business and be over $100 million.
Will that involve acquisitions?
Hanna: I think so. We did one in 2013. We bought an IT company called Smart Solutions, a $15 million Managed Services Company. I have to get that perfected because some companies are very good at it. I really need to get that formula down.
Do you take advantage of Konica Minolta’s All Covered program?
Hanna: I do not. One of our software solutions is Hyland Software’s OnBase. Konica Minolta is entering that market and getting big in that market. We’ve been in that market close to 12-15 years. That was a natural and we were ahead of them on that. For Managed Network Services, we have our own NOC and our own Help Desk. You can’t deliver a quality product in my opinion and have it under somebody else’s roof. We’ve learned a lot from them though.
Anything you know today about running a dealership that you wish you knew when you first started your dealership?
Hanna: Of course the answer is yes because as a student of our business you’re learning more every day. Obviously with the technology changes you continue to learn. Sometimes when you didn’t know everything as long as you knew how to sell and service the product then you had an advantage. That’s what I spent more time concentrating on than today when I spend more time concentrating on running the business.
Do you miss that?
Hanna: Yes. My favorite part today is developing sales reps and growing them. That’s been a passion for a long time, but I do miss being out in the field selling because for a long time that was the most exciting part of the business.
One more question, will the Cavaliers win a championship by the time you celebrate your 25th anniversary?
Hanna: Yes. We’re in good shape. It’s ironic, we’ve been the official document hardware provider for the Cavs for 15 years now. We got them shortly before they got LeBron James, and 90 days before they resigned him we doubled our relationship [with the team].
