There’s a memorable scene in the movie “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” where Mark Ratner is on a first date with the incomparable Stacy Hamilton at a restaurant. When the check comes, Ratner reaches for his wallet, and a subtle look of horror crosses his face when he realizes that it is not on his person.
We’ve all been in this predicament at least once in our lives, and it’s usually not a big deal. But for Ratner, he sees the opportunity to make a great first impression slowly disintegrate. That’s precisely the feeling Cody Walton experienced when he met his new Konica Minolta teammates for dinner shortly after joining the organization.
“I was nervous preparing to join my new team for dinner and I forgot my wallet,” Walton explained. “When the check came, I realized I didn’t have any money. You can say it was very embarrassing.”
While Walton didn’t have a Mike Damone to bail him out of the jam, it’s made for a fun retelling throughout the seven-plus years he’s spent with the manufacturer. It wasn’t the first impression that foretold the greatness of this 2022 ENX Magazine Difference Maker, but it certainly endeared him among teammates.
“I’ve learned that everyone at Konica Minolta has your back—even if you’re the new guy—and it’s the people there who make it a special place,” he said. “We’re like family.”
Tech Passion
There’s little disputing that Walton is a pretty intelligent fellow. He attended Texas Tech University and studied graphic design, where he developed a strong acumen around printing and color matching. Printing had long been in his wheelhouse; while in school, he would routinely handle the output needs of his classmates, and the people at Kinko’s knew him on a first-name basis and gave him carte blanche to work the machines. On one of his first job interviews, he was essentially hired on the spot after talking about the finer points of Pantone, which labeled him a color specialist in the eyes of the employer.
“A lot has changed in the industry, but like many others in the solutions space, the natural progression from application/color specialist to software solutions to the next iteration of technologies and services seems fluid,” Walton said. “I’ve always been intrigued by technology, innovation and problem-solving.”
As the national manager of strategic solutions-dealer sales, Walton is tasked with helping reseller partners leverage the full breadth of Konica Minolta’s offerings, from managed IT and intelligent information management to unified communications and traditional software, among other solutions. He feeds off the success of his dealer partners and channels their enthusiasm.
A solid proponent of the digital transformation (DX) movement, Walton believes video security solutions, artificial intelligence and robotics processing automation can open new and exciting doors for dealers and their end-user clients.
“Getting a dealer to believe in this shift in the market, to look at DX from a different perspective and help them get the wins and celebrate those wins is the most rewarding aspect,” he noted. “Somewhere in there, it’s still a document, still a workflow, but to see the dealers approach the technology in a different way, that’s what drives me. I love the challenge of telling our story and seeing them believe they can become successful.”
Walton, who provided various solutions engineering support during his 10-year stint with Toshiba, has long embraced a team approach. He celebrates their wins alongside them, but when adversity rears its head, Walton is always happy to act in a supporting function. He’s instinctively drawn toward people who employ a sleeves-up work mentality.
From an inspirational standpoint, Walton takes some of his cues from Konica Minolta’s Laura Blackmer, whom he called a “source of inspiration.” He feels her understanding of the business goes well beyond the solutions portfolio, as Blackmer helps put into perspective the roles of the dealer community, partners, associations and all the various stakeholders, as well as the competition.
“My current role was created to help make our business more translatable both internally and to our dealers,” Walton said. “I frequently ask Laura for guidance as I engage with our dealers. She has so much knowledge of people and the industry. She knows how to navigate through situations and how to keep a level head. Laura instills great loyalty in her team.”
Top Gear
Walton is completely energized by the rollout of Konica Minolta’s Rev’d Up dealer performance program, which also underscores the OEM’s commitment to investing in digital transformation and diversification opportunities. The program culls a variety of initiatives into one main push that incents dealers who are likewise dedicated to these avenues of profit.
As Walton looks to ensure his team has the tools, products and programs in their belt to spread the gospel among dealers, he feels the road to improvement intersects with the success of Konica Minolta’s dealer community. Given the challenges of the imaging channel, Walton and Co. seek to simplify technology and make it more consumable.
“It’s important not to be afraid to look at things differently, challenge the status quo and conventional wisdom to see if there is a different, better way to do things than how we have done them in the past,” he noted. “There is also a place for process, which as a large company we have plenty of, allowing us to take things one step at a time to get things done, never losing sight of the goal.”
On the home front, Walton and his wife, Heather, have been married 14 years and have three sons—Cole, Henry and Parker. A native Texan, he loves to sample the best barbecue and counteracts the calories by playing basketball and running. Walton also coaches his son’s t-ball team, and the family enjoys spending time at the beach.
