Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America has been living a charmed life in recent years. It’s not the biggest manufacturer, to be certain, but it has enjoyed something of a halo effect, particularly for its post-pandemic performance and ability to source equipment. The latter count hamstrung more than a few OEMs.
Thus, when Sharp went shopping for a shepherd to guide it deeper into the competitive production print realm, it latched onto an executive in Dino Pagliarello who brings tons of experience and more than a little name cachet. Joining forces with Sharp was no small consideration for Pagliarello, given his 25-year journey with Konica Minolta. But he relishes a challenge, and in Sharp he sees a hip, growing and ambitious organization that is fully committed to making its mark on the production stage.
As jarring as it may seem to envision Pagliarello in any other uniform but KMBS’, he was the ideal target for the rollout of Sharp’s production press product line. He has much more oversight than that as the OEM’s vice president of product management and production print. Pagliarello took a few minutes to address his move with ENX Magazine, as well as his hopes for the future.
Congratulations on the new opportunity. You’ll be filling some big shoes in succeeding Shane Coffey. Talk a little about your thoughts heading into this next chapter of your career.
Pagliarello: Shane was a great leader and an inspiration to many here at Sharp. I was lucky enough to be able to work with him for a few weeks prior to his departure. My career motto has always been one of continuous growth, development, and learning. I’m excited to take this into high gear with the addition of a new company, new people, new products, and new experiences that will surely feed that in the coming days. I’m excited about what is in front of me and look forward to experiencing it to the fullest.
What did you find most compelling about the Sharp opportunity?
Pagliarello: Simply stated, Sharp is seen as the “IT OEM” in the industry. On top of being ranked number 12 in the “2024 Best Places to Work in Technology in the U.S.” by the Best Companies Group, the company has made great strides in growth over the past few years, even in challenging times. To answer the question directly, the most compelling thing that drew me to the company is the introduction of a new segment of products in the production print space.
You logged 25 years with Konica Minolta. What aspect of that experience resonated with you the most?
Pagliarello: I had a great run at Konica Minolta and will always cherish the time spent at the company. The thing that resonates the most with me are the people that I worked with along the way. People are what drive companies and I had the privilege to work with some excellent colleagues that I can still call friends.
What will be your focus for the first 6-12 months, and what do you hope to accomplish in the long term?
Pagliarello: There are many short-term goals. One of them is to establish three Sharp Executive Experience Centers throughout the country, so that customers and dealers can see all Sharp products in action firsthand. This includes our production printers, A3 and A4 MFPs and printers, laptops, digital displays and of course software and workflow document technologies. The long-term goal is to make production print a core element of our Sharp B2B offerings moving forward.
