Throughout the pandemic, developing and maintaining strong relationships with manufacturers, suppliers and related vendors has been stressed as a key to dealers working through the myriad of challenges presented during this unprecedented period. It’s hardly shocking that office Read More

As a complement to this month’s State of the Industry report on technical service, we canvassed the industry’s leading manufacturers to solicit their opinions on the optimal qualities of an office technology dealer’s technical service platform. We asked our panel of OEMs to Read More

There is little doubt that Canon U.S.A. should take no small amount of pride in the many awards its product and service portfolio have garnered from third-party assessment organizations throughout the years. But perhaps the greatest triumph in validating the value proposition of Read More

There have been times during his professional career when Cliff Kilman confesses he was scared. For more than 10 years, Kilman routinely helped consummate the sale of $25 million companies and acted as a consultant for start-up companies. When that many zeroes are involved, it’s Read More

The quaint, Rockwell-esque portrait of the service technician wearing grease-covered overalls while lugging a toolbox hearkens back to the golden age of American manufacturing. But unlike the Maytag repairman, this ideal isn’t quite on the road to obsolescence. It does, however, Read More

Our collective vocabulary saw something of a boost in 2020, as did the office dealer’s product portfolio. Outside of the health care world, few people were familiar with the term personal protective equipment. Face masks were for professionals and the ill. And hand sanitizer’s Read More

In the movie “Captain Phillips,” there’s a scene where the U.S. Navy tries to draw the line by pressuring the Somali pirates who have taken Captain Richard Phillips hostage to end the standoff. Phillips used a ruse to jump into the Indian Ocean in an escape attempt, but the Read More

Mindful of two past attempts in joining forces that eventually didn’t pass muster with the Federal Trade Commission, The ODP Corporation—parent company of Office Depot—formally rejected the $40 per share acquisition offer put forward by Staples last week. In the process, ODP held Read More

The oft-repeated adage about life, that it gives you the test first and teaches the lesson after the fact, certainly holds true. During 2020, we learned on the fly from the comforts of home but certainly weren’t always thrilled with how adversity was reconciled on a broader Read More

Office supplies giant Staples is taking another run at acquiring Office Depot, five years after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) put the kibosh on a previous deal because it would violate antitrust laws and give Staples too large a piece of the retail space. Staples proffered a Read More

It is tough to take full stock of the previous year when its aura still hangs listlessly above our heads. Where did we go wrong, you may ask? We are quickly comforted by the affirmation given to Matt Damon’s lead character in “Good Will Hunting” … it’s not your fault. If Read More

As we turn the page to 2021, it is apparent that many of the same challenges and opportunities that existed throughout its predecessor will take on equal, if not greater significance for the office technology dealership world moving forward. Clearly, the hope is that some of the Read More

And just like that, 2020 has come to a screeching halt. Unfortunately, the world is seeing many of the same challenges faced over the previous 365 days dragged into 2021, including the new “C” word. How can such a shapeless, meaningless year in which days melted into one another Read More

There’s something to be said for creating things that are bigger than ourselves. Star-crossed historical figure Alexander Hamilton knew it to be true. He left behind many gifts to early America (Coast Guard, New York Post, national banking system) that still resonate today, even Read More

Mike Marusic won’t lie. The president and CEO of Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America would rather be in an auditorium, addressing upwards of 1,000 conference attendees regarding the company’s latest products and technology. Or casually chatting with dealers during a Read More