Few people love a challenge more than Moody Hamdan and Natalia Lizarazo. The husband and wife tandem at the helm of AD Solutions, a Sharp AAA Platinum Level dealership located in Orlando, Florida, have an unlimited supply of optimism and clear vision for growth. After all, AD Solutions opened its doors in 2007 in the teeth of a three-year span during The Great Recession that saw 1.8 million U.S. small businesses shutter. The dealer also powered through a 2020 that claimed approximately 800,000 small businesses—making for a mettle-testing gauntlet of a 13-year span.
Of course, we have the benefit of hindsight. Still, when the couple faced a choice between opening the new business or buying a home, they chose the former. By being adaptable and agile, and adding personnel who still continue to make a significant impact, the faith in their decision was validated repeatedly.
“I knew, in the moment, that the company would provide us that dream house in the future,” Lizarazo said. “We sacrificed comfort and security to start a business from our garage. And we’re still continuing to grow.”
The “dream house” wasn’t built, so to speak, solely by the couple. Sharp President and CEO Mike Marusic—at the time a marketing maven for the OEM—turned to AD Solutions in 2016 to help recoup the manufacturer’s market share in central Florida that was lost when a Sharp line carrier in that region was acquired and flipped to a competing brand. AD Solutions’ success in the central region of the state was then expanded to include the entire Sunshine State. Likewise, Gary Rigelsky of noted industry leaser DLL was instrumental in helping AD Solutions become a preferred partner, further fueling the growth.
However, growth has never been an issue for AD Solutions. The company has scaled from $6 million to the $15 million plateau in a roughly five-year span, led by a team of 60 spread across six locations throughout Florida. No, make that seven following this summer’s acquisition of Miami-based QualPath, a two-time Top MPS Indirect Provider by the Managed Print Services Association. It was the fourth deal in as many years for AD Solutions, and more are expected before the company closes the book on 2024.
AD Solutions’ growth performance has been recognized in each of the last two years with a spot on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies. In the process, AD Solutions has doubled its revenue and gross profit since 2019. That garage operation has long since been nixed, as the company is preparing to move into a newly built headquarters in Orlando, which will more than double the space of its current facility.
Growth in SqFt
Relocating operations is the de facto growth chart, a crayon-marking-esque progression that has watched its walls expand from 800 to 1,600 square feet, then 3,200 and 10,000. The newest accommodations are slated to be ready for occupation in December.
“Getting a bigger building in 2015 set the tone. We were growing and needed the bigger building, but we didn’t have enough people to fill the space,” Hamdan said. “It set a standard for us to maximize our potential and showed us, as ownership, what we’re capable of doing and how big we could become.”
AD Solutions—which also counts HP, Brother and Lexmark among its vendors—serves a cross-section of verticals including health care, manufacturing, education, legal and non-profits. While blanketing Florida is a prime objective, the dealer also serves clients with a national footprint and stretches overseas to Europe and India. Its national clients are serviced via key dealer relations that AD Solutions has forged, while international needs are tended to via Sharp’s direct network.
In addition to copiers and printers, AD Solutions offers managed print and IT, VoIP, laptops/Chromebooks and tablets. While hardware and managed IT have delivered strong results in the past year, one of the shining stars of the dealer’s catalog is audio/visual (A/V) solutions, including Sharp’s AQUOS smartboard interactive displays and video walls. In fact, A/V solutions have grown by 200% and often represent account reps’ lead topic of conversation with clients and prospects. It’s common for a conversation about copiers to shift into A/V, and vice versa, according to Hamdan.
The success in this area demonstrates, in part, that remote work needs are still prevalent in the Sunshine State. Hamdan notes the dealership is seeing an influx of A/V bids.
“More clients are putting out bids to add A/V solutions to their portfolio that they haven’t considered previously,” he said. “Some [educational clients] have received money from grants or EANS programs. There’s just been such an uptick in transitioning their analog hardware to digital.
“The rapid advancement in A/V technologies, such as high-definition displays, advanced audio systems and integrated video conferencing solutions, has driven the market. Our ability to offer cutting-edge products has positioned us as a leader in this space.”
Leveraging Funding
The EANS (Emergency Assistance to Non-public Schools) program Hamdan referenced is a $2.75 billion package stemming from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act. Florida was allocated nearly $213 million in funds, which were designed to provide services or assistance to non-public schools that enroll a significant percentage of students from low-income families most impacted by COVID-19.
The program, which sunsetted last month, enabled AD Solutions to provide assistance and guidance to educational institutions to onboard technologies designed to help non-public schools better educate students. The dealer offered dedicated EANS specialists to enable clients to leverage the funds to obtain tools, creating packaged solutions that spoke specifically to the program.
Even as the program was drawing to a close, AD Solutions diligently worked with qualifying education clients. “We focused heavily on the program in 2020, and we had our biggest year in terms of revenue,” Hamdan said. “We’re still maximizing the program for Florida schools. We actually reached out to our state’s department of education to get an updated list on where schools stood with their technology. 2024 is going to be a breakout year for us in terms of sales, and we’ll have a new focus for 2025.”
Another significant catalyst for AD Solutions is the aforementioned M&A program, which by the end of calendar year could feature as many as six deals in a four-year span. The first consummated effort in 2024 emanated from a conversation between Hamdan and QualPath’s Kevin DeYoung (his company has appeared on the Elite Dealer list in the past). The pair hit it off quickly, finding commonality in their values and approach to customer service. Hamdan also gleaned enough information about the timber of clients DeYoung selected, which gave him confidence they would mesh with AD Solutions’ book of business.
What sealed the deal was DeYoung’s extensive background and strengths in garnering government contracts. While AD Solutions already had a hand in this arena, DeYoung’s experience and savvy makes the dealer an even more prominent player.
“It was a perfect glove-type fit for how we were looking to expand,” Hamdan said. “The MPSA named them a top indirect provider for print management. From an MPS side, [DeYoung] knows how to leverage from the client and services side. Distribution Management has new programs they’ve launched to help with MPS clients. We’ve noticed that some of our large competitors also leverage distribution channels like that, and he was well-versed in it.
“By empowering former owners and leadership with resources and support, we’re not only expanding our portfolio but also maximizing the potential of each new division. This approach, we believe, contributes significantly to the overall growth and profitability of AD Solutions.”
DeYoung’s inclusion was the key to the deal, and Hamdan will provide him with ten times as many tools to help him dominate in the south Florida region. The forward-looking M&A strategy is to continue targeting prospects for deals that can mutually benefit both sides from a future sales standpoint. For now, only in-state companies will be vetted.
“Southwest Florida is likely our next target, but in general, we just want to identify companies that complement and enhance our existing service and customer base,” he said, adding that they need not be Sharp dealers to be considered. “Our ultimate goal is to target key competitor brands and roll them into the Sharp family.”
Marketing Tactics
AD Solutions has shifted its marketing tactics away from specific products, instead focusing on personalized content that speaks to the needs of specific vertical markets. One ploy that Hamadan feels has been an effective differentiator is rolling products into solutions, adding one or more elements to the base offering to create a unique package. These customized solutions have garnered a high degree of traction among the dealer’s client base.
Email marketing has enabled the dealer to make significant inroads into A/V and other products. Personalized content matches the needs of specific client segments and results in higher engagement and conversion rates. AD Solutions segments its email lists by variables such as purchase history, industry and engagement levels, which helps produce relevant and targeted email, thus increasing the odds of conversion.
Content of an educational nature solidifies AD Solutions’ perception as a viable consultant/advisor. “By focusing on personalization, value-driven content, consistency, strong CTAs, visual appeal, data-driven decision-making and customer feedback, AD Solutions has been able to successfully leverage email marketing to increase inroads into the A/V and other product markets,” Lizarazo said. “This comprehensive approach ensures our email campaigns are not only effective but also aligned with our broader marketing and business strategies.”
While Hamdan isn’t currently targeting any additions to AD Solutions’ overall catalog, he continues to seek missing puzzle pieces. One fairly recent add is the Crestron product line, which has conferencing, automation and workplace optimization tools along with a robust catalog of other solutions for the education and government sectors, among others.
Hamdan’s particularly excited about the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence; in fact, AI is already making inroads on the way the dealer operates internally. AD Solutions has a research and development team that is devising AI tools to provide workflow optimization benefits for the sales team. Other applications that are currently or soon to be initiated will benefit process automation, customer service, data management, document processing, hiring, IT operations and supply chain management.
Not surprisingly, using AI to keep in step with technology trends, generating cutting-edge solutions and finding ways to make life easier for the customer will go a long way toward continuing AD Solutions’ growth trajectory. Net-new accounts are always desirable, but there’s something to be said for finding new and creative ways to build upon existing client relationships. A prime example of this is the Crestron portfolio, which offers myriad opportunities to reimagine what an end-to-end solution set for the office entails, such as window shades automation. Crestron partnered with the the NFL’s New York Giants to furnish a state-of-the-art draft room. Automating a work space digs deeper into an account beyond the copier.
Looking Ahead
M&A will continue to provide a boost to the client and territorial footprint. Hamdan expects to close a deal on a managed IT specialist in the Orlando area and perhaps cap off the year with another addition, though that could spill into 2025.
Still, a balance must be struck between adding growth and maintaining the desired corporate culture. Lizarazo notes that it’s important to vet a company early on and ensure its mission dovetails with that of AD Solutions.
“It’s kind of like when you marry someone, you’re marrying their entire family,” she said. “The most challenging aspect is, if there are any issues going on within a prospective addition, can they be revived? And it’s also important that we’re able to learn from them. When we’ve done acquisitions in the past, we got to know the owner, and their moral compass usually filtered through the company. This alignment has been helpful in our transitions.”
As the year draws to a close and the countdown to the new AD Solutions home continues, there’s a palpable excitement for the leadership duo. When the calendar turns to 2025, Hamdan and Lizarazo will map out M&A expansion into Tallahassee or the panhandle, or possibly double down on existing regional coverage. As the company moves into its 18th year, the aforementioned positive changes and a continued growth model help the dealer maintain its new-car scent.
“I love seeing our staff members grow and reach milestones,” she said. “And I love seeing those big commissions, because it means success for our people and the company. Success to me is family, our staff, happiness and good health. That, to me, is essential.”
No Fear, Just Focus: Communication and Respecting Boundaries Enable Husband/Wife Leadership Team to Thrive
Marriage can make for a one-stop shop for the owners of a business. Just ask Natalia Lizarazo, president of AD Solutions. Her husband, Moody Hamdan, is her soulmate, best friend, father of her children and CEO, although not necessarily in that order. They’re both Pisces, so they think alike. Two years ago, they had an “oops” baby past the age of 40, so there’s no fear in their game.
Husband and wife teams conjure all the predictable idioms: familiarity breeds contempt, too much of a good thing, etc. That’s a lot of hats for two people to be switching on and off, but by respecting boundaries, the couple makes it work. The early years of developing AD Solutions was difficult, as nurturing the company became a 24/7 proposition. But now that growth, rather than survival, is the main objective, differences of opinion have the potential to be magnified.
“I remember times when we were in a conference, and we had different opinions as professionals,” she said. “It’s OK to have different opinions, even if he knows I’m right all the time, which is key to our success.”
Not to mention a sense of humor.
“We make for a good mix because we challenge each other in ways, and we respect each other,” she added. “Communicating has been a big thing, especially in the work area. There are things that he handles, and I have to trust this vision, and there are things that I handle, and he trusts my vision. Whenever we need each other’s support or different ideas, that’s when the communication comes in.”
The church-and-state style boundaries are important. “We learned how to shut off the business side when we got home. Once five o’clock rolls around, we don’t talk shop,” Hamdan said. “It took a few years, but we have that balance now. When we’re home, it’s all about the kids and the family.”
Back at the office, when the couple don’t find themselves seeing eye to eye on an acquisition or investment, they can count on their executives to help reach a consensus. After all, flipping a coin is not effective decision-making.
“We really do depend greatly on our teams when we need a tiebreaker,” Lizarazo said. “They help us through that, and we’re lucky to have them as mentors to reach out to for help.”
