Applied Imaging
Grand Rapids, MI
www.appliedimaging.com
Year Founded: 1987
President/Owner: John Lowery
Number of Employees: 421
Primary Vendors: Ricoh, Canon, Océ, Kyocera Copystar
Primary Solutions Offerings: Hyland, Microsoft, Square 9
Primary Leasing Partners: GreatAmerica, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, Canon Financial Services
Approximate Yearly Revenue: $100+ million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: Detroit metro market, NetSmartai+ IT division
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: The dealer eclipsed the $100 million plateau, joining the ranks of a small group of upper-echelon performers, with four salespeople leading the way with more than $2 million in sales each.
Why We Consider Applied Imaging Elite:
- Marketing and advertising. Customer testimonials, buffered by a series of case studies that have outlined their success, have proven to be critical to Applied Imaging’s marketing and advertising initiatives. Since 2003, more than 150 customers have done radio commercials that provided insight into how their respective firms benefitted from their relationships with the dealer. Applied Imaging advertises each month on more than 30 radio stations in Michigan and northern Ohio.
- Top placements. Perhaps the biggest win for Applied Imaging during the year was a school district agreement that included well over 100 pieces of equipment.
- Industry kudos. Backed by its significant growth, Applied Imaging was named to the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies in the nation. The dealer is also an annual recipient of the Ricoh Circle of Excellence award and Canon’s Elite status.
- Community support. Employees are invited to volunteer 10 paid hours per calendar year to a charitable organization that resonates with them. Staff members are sent to volunteer during the workday twice per month at local nonprofits. Many employees and virtually the entire management team sit on the boards of non-profit organizations.
Atlantic, Tomorrow’s Office
New York, NY
www.tomorrowsoffice.com
Year Founded: 1959
President/Owner: Larry Weiss
Number of Employees: 492
Primary Vendors: Ricoh/Savin, Toshiba, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, HP
Primary Solutions Offerings: DocuWare, EFI, Datto, PaperCut, Kofax, Objectif Lune
Primary Leasing Partners: DLL, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, CIT
Approximate Yearly Revenue: $155 million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: Managed IT (25%), MPS (17%), copier business (3%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Atlantic, Tomorrow’s Office has significantly higher utilization rates, year-over-year, among its sales managers and reps who have benefitted from its CRM system.
Why We Consider Atlantic, Tomorrow’s Office Elite:
- Digging into data. The dealer has developed an analytical team to review and analyze the data in its larger accounts. For a growing team, that has proven to be a valuable asset that has contributed significantly to additional revenue.
- Long-term deal. Atlantic, Tomorrow’s Office secured a five-year contract with one of the premier health care providers in New York City, a deal worth approximately $20 million.
- Hosted success. The Atlantic Production & Industrial Print EXPO, a one-day event that showcased the dealer’s production print offerings, attracted more than 70 key customer decision makers who were interested in learning more about this area of production. The event enabled Atlantic to generate more than $1.5 million in business within less than six months.
- Healthy obsession. Under the dealer’s monthly Obsessed with Excellence Award program, employees are encouraged to share stories of colleagues who go above and beyond the call of duty. The chosen stories are shared with the company, and the winners are recognized for their efforts and provided with a cash award.
Gordon Flesch Company (GFC)
Madison, WI
www.gflesch.com
Year Founded: 1956
President/Owner: Thomas Flesch (CEO)
Number of Employees: 580
Primary Vendors: Canon, Lexmark, Sharp, Kyocera, Ricoh
Primary Solutions Offerings: Laserfiche, Continuum, Canon, PaperCut, Kofax
Primary Leasing Partners: GFC Leasing (in house)
Approximate Yearly Revenue: $151 million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: Managed IT services (10%), hardware (9%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: For the fifth consecutive year, Gordon Flesch Company was awarded the Top Dollar Volume Award by Canon U.S.A. as the nation’s largest independent office technology dealership for Canon technology.
Why We Consider Gordon Flesch Company Elite:
- Inbound marketing. The dealer fancies itself as an “inbound marketing machine” that continuously updates its website with fresh content, downloadable information and twice-weekly blogs to help generate leads for its sales force. It has leveraged social media vehicles including Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as search engine optimization to drive millions of dollars in sales through its website.
- Contractual success. Gordon Flesch Company has won several large deals with the largest health care provider and insurance company in its region, and has widened its relationships with a number of major universities.
- Software tools. The company rolled out its all-new software offering with the AskGordy application built on the IBM Watson A.I. Platform. The marketing initiative included new white papers, social media content and videos that illustrate GFC’s new cognitive computing platform.
- Community support. The dealer’s renowned GFC Foundation has contributed more than $2 million since its 2001 inception. Its executive team members are all active in local charitable and community-minded organizations including Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Madison Catholic Charities.
Impact Networking, LLC
Lake Forest, IL
www.impactmybiz.com
Year Founded: 1999
President/Owner: Frank Cucco (CEO), Dan Meyer (president)
Number of Employees: 650
Primary Vendors: Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Ricoh
Primary Solutions Offerings: DocuWare, Kofax, VMWare, PaperCut, Datto, HP, Microsoft, Storage Craft, Nerdio, Cisco Meraki, Google, Mendix, SolarWinds
Primary Leasing Partners: TIAA Bank, Citi, DLL, Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank, GreatAmerica
Approximate Yearly Revenue: $115 million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: Managed IT (159%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Impact continues to get traction through its training program, which was developed in early 2018. The platform was driven by the continued movement from a hardware business to a solutions consulting company, which demands higher skill sets.
Why We Consider Impact Networking Elite:
- Repeat performance. On the heels of its first-ever IT & Business Security Summit, Optimize2018, the Optimize2019 event proved a worthy successor. Nearly 1,000 attendees jammed Chicago’s Navy Pier to absorb 60-plus speakers and sessions at the one-day event, which was expanded to include digital transformation for growing companies. The keynote speaker was Robert Herjavec, one of the “sharks” from the ABC investment hit show “Shark Tank.”
- Recurring revenue. The biggest takedown for Impact came in the form of the largest managed IT deal in company history, with nearly $50,000 in monthly recurring revenue for a 60-month agreement. That opened the door to a six-figure hardware deal with the client.
- Social standing. Impact hired a social media coordinator to bolster the company’s digital efforts. Its inbound marketing strategy has paid dividends; year over year, its channels received 2.4 million impressions (a 99% increase from the previous year), 77,000 engagements (a 220% increase) and more than 50,000 clicks (a 317% boost). Impact also brought on a full-time content writer, focused on providing educational content for the website’s blog.
- Supporting the community. During the past 10 years, Impact has partnered with Pickard Elementary School in conjunction with the Letters to Santa program, providing gifts to its students. Each year, Impact employees gather donations, and also purchase and wrap gifts. To date, more than 3,000 gifts have been delivered directly to the students.
Loffler Companies, Inc.
Bloomington, MN
www.loffler.com
Year Founded: 1986
President/Owner: Jim Loffler
Number of Employees: 575
Primary Vendors: Canon, Konica Minolta, Xerox, Océ, HP, Lexmark
Primary Solutions Offerings: ABBYY, Square 9, Canon, PaperCut, Y Soft, Dell EMC, Datto, Webroot, Sonicwall, HPE, Ruckus Wireless, WatchGuard
Primary Leasing Partners: U.S. Bank, GreatAmerica
Approximate Yearly Revenue: $113 million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: On-site management solutions (19%), imaging (13%), IT solutions (7%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Loffler received a number of awards that reflect the climate and culture of the company, including Top Workplace by the Star Tribune for the 10th consecutive year and one of the “100 Best Places to Work in Minnesota” for the fourth straight year.
Why We Consider Loffler Companies Elite:
- Top guns. The dealer seeks out the best and brightest hires in the industry, individuals who are committed to the Loffler philosophy of exceeding expectations of clients, partners and the community. Serving the client is always the top priority, and the dealer strives to go above and beyond to deliver maximum value.
- Personalized approach. Customization and attention to detail are hallmarks of the Loffler experience. It offers the personal service of a small operation with the firepower of a mega dealer to address any needs.
- Multiple touches. Working in tandem with its partners and suppliers, Loffler has coordinated multi-phase marketing campaigns that are integrated into a focused approach that includes email, webinars and sales calls.
- Community awareness. Loffler Companies donates its time and resources to support a number of national and local organizations, including the American Cancer Society, Vikings Children’s Fund, Ronald McDonald House, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Feed My Starving Children, Catholic Charities and Memorial Blood Centers, among others. Every year, Loffler sponsors a “Back to School Drive,” during which it collects school supplies in the lobby of its corporate headquarters for the Twin Cities Kids in Need Resource Center.
Novatech, Inc.
Nashville, TN
www.novatech.net
Year Founded: 1998
President/Owner: Dan Cooper
Number of Employees: 445
Primary Vendors: Konica Minolta, Canon, HP, HPE, Dell, MarkForged, Sonicwall, Mimaki, Mutoh
Primary Solutions Offerings: M-Files, PaperCut, PSIGEN, Veeam, Event Tracker, Microsoft, VMWare, Kofax, Citrix
Primary Leasing Partners: Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank
Approximate Yearly Revenue: $100+ million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: Cloud (700%), MPS (15%), managed IT, cybersecurity, document solutions (10%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Novatech’s managed IT services business segment merged with DynaSis Integrated Solutions of Atlanta, leading to the dealer’s transition to becoming “the managed office experts.”
Why We Consider Novatech Elite:
- Thought leadership. Novatech is dedicated to providing its team new resources to share thought leadership and educational content on business technology subjects. The dealer has direct-marketing campaigns that leverage email marketing, social media, white papers, events and news to its clients and prospects.
- Managed office. While acquisitions have been a driving force for Novatech in recent years, the dealer is positioning itself as a technology solutions company. As Novatech develops the managed office, it will rely on its leadership reputation to construct the managed print and IT, cloud solutions and cybersecurity segments of its business.
- Company roots. The dealer is proud of its heritage—it’s a family company that consists of a number of acquired family companies in its region.
- End-to-end solutions. Backed by its managed IT services, cloud solutions and cybersecurity platform, Novatech can host, secure, maintain and manage the business technology on the network, thus providing an end-to-end solution for its clients.
RJ Young
Nashville, TN
www.rjyoung.com
Year Founded: 1955
President/Owner: Chip Crunk
Number of Employees: 652
Primary Vendors: Ricoh, Canon, HP, Lexmark, Mimaki, Océ
Primary Solutions Offerings: Sophos, PaperCut, Canon, DocuWare
Primary Leasing Partners: In-house leasing
Approximate Yearly Revenue: $125 million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: Software (43%), MNS (23%), equipment (11%), DPS (9%), supplies (9%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: RJ Young acquired dealers in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, with the Louisiana addition catapulting the dealer into a new geography.
Why We Consider RJ Young Elite:
- Growing solutions. During the past few years, RJ Young has expanded its hardware and software solutions offerings. By partnering with Hyland OnBase and DocuWare, the dealer can better service enterprise-level customers with document management, workflow automation and electronic content management. RJ Young bolstered its hardware menu with interactive flat-panel displays from Ricoh and Sharp.
- In-house leasing. The dealer’s custom leasing and financing options are available for clients who don’t want to pay for the entire package upfront. That enables them to drive business innovation while managing costs. Monthly payments and financing options are available to work within any budget.
- Employee destination. The dealer takes pride in its Glassdoor rating of 4.4 stars and a CEO approval rating of 97%. RJ Young invests in retaining and developing top talent to form teams of specialists who are consistently improving their skills to add strategic value.
- Helping hands. During 2019, RJ Young held a Give Back Campaign throughout its Memphis, Knoxville, Jacksonville and Birmingham locations. The dealer donated a portion of its sales of equipment to local nonprofits, including Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Wounded Warrior Project, and Children’s of Alabama.
TGI Office Automation
Brooklyn, NY
www.tgioa.com
Year Founded: 1964
President/Owner: Frank Grasso
Number of Employees: 450
Primary Vendors: Toshiba, Ricoh, Lexmark, HP, FP Mailing
Primary Solutions Offerings: DocuWare, PaperCut, Kofax, Square 9, Drivve, LincWare, EzeScan, Continuum, M-Files, GoldFax, Carbonite, Datto, FabSoft, Gravic, GoFormz, EFI, Scanoptics
Primary Leasing Partners: DLL, CIT, TIAA Bank, Wells Fargo
Approximate Yearly Revenue: $100+ million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: Document workflow solutions
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: TGI was able to significantly increase its customer rolls in both the SMB and GEM spaces while simultaneously maintaining its emphasis on educating and training its sales and support teams.
Why We Consider TGI Office Automation Elite:
- Clickable paper. The dealer updated its corporate brochure to better illustrate the workflow solutions it provides, and utilized Ricoh’s Clickable Paper to make the document interactive. This provides information beyond the brochure; when an image is scanned, the viewer can watch videos, or visit specific landing pages, blog posts, case studies and social networks.
- On-film solutions. TGI has developed a video introducing its document management offerings, the first in a line of productions that will include security, managed print services, IT services/data backup and disaster recovery. The videos will be employed in showroom displays, presentations, email campaigns, the company website and clickable brochures.
- Healthy business. Some of TGI’s biggest takedowns included a pair of deals for which it implemented equipment and solutions at two large health care chains.
- Charitable efforts. Having earmarked nearly half million dollars to charitable causes each year, TGI participates in a number of programs, including the annual U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Holiday Drive. The dealer held a breakfast event in Manhattan to collect and donate toys for Children of Bellevue Hospital.
