In many ways, Dale Evens represents the type of person we strive to become, but perhaps lack the courage or the focus to follow through. He likes to tackle challenges that are seemingly impossible—both inside and outside the office—and he loves to learn new things that are not easy to master. Like fabricating, welding and powder coating. As Evens observed, he entered the world turning a screwdriver.
“If it has working parts, I can fix it,” he noted. “And if the parts aren’t moving, I can fix that, too.”
Evens’ determination is centered on completing a task that is seemingly impossible. That isn’t surprising; he’s been tackling tough chores during his entire working life, starting as a tech in the novelty industry, where he repaired pinball machines and video games. The ability to construct something that exists perhaps only in his imagination is only the genesis of Evens’ value proposition. The finished product validates his belief that if you can imagine or dream about something, you can build it.
As Evens celebrates his 30th anniversary with Marco, his days are less about turning a screwdriver and more centered on creating cohesive technical teams for the vaunted St. Cloud, Minnesota-based dealership. The vice president of copier service focuses on ensuring his service teams are constantly striving for optimal technical performance, and works to integrate dealer acquisitions into the fold in following Marco’s recipe for success.
But at the end of the day, bringing resolution and satisfaction to the many clients the company serves, enabling them to work at peak efficiency while driving profitability for the dealership itself, brings a smile to his face. It takes a team effort to achieve those ends, and having once been a field tech himself, Evens knows what it takes to get the job done.
“It starts with a team that’s in sync,” said Evens, a 2020 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “You need to have harmony and understand everyone’s strengths and weaknesses, and be able to leverage them. When you have career technicians like we do, some who have been on board for 20-30 years, it’s satisfying to know that you’ve provided a good home for their career, a solid income. They don’t want to go anywhere else.
“We’re all a part of the bigger picture that is Marco. Landing a new customer and being able to execute on it is very exciting.”
Sustained Success
Much of what makes Marco so special, in Evens’ estimate, comes from the top-down, with management empowering its employees to make the right call. Being an early adopter, particularly in areas such as MPS, has its advantages. Evens notes the dealer quickly smoothed out the early bumps to create a program that was repeatable and could be applied across its customer base. As a result, some clients have been on the program for 10-plus years. Evens believes it says something about their performance when customers note, “You weren’t the cheapest bid, but we want to go with you.” Being able to consistently provide positive outcomes weighs heavily in winning the day and the customer, according to Evens.
“Our team has the ability to go in and navigate through minefields, to be able to figure out what the customer wants,” he said. “They want to run their business cost-effectively, and so do we. And we have the means to help them do that.”
One of the greatest influences in Evens’ career was Keith Schwichtenberg, a man who “bled toner” and always left team members energized by his wisdom. “Switchy,” as he was called, understood the parts and toner game, but employees truly felt that he cared about them.
“Keith was always very personable and knew something about everyone,” Evens noted. “He was a good listener.”
Evens cited Jerry Newberry as a financials guru who provided the company valuable insight on attaining and exceeding industry benchmarks for profitability. He credits Newberry’s guidance for enabling Marco to reach the 50% profitability level.
“Jerry came in and told us how reaching the 50s was attainable,” Evens noted. “We started following his plan, watching what we were doing and holding our people accountable. And we hit and passed the 50% mark. Also, our first-call efficiency went from the middle of the pack to the top 7-10% in the country.
“It came down to having the guidance and support from (CEO) Jeff Gau. He gave us the bandwidth to try things, and he didn’t lose faith when we didn’t hit our number. He’d hold us accountable, but he never lost faith. That’s important.”
Market Mavens
Evens was able to tackle a few challenges during 2019, including a successful foray into the Detroit market. He notes the company was able to leverage some lessons learned from its previous entry into St. Louis; it’s about having the right leadership and resources in place.
“We’ve had acquisitions that we could turn in eight months, and others have taken two years,” he said of the integration process. “It’s about having the right people in the right position, and then turning the dials. Some deals require more heavy lifting than others.”
Like most of the industry and the country, Evens is longing to see business return to some sense of normalcy, but acknowledges the pandemic will spell the end of business for some companies. He believes it takes leadership to guide a company through the downturn with confidence, knowing that brighter days are ahead.
“Hopefully we can look back on this in 12 months and say we’re glad it’s over, but we did well,” he added.
Evens and his wife, Patty, have been married for 24 years. In his spare time, he enjoys fixing things around the house and puttering around in the garage with one of his many muscle cars, which include late-‘60s Chevy Camaros, a 1970 Plymouth Duster and a 2008 Dodge Viper. One of his greatest passions is drag racing, which he has enjoyed for the past 38 years. Evens also mentors younger drivers on the track.
