There’s a lot that can be said about Jim Coriddi’s value proposition. One thing is abundantly clear—the senior vice president, dealer division for Ricoh USA has impeccable decision-making skills. While working toward his degree at Montclair State University in New Jersey, the English major (with minors in marketing and journalism) had designs on becoming a sports reporter. Fortunately for Coriddi, he saw the light before it was too late.
Not that there’s anything wrong with joining the ranks of luminaries such as Mike Lupica, Bob Ryan or Frank DeFord. And it’s certainly not a reflection on Coriddi’s reporting chops. But while cutting his teeth in the news department of a local paper, he found the world of daily deadlines, hours-long meetings and irregular hours to be unsuited to his tastes. Many would-be Rick Reillys ignore the warning signs, but when Coriddi spotted a classified ad for a rising company out of Fairfield, New Jersey, called Ricoh, he envisioned exciting new possibilities and tossed away his reporter’s notebook.
Forty years later, he has no regrets. Still, the spirit of athletic competition permeates the Ricoh team in meaningful ways.
“I enjoy the competitive nature of sports, the leadership, teamwork, planning, calculation and drive to win, and that’s our goal with the dealer partners we support,” said Coriddi, a 2022 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “The dealer division at Ricoh is very much a team, always steering toward what is best for the group and our dealers.”
Throughout his formative years with Ricoh, Coriddi came to appreciate the inherent value of servant leadership skills. In his first vice president role, he managed team members with more experience and knowledge in their particular disciplines, which forced Coriddi to listen intently and figure out how to remove obstacles they encounter. In turn, it grew his understanding of the business.
One could argue that Coriddi is a coach, leading and motivating his team toward success and winning outcomes. When the business plan’s objectives are met, that means both team members and dealer partners alike are exceeding their goals, thus strengthening the overall organization. The division’s stellar track record can be traced to its team mentality and sense of camaraderie, and he relishes fostering that culture.
Setting Strategy
Forging a strong culture within the Ricoh leadership team enables it to strike a balance between strategy and execution, according to Coriddi. Finding that proper equilibrium is paramount to its success.
“Our teams have to be committed to and comfortable with our strategy so they can be passionate about delivering results every day,” he said. “The more confident in that strategy they feel, and the more they embrace our culture of celebrating teamwork, the more value they bring to our dealer partners and the deeper and more effective those relationships become.”
It was Coriddi’s father, Bonifacio, who helped define the critical elements of a winning culture well before the concept was identified on a business level. The elder Coriddi exuded a genuine, authentic persona that facilitated engagement and team unity, which his son found worthy of emulating.
“I remember him always managing or leading different projects, and I was always taken aback by how everyone appeared to enjoy what they were doing to support the effort,” Coriddi remarked.
Keeping Focused
The willingness of team members to do what is best for the organization enabled Coriddi and Co. to remain focused on delivering for partners and customers during the most challenging period of the past two years. All the while, Ricoh’s teams were able to continue down the path of digital transformation.
“Despite all of the change, our teams maintained a very agile approach and kept finding ways to bring value to our dealers’ partners,” he said.
Today, Ricoh finds itself in business expansion mode, with an eye toward growth while enabling its dealers to increase their product and service portfolio and better serve their end-users. Both Coriddi and Ricoh are constantly ferreting out novel ways to expand business. He eschews any standard playbook in favor of creative go-to-market strategies that will help differentiate and unleash growth opportunities.
Away from the office, Coriddi and his wife, Andrea, have been married for 30 years and are the parents of two grown sons, Daniel, 33, and Alex, 30. Daniel and his wife, Caitlin, gave the Coriddis their first grandchild, Lina, a little more than a year ago. They love traveling and spending time at their Jersey shore home. Obviously a sports fan, he also enjoys golfing, biking and hiking.
