Greg Gondek, President
ACT Group/Advanced Copy Technologies, Inc.
Cromwell, CT
http://goactgroup.com
Year Founded: 1974
Principal/President/CEO: Greg Gondek, Cindi Gondek
Number of Employees: 38
Primary Vendors: Ricoh, Kyocera, 3D Systems, Riso, HP
Primary Solutions Offerings: Asset Management, Document Management, Cloud-based document distribution and collaboration, customized electronic document workflow, fax servers
Primary Supplies Vendors: Supplies Network, LMI
Primary Leasing Partners: CIT, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, DLL
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $8 million
Fastest Growing Segments of ACT Group’s Business: Office Equipment Division (35%) while the 3D Division, Document Solutions Division, and Asset Management/ MPS Divisions all had 20 to 30% growth. The dealership is on track for an overall increase in revenue of 25% again this year.
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Rebranding from Advanced Copy Technologies Inc. to the ACT Group. With its stellar reputation and strong name recognition in its market, this was the most challenging thing the dealership has ever done.
5 Reasons We Consider ACT Group Elite:
- Its culture. Everything ACT Group does has the best interests of its clients first and foremost. Clients appreciate the dealership’s expertise, not only solving problems, but looking forward to make sure the decisions ACT Group makes on their behalf fit into their long-range objectives.
- A service response time that averages three hours for all service calls. ACT Group routinely does 60-200 courtesy calls per month and takes a proactive approach to all of its clients’ needs.
- Its innovative and unique MPS contract that places the customer in complete control and supports reduced hard copies while complementing electronic document creation and distribution.
- An Asset Management Program, started seven years ago, has saved clients hundreds of thousands of dollars. ACT Group reduced the annual budget of one school system client by $80,000 in the first year without selling them any hardware and showed them a three-year phase-in where they are now saving $190,000 annually.
- Owners that truly care about their employees. ACT Group’s employees are all empowered and are considered family. Owners Greg and Cindi Gondek both understand and know they are responsible not just for 38 employees, but 38 families and they take that seriously. This results in extremely low turnover because the owners encourage employees to enjoy every aspect of their lives and always put their own families first.
Atlantic Business Systems
Melbourne, FL
www.atlanticbusinesssytems.com
Year Founded: 1994
Principal/President/CEO: Barry Wallingford
Number of Employees: 28
Primary Vendors: Sharp, Kyocera, HP, Lenovo, Datto, Sonic Wall
Primary Solutions Offerings: Printer Fleet Management, Managed IT Services
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $5 million
Fastest Growing Segments of Atlantic Business Systems’ Business: Managed IT Services has grown from $0 to $172,000 per year in 2½ years.
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Achieving year to date Managed IT Services profitability.
5 Reasons We Consider Atlantic Business Systems Elite:
- The impressive growth of its Managed IT Services business.
- The recent addition of inside sales and marketing support that has created more opportunities for Atlantic’s outside sales team.
- “Fun Friday,” a new program where the sales team makes telemarketing and customer care calls. Once their weekly reports are completed and they reach seven quality selling appointments for the next week they can take the rest of the day off.
- Its concentration on measuring, reporting, and compensating on its own service efficiency. Customers know that Atlantic’s techs are compensated to prevent problems, not just fix them.
- The culture of Atlantic Business Systems is a commitment to professional growth for the individuals on its team and to growing the business with the highest level of integrity, ethics, and professionalism. Team members are considered the dealership’s most important asset and are valued as highly as its largest customers. The “team” includes management, administration, service and sales. Together, they share the responsibility to maintain an exceptional environment that will promote the best opportunity for professional growth for all.
Ray Belanger, President, Bay Copy
Bay Copy
Rockland, MA
Year Founded: 1972
Principal/President/CEO: Ray Belanger
Number of Employees: 32
Primary Vendors: Konica Minolta, Muratec, Toshiba, Lexmark
Primary Solutions Offerings: MPS, Security
Primary Supplies Vendors: Toshiba, Lexmark, Konica Minolta, HP, Muratec
Primary Leasing Partners: GE Capital, GreatAmerica
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $5-$10 million
Fastest Growing Segments of Bay Copy’s Business: MPS
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Continuing to develop the MPS portion of its business. Its base MPS business has grown by over 34% over 2013 and 40% over 2012.
5 Reasons We Consider Bay Copy Elite:
- Bay Copy has 42 years of experience in the industry and has built a reputation for dependability and being an industry leader.
- Bay Copy further solidified its position with the area’s largest business organization, the South Shore Chamber of Commerce (1,600 members), where CEO Ray Belanger serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. The Chamber has recently re-dedicated its annual Expo/Trade Show to technology, and Bay Copy is the lead sponsor at this exposition, displaying and discussing MPS with up to 1,000 business owners.
- The continued emphasis on the latest training for service technicians and account representatives, and a company culture that encourages all representatives of Bay Copy to treat each client as if he or she were the company’s sole client.
- Its aforementioned success in growing its MPS business during the past two years.
- It’s an award-winning dealership and has received the Platinum Award from GE Capital and an Imagemakers Award from Muratec. Bay Copy is also in its sixth year as a Business Solutions Dealer (BSD) for Lexmark. The affiliation with Lexmark has helped it broaden its reach in MPS.
Business Copier Solutions
Poway, CA
Year Founded: 2002
Principal/President/CEO: Keith Justus
Number of Employees: 32
Primary Vendors: Toshiba, Konica Minolta, Muratec
Primary Solutions Offerings: Square 9, Prism, Objectif Lune, Microsoft, NSI, ecopy, Equitrac, EFI
MPS, Network Services, VOIP Solutions
Primary Supplies Vendors: Toshiba, Konica Minolta, Muratec, Katun, Arete, Copylite
Primary Leasing Partners: Leaf, Wells Fargo, CIT, GE Capital
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $5-$10 million
Fastest Growing Segments of BCP’s Business: IT Services (30%), Hardware (50%), Managed Network Services (30%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Growth of 200%
5 Reasons We Consider BCP Elite:
- Impressive year over year growth of 200 percent.
- An ethical and environmentally friendly organization with a diverse work force that consistently keeps up to date with the changing market and office solutions.
- Its service operations and techs are some of the best in the business, underscored by its recognition as a Pros Elite 100 and the Konica Minolta Pro-Tech 2014 Service Center Excellence of Service award.
- The family atmosphere that is prevalent throughout the organization along with quarterly company sponsored events for its employees.
- Sponsorship of community events such as golf tournaments to benefit local non-profit organizations and networking by volunteering on various community service boards.
Al Scibetta, President
Copier Fax Business Technologies, Inc. (CFBT)
Buffalo, NY
Year Founded: 1990
Principal/President/CEO: Al Scibetta
Number of Employees: 35
Primary Vendors: Konica Minolta
Primary Solutions Offerings: DocuWare
Primary Supplies Vendors: Konica Minolta
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $6+ million
Fastest Growing Segments of Copier Fax Business Technologies’ Business: Solution selling primarily due to the launch of its Documentelligence™ in March of 2013. Documentelligence is a process the dealership created that assesses the needs of the entire office, and converts an office to a “smart office” through hardware, software, IT services, security and document management.
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Steady growth year-after-year growth as the result of constantly enhancing its services. This growth and increased awareness in the community has led to one of its biggest accomplishments in company history, becoming the exclusive technology partner of the Buffalo Sabres.
5 Reasons We Consider Copier Fax Business Technologies Elite:
- The Documentelligence concept, which we find impressive for a dealership of this size.
- Its successful social media initiative, assisted by an outside firm, enabling CFBT to grow its social media following from 194 “Likes” to over 1,100 “Likes” and growing in a few short months. The dealership’s strategy with social media was to be “social.” Although there’s the occasional plug for its business, most efforts have been through fun pictures from the office or the community. It also sponsors a contest and prize giveaway once a month. All of these things have helped the dealership continue to expand its relationships with both current and potentially new clients, while indirectly advertising the business.
- Its philosophy on how to treat customers directly translates to how the dealership treats its employees. It’s all about relationships. CFBT makes sure management is approachable, flexible, and supportive of its employees. It also believes that family is important and is sensitive to family needs.
- Industry, local, and national recognition. CFBT received the Konica Minolta Pro-Tech Service Award (2007-2014), the DocuWare Diamond Club (2011-2014), the Buffalo Business First “Fast Track Award” – One of WNY’s Fastest Growing Companies (2013), and is in the Inc. 5000 as “One of the Fastest Growing Private Companies in America” (2008, 2010, 2013).
- It understands the difference between “great service” and “great relationships.” CFBT takes the time to get to know customers by name and treats them like people – not business transactions. Plus its superior service supports the great relationships it establishes, formulating an overall positive experience for customers.
Copiers Plus, Inc.
Fayetteville, NC
Year Founded: 1985
Principal/President/CEO: Robert L. “Bob” Smith, Jr.
Number of Employees: 39
Primary Vendors: Kyocera, Canon, Muratec, OKI Data
Primary Solutions Offerings: MPS, Document Management
Primary Supplies Vendors: Kyocera
Primary Leasing Partners: GE Capital, GreatAmerica
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $5-$10 million
Fastest Growing Segments of Copiers Plus’ Business: MPS and device-based document solutions have grown 50-70% over the last three years with the implementation of mobile solutions, cloud scanning, and print management.
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: The formal naming and implementation of a dedicated MPS program, which lets Copiers Plus offer the most comprehensive and innovative customer service in the industry.
5 Reasons We Consider Copiers Plus Elite:
- Its legacy of providing customers with reliable equipment and great, guaranteed service. The average turnaround time is less than four hours while customers on its MPS program, inPrint, receive real-time monitoring of service issues, supplies, and meter collection.
- The consistent growth of its MPS business and its focus on device-based document solutions.
- Industry and regional awards. Copiers Plus has earned a Kyocera Premier Dealer award for 10+ years. This award is granted to less than 4% of Kyocera Dealers and represents year over year growth. It’s also been honored with a Kyocera Service Solution Provider Award for 10+ years. In addition the dealership has earned The American Business Ethics Award and a North Carolina Top 100 Business Award.
- Copiers Plus implements daily social media advertising through Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google +, and Manta. It also publishes bi-weekly blogs and a quarterly customer newsletter to supplement its e-mail marketing efforts.
- It is a caring corporate citizen and contributes to and participates in local, state-wide, and national charities, including Easter Seals, Falcon Children’s Home, Operation In As Much, and Kiwanis. It also donates equipment and service to churches and charities across North Carolina.
Copy Concepts
Fort Myers, FL
Year Founded: 1983
Principal/President/CEO: Ron Hickox
Number of Employees: 35
Primary Vendors: Toshiba, Lexmark, KIP
Primary Solutions Offerings: IT and Service Support
Primary Supplies Vendors: Toshiba, Lexmark, KIP
Primary Leasing Partners: DLL, GE Capital, Wells Fargo
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $5-$10 million
Fastest Growing Segments of Copy Concepts’ Business: The entire business has been growing at 12% per year over the last three years.
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: The restructuring of expenses related to sales. Without strong leadership, the dealership might have faced what so many other companies did, either bankruptcy court or going out of business entirely.
5 Reasons We Consider Copy Concepts Elite:
- It survived the Great Recession of 2008 in one of the hardest hit markets in the United States by re-evaluating how it conducts business. Since then it has focused on attracting and recruiting professional and dedicated employees at every level, whether it be admin, service or sales. It has also invested in new technology, including new software systems, new hardware, and developing social media. All of this has allowed Copy Concepts to not only survive the recession, but increase sales annually over the last three years at about 12 percent each year. During this same time it also increased profitability while increasing salaries and benefits for dedicated team members by eliminating waste, including excess inventory.
- It was one of the first independent dealers to have a mobile-friendly website, one that can be used for not only its sales reps in the field to access information, but for customers to use for quote requests and entering meter information.
- It has increased its website placement on Google by organic methods only. In 2012 when the query “Fort Myers Copiers” was entered into Google, its website was four pages in; now it is number two on the first page. This was accomplished by using social media sites (Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn) and making the website mobile, among other methods. Consequently, Copy Concepts has recorded four times as many call-ins from new customers on a daily average basis.
- It is a valued member of the community and a good corporate citizen, making monetary donations to various charities and non-profits throughout the year as well as donating copiers to qualifying non-profits or churches.
- It has done a nice job of retaining employees, which also leads to customer retention. Some employees have more than two decades of service with the dealership, a dealership that has a reputation of being a stable, family owned company.
Andrew Ritschel, President, EOS
Electronic Office Systems (EOS)
Fairfield, NJ
Year Founded: 1983
Principal/President/CEO: Andrew Ritschel
Number of Employees: 40
Primary Vendors: Savin, Kyocera, KIP, HP, Muratec, Fujitsu, Canon, OKI Data
Primary Solutions Offerings: Square Nine’s Smart Search, EMC’s Documentum, Paper Cut, Objectif Lune, Equitrac
Primary Supplies Vendors: Xpedx, Arlington Industries, Laser Masters, Polek & Polek
Primary Leasing Partners: Everbank, US Bank, CIT, GE Capital, Leaf, DLL, Wells Fargo
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $8 Million
Fastest Growing Segments of EOS’s Business: MFPs and MPS
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: The evolution of its sales team. The economy over the last six years reduced many of EOS’s sales reps’ incomes. The choice had come down to working harder and smarter or becoming negative and making excuses for lack of activity. People with poor negative attitudes were let go and new high-energy, positive attitude sales professionals brought in.
5 Reasons We Consider EOS Elite:
- Its emphasis on improving the way it communicates externally and internally. EOS regularly looks at its own internal communication processes and its client/company communications. The focus is always to make communications easy, fast, and effective.
- Its commitment to MPS. As most of EOS’s competitors have moved on to their new message of apps and software solutions, EOS believes the MPS/benefits message to end users might be finally heard and understood. In six vertical industry journals EOS is employing half-page color ads for the next 12 months focusing on its “Total Output Management” MPS program.
- EOS continues to do its part as a good corporate citizen. The dealership donates dollars and gifts to more than two dozen non-profit organizations each year, encourages each sales person to be on a non-profit board of directors or committee, and acts as a non-profit placement agency for people who are out of work or just getting out of college by offering counseling, coaching, and connecting people with prospective employers.
- It has been honored with service excellence awards from Kyocera, Savin/Ricoh, and KIP.
- Besides running a successful dealership, EOS President Andrew Ritschel is a champion for the independent dealer community and integrity in the independent dealer channel.
Image Matters co-owners JD Sullivan (left) and Bob Lovelace (right).
Image Matters
Knoxville, TN
Year Founded: 1999
Principal/President/CEO: JD Sullivan and Bob Lovelace
Number of Employees: 30
Primary Vendors: Xerox, Muratec, KIP
Primary Solutions Offerings: MPS, Commercial Print and Reprographics
Primary Supplies Vendors: Xerox, Imagestar, Diversified, Polek & Polek
Primary Leasing Partners: GE Capital, GreatAmerica, In-house Private Label
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $5-$10 million
Fastest Growing Segments of Image Matters’ Business: Imagelink, its branded MPS program, continues to grow year over year. Major accounts have radically increased as a result of its partnership with Xerox and its ability to consistently support nationwide installations.
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Realigning the dealership’s leadership roles and creating a system of team leaders and managers to work more efficiently. This transition has given Vision greater efficiency through specialization of tasks and data tracking, which is essential for the way it digitally tracks client satisfaction. As a result clients have seen the Image Matters experience become more granular for them.
5 Reasons We Consider Image Matters Elite:
- Its consistent growth in MPS thanks in large part to its Imagelink MPS program.
- Its relaxed, low-key approach to consulting with customers and prospects, which has helped with retention and winning new accounts.
- Its diverse offerings, including commercial print and reprographic services, something that few dealers of its size offer.
- Its focus on accelerated web-based marketing, monitoring, and prospecting. This has resulted in positive results and introduced the dealership to many new clients.
- Recognition from its vendors and business partners, including Xerox Platinum Partner, Muratec Elite, GE Capital Pinnacle Award, and GreatAmerica Premier Dealer.
John Stensland, President of Martin Group
Martin Group
Lake Geneva, WI
Year Founded: 1980
Principal/President/CEO: John Stensland
Number of Employees: 23
Primary Vendors: Konica Minolta
Primary Solutions Offerings: MPS, Managed Services, Prism Software, PageScope Enterprise and PageScope Mobile
Primary Supplies Vendors: Konica Minolta, Cheesehead Toner
Primary Leasing Partners: GreatAmerica, Konica Premier Finance
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $5 million
Fastest Growing Segments of Martin Group’s Business: Production Print has grown 600% over the past few years.
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Taking its commitment to service to the next level by revamping its service processes, including a new dispatch program (RemoteTech) and updating its technician vehicles to vans to allow for more service space and greater first-call effectiveness.
5 Reasons We Consider Martin Group Elite:
- Its ability to create a productive workplace and a work culture based on teamwork and selflessness. At Martin Group everyone works together both to grow as a company and to best serve the client.
- Its investment in its team members. Martin Group constantly trains its team members on software and tools such as the new Adobe Creative Cloud Suite and the dispatch software RemoteTech to ensure the team has the best tools and knowledge available.
- Its success in production print. This segment continues to grow at a rapid pace.
- Winning the Konica Minolta Pro-Tech Service Award for eight consecutive years. The Pro-Tech Service Award recognizes Konica Minolta dealers that are able to demonstrate the highest level of commitment to client care and satisfaction.
- A focus on continued improvement from the redesign of its website, improving online ordering for supplies as well as service requests and meter reads, to expanding its Managed Services offerings via All-Covered, to the creation of client reference materials so that customers will have an easy to read resource to maximize the use of the technology that Martin Group places in their organization.
Ohio Business Machines LLC (OBM)
Cleveland, OH
Year Founded: 202
Principal/President/CEO: Salvatore J. Spagnola
Number of Employees: 56
Primary Vendors: Sharp, FP Mailing Solutions
Primary Solutions Offerings: InfoDynamics
Primary Supplies Vendors: Sharp
Primary Leasing Partners: Leaf
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $5-$10 million
Fastest Growing Segments of OBM’s Business: Production color with double-digit growth the past two years.
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Being named a Sharp Platinum Dealer and a Sharp Hyakuman Kai for the fourth consecutive year.
5 Reasons We Consider Ohio Business Machines Elite:
- Its “Seven-Year Security Blanket” total protection guarantee, which gives customers confidence in whatever they acquire from OBM.
- Employees have the autonomy to creatively problem solve, expand their knowledge, and increase their skills.
- As a Sharp Platinum Service provider OBM consistently meets the demanding service requirements of its customers while providing them with four-hour guaranteed response time.
- It has shown that it can successfully integrate hardware with new media, such as iPads and Sharp AQUOS interactive displays.
- It’s a good corporate citizen and sponsors and donates to various local and national causes as well as making a concerted effort to buy local.
On Demand
Houston, TX
Year Founded: 1999
Principal/President/CEO: Michael Gray
Number of Employees: 21
Primary Vendors: Sharp, Pitney Bowes, Kyocera
Primary Solutions Offerings: Drivve, Papercut, Satori
Primary Supplies Vendors: Supplies Network, Katun, Clover
Primary Leasing Partners: Great America, DLL, Wells Fargo, Marlin
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $5-$10 million
Fastest Growing Segments of On Demand’s Business: Pitney Bowes Mailing (150%), Color Copiers (200%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Being named by Pitney Bowes as its first and only distributor in Houston, TX in its 90-year history.
5 Reasons We Consider On Demand Elite:
- It has done a superior job of establishing itself as a one-stop shop for copiers, mailing equipment, software solutions, shredders, and toner and suppliers. With new and used options available, this flexibility has allowed On Demand to meet more customer needs.
- Becoming a Pitney Bowes distributor, leading to the rapid growth of its mailing solutions business.
- Its Tri Color Meter pricing program for color copiers, which makes it affordable for customers using color for stationery to pay only for the amount of color per page.
- It is a solid corporate citizen and donates copiers to non-profits, supports the Rice University Golf Team, and sponsors events for the Houston Postal Consumer Council.
- It has been acknowledged as a top dealer by GreatAmerica and Pitney Bowes Mailquick division as well as the various OEMs it represents.
Janey DiMartino,Vice President & Jerry DiMartino, CEO
Quality Business Solutions
Baltimore, MD
Year Founded: 2001
Principal/President/CEO: Jerry DiMartino
Number of Employees: 41
Primary Vendors: Kyocera, Copystar, KIP, MBM, FP Mailing Solutions, HP, Kaseya, Fujitsu
Primary Solutions Offerings: Document Management, IT & Managed Network & Print Services, Cloud computing
Primary Supplies Vendors: Kyocera, CopyStar, Polek & Polek, MBM, FP Mailing Solutions
Primary Leasing Partners: DLL, GE Capital, Everbank, GreatAmerica, Leaf
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $10 million
Fastest Growing Segments of Quality Business Solutions’ Business: IT Services and Solutions (68%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: It recently purchased its own 20,000-square foot two-story building to accommodate Quality’s rapid growth.
5 Reasons We Consider Quality Business Solutions Elite:
- Its ability to provide many different solutions to accommodate its customers’ document workflow as well as provide them with IT support.
- The confidence customers have in Quality to continue upgrading and expanding their business with its products and services. Quality receives calls daily from new prospects that were referred by one of its satisfied customers. That is why the dealership continues to grow, year after year.
- Acknowledging the importance of upgrading its marketing efforts, Quality invested in SEO, social media, content development, and lead nurturing, resulting in more traffic to its website, more leads, and greater customer awareness of its products and services.
- Ongoing acknowledgement by Copystar and Kyocera with its President Club award for exceeding expectations in gross sales and for its outstanding technical service and training.
- The growth of its IT Services division. Quality has hired more than five new IT engineers over the past year to support the demand for IT services.
John Kuchta, President
SolutionOne
Lincoln, NE
Year Founded: 1937
Principal/President/CEO: John Kuchta
Number of Employees: 39
Primary Vendors: Konica Minolta, Lexmark, Muratec
Primary Solutions Offerings: Open Text, Nuance, Via Works
Primary Leasing Partners: US Bank, GreatAmerica
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $5-$10 million
Fastest Growing Segments of SolutionOne’s Business: Managed Network Services, MPS
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Winning and servicing customers in a new marketplace for SolutionOne, the Managed Network Services arena. SolutionOne is beating out current service providers by offering consultative solutions that customers want rather than what they think they need.
5 Reasons We Consider SolutionOne Elite:
- Its focus on consultative selling. Customers now come to SolutionsOne with their strategic projects and ask for assistance on how to accomplish their business goals knowing the dealership has been there and done that before.
- Its use of metrics for measuring all aspects of its business. For example, last year SolutionOne’s customers gave it a 97% positive rating for handling issues promptly. The dealership tracks service related metrics monthly, which provides a real-world demonstration of how to increase operational efficiencies and maximize the customer’s return on technology investment.
- The dealership’s technology Sessions/ Seminars in Managed Network Service and Document Management. Topics range from cloud-based solutions, to IT relationships, to security and disaster recovery.
- Earning Konica Minolta’s Pro-Tech Certification for the 10th consecutive year, a feat not accomplished by any other dealer.
- Despite being a smaller dealer, SolutionOne has a rich history of community involvement, having supported nearly 100 civic organizations during its 75 years in business, including the United Way, Partnership for our Kids, Bright Lights, Food Banks of Omaha and Lincoln, Westside Community Schools & Foundation, Wahoo Public Schools, American Heart Association, Holy Name School & Church, Pius X High School, Cedars Youth Services, Matt Talbot Kitchen, Nebraska Humane Society, and Boy Scouts of America. Along with other partners in the community, it shares a commitment to the economic growth of its region and promoting the many unique advantages Nebraska and Iowa have to offer.
South Coast Copy Systems (SCCS)
Solana Beach, CA
Year Founded: 1998
Principal/President/CEO: David M. Mann
Number of Employees: 35
Primary Vendors: Canon
Primary Solutions Offerings: “OutcomeOne” MPS, Therefore & uniFLOW software
Primary Supplies Vendors: Canon, HP
Primary Leasing Partners: GreatAmerica, Canon Financial, US Bank
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $5-$10 million
Fastest Growing Segments of South Coast Copy Systems’ Business: MPS (increasing yearly by 30%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: The development of a personalized SCCS smart phone app, which South Coast believes is the first of its kind among business equipment dealers.
5 Reasons We Consider South Coast Copy Systems Elite:
- Its willingness to constantly improve its functions and keep up with customers’ needs in the digital age. That’s led to the development of a personalized SCCS iPhone and Android app for its customers, enabling them to easily request supplies, service and provide meter readings all through their smart phone.
- Its quarterly customer newsletter that informs them about the latest product innovations, company information (including personnel), and special offers.
- Its recognition by Canon USA for the past eight years as an ATSP service dealer. The ATSP designation is the highest honor offered to a Canon dealership for its service expertise.
- SCCS strives to recognize its employees’ professional accomplishments as well as celebrate personal milestones. It offers several employee events throughout the year such as holiday parties, summer barbeques at the beach, and participation in local events such as the San Diego fair. SCCS’s CEO personally knows every employee by name and has an “open-door” policy welcoming new ideas for company efficiency improvement. The dealership also recognizes tenure with an annual bonus based on the years of employment ($500 – $2,000 annually). Fully 37 percent of employees have been employed at SCCS for 10 years or more.
- Thirty percent of South Coast’s sales revenue comes from its all-inclusive “OutcomeOne” MPS program. Providing clients with the outcome of one monthly invoice has been an integral part of the dealership’s growth.
Vision Office Systems, Inc.
Charlotte, NC
Year Founded: 1997
Principal/President/CEO: Fred Habbal
Number of Employees: 40
Primary Vendors: Savin, Canon, Samsung, HP, 3D Systems
Primary Solutions Offerings: Square 9, Drivve, ViaWorks, NSI, Ebeam Edge Whiteboards
Approximate Yearly Revenues: $5 million
Fastest Growing Segments of Vision’s Business: Light production and wide format.
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: The ability to hire more people and the move into 3D printing systems, which is expected to open up a new revenue stream for the dealership.
5 Reasons We Consider Vision Office Systems Elite:
- It continues to operate as a true local company that puts service first. Customers like the fact that at any time they can reach out to anyone within the organization, including Vision’s president to voice concerns, compliments, or complaints. Sales and service team members are taught that building the relationship and taking care of the customer is job number one and that goes much further than just selling a machine and walking out.
- During the past year it has acquired many accounts from competitors for reasons that range from their vendor not picking up the phone or missing appointments to just poor service, including an account that a competitor had locked up for nearly 15 years.
- Its new focus on social media, including Facebook, Google+, Twitter, and Linkedin. Vision is also partnering with Dealer Marketing Systems to better manage its web presence, enhance its SEO, and keep its product catalog up to date.
- A new promotion that gives away TVs at certain times of the year when a customer acquires certain systems.
- Its technicians’ use of preprinted sticky pads. Because most people in an office do not know the status of the MFP after the tech leaves, these preprinted sticky notes identify what was done or what needs to be done to the equipment so that everyone in the office is informed of the status.
