If there’s one telltale sign that you’re a perfectionist, it’s the attitude that you hate to lose more than you like to win. There is a difference between the two: winning is the expectation, and losing is the failure. While everyone in the business world experiences losses, the perfectionist tends to lead with the lack of failure as the talking point.
Striving for perfection has long been the mantra in every competitive landscape, whether it’s a sporting arena or a conference room. Aim small, miss small is the perfectionist’s motto.
Ron McClintock is a self-professed perfectionist. His perspective is as rich and varied as any in the office dealer universe. After all, counting his current position with CopyPro—where he is the director of aftermarket services—McClintock has donned the uniform of seven different dealers (Coeco Office Systems, Digital Office Solutions, Ricoh Business Solutions, Kelley Connect, Copyco, and Copier Specialists) in a career that’s spanned more than 36 years. With past responsibilities including managed service, parts and supplies, service contracts and budget/expense control, there are not many elements of the business McClintock hasn’t touched.
Still, that doesn’t mean he’s a micromanager who incessantly pushes his charges to the brink of collapse in search of said perfection. When the opportunity arises, which has been quite frequent during his CopyPro journey, McClintock loves to show his appreciation for the victories.
“I find it rewarding to see employees in my group learn new things and step out of the box to make their position easier,” said McClintock, a 2022 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “I’m currently the director for four different departments, and when those departments run smoothly without hiccups, I love to be able to praise and congratulate my people for their efforts.”
McClintock has never been afraid to get his hands dirty; in fact, one of his earliest jobs was working in commercial refrigeration alongside his father. In the process, he developed electrical and practical troubleshooting skills. But 12-hour days in sometimes extreme heat takes a toll, so when he saw a newspaper ad offering traditional office hours as a copier technician in 1986, McClintock felt it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. Copier Specialists selected him from a pool of 75 applicants, and it marked the beginning of an 11-year stint with the dealer.
Taking the Reins
Among his many roles, McClintock currently negotiates all of CopyPro’s vendor contracts. It’s a duty that meshes nicely with his makeup.
“I am a team player. When others believe they can’t, I find a way to get it done,” he said. “My philosophy is anything is possible if you put forth the effort and do whatever it takes.”
One of the high points in McClintock’s career came with Ricoh Business Solutions, when he attained a director of service position for one of the Northwest regions, giving him oversight of 135 employees, including 75 field techs and four service managers. That served as a springboard for him to land similar positions with larger dealerships and enhanced both his knowledge and capabilities in the process.
Along the way, McClintock garnered invaluable insights from a number of executives who urged him to avoid the status quo and keep striving for greater roles. “I remember one dealership’s owner teaching me how to delegate, be an excellent project leader and teach others to know what I knew,” he said. “This was extremely difficult for me at that young age to depend on others, as I had excelled on my results because of being a control freak, just to make sure it was perfect.”
Critical Resources
With 2021 offering the onset of supply chain constraints, CopyPro was able to get the drop on the frustrating circumstances early in the summer by outsourcing to third-party OEM and compatible vendors. Ownership enabled the dealer to triple its normal inventory valuation to ensure it could support client toner and equipment needs. Because of his vast network of providers from past relationships, McClintock was able to tap a number of resources to help keep CopyPro’s clients fortified.
“We are one of the few dealers that have been able to support customers’ toner needs without having any backorders that caused a down situation,” he said. “Many companies can’t say that, so I am proud of my team for stepping up and making it happen, no matter what it takes.”
McClintock feels at home with CopyPro and aims to finish his career there, continuously striving for that perfection and automating processes as much as possible. Communication, he feels, will be key for elevating his game moving forward.
A Greenville, North Carolina, resident, McClintock and his wife, Anita, have been married 21 years and have four children. The family loves the great outdoors, be it the beach or the mountains, and the Tar Heel state has both in abundance.
“As long as we’re together as a family, life is good,” he said.
