Access Systems
Waukee, IA
www.accesssystems.com
Year Founded: 1986
President/Owner: Shane Sloan (CEO), Jay Agard (president of operations), Jon Joynt (president of sales)
Number of Employees: 215
Primary Vendors: Sharp, Ricoh, Toshiba, Lexmark, HP, Dell, Lenovo
Primary Solutions Offerings: PaperCut, Microsoft, VMware, Notable Solutions, Drivve, Square 9, SonicWall, Datto, Ubiquiti Networks, ReInvent
Primary Leasing Partners: GreatAmerica, DLL, Wells Fargo, private label
Approximate Yearly Revenue:
$50-$55 million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: Cloud-based telecommunications services (47%), managed network and security services (21%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Access Systems retained all its employees during the pandemic, which enabled it to provide diversified solutions to clients during a critical juncture.
Why We Consider Access Systems Elite:
- Teaching moments. Through its partnership with HubSpot, Access Systems distributed educational email marketing campaigns that illustrated to prospects how the dealer can provide value to their businesses. The campaigns also demonstrated to current customers the depth of other offerings within their portfolio.
- Lending a hand. The dealer launched a tool called Access Help, which provides innovative ways for clients to submit and resolve tech issues, tickets and requests, and have them addressed in a timely manner.
- Market expansion. Access Systems has consistently produced substantial net-new growth each year, and the dealer bolstered one of its key geographic markets—Sioux Falls, South Dakota—with the opening of a new office and the acquisition of Elite Business Systems this past April. More acquisitions are expected through the balance of this year and into 2022.
- Community support. When a derecho ravaged the dealer’s Cedar Rapids, Iowa, community, Access Systems answered the call for help with donations of food and water. Team members used chainsaws to help clear trees from properties and roads in a massive clean-up effort that continues today. Also, the dealer has participated in 25 volunteer events during the course of 2021 and is part of Waukee’s Triumph Park project, which includes a $40,000 donation to the Waukee Betterment Foundation.
All Copy Products
Denver, CO
www.allcopyproducts.com
www.verticomm.com
Year Founded: 1975
President/Owner: Brad Knepper
Number of Employees: 451
Primary Vendors: Konica Minolta, Sharp, Canon, Muratec, KIP, Océ, HP, Fujitsu, FP Mailing, LamasaTech, Promethean
Primary Solutions Offerings: Verticomm, Verkada, Intermedia, Microsoft, Sharp, Square 9, Spectro
Primary Leasing Partners: GreatAmerica, DLL, U.S. Bank, CIT
Approximate Yearly Revenue: $82 million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: Security camera hardware (352%), IT (75%), VoIP (79%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: All Copy Products completed a pair of acquisitions, one of which enhanced its telecom business in Colorado, while another added more than 1,000 mailing customers that generated numerous cross-selling opportunities.
Why We Consider All Copy Products (ACP) Elite:
- SEO strategy. ACP focused on augmenting its website to behave like a landing page to help generate more leads. These call-to-action embellishments enabled the dealer to reap an average of 55 leads per month while increasing net-new revenue to more than $1 million organically.
- Greeting customers. Backed by its relationship with Konica Minolta, ACP created a bespoke solution for Hallmark, enabling it to stay on top of the market and create custom products for its customers. These products are expected to increase demand for multiple new units.
- All-in-one. ACP made a point of emphasizing its ability to solve all the technology needs of its clients, which are increasingly seeking single-source vendor partners to avoid multiple contracts, payments, terms and separate support teams. This enabled the dealer to differentiate itself from local competition.
- Industry recognition. A member of the Pros Elite 100, ACP also garnered the Sharp Hyakuman Kai Elite Dealer Award and Konica Minolta’s Dealer of Excellence designation. The company was also named a Fastest-Growing Private Company by the Denver Business Journal.
Centric Business Systems
Owings Mills, MD
www.centricbiz.com
Year Founded: 1990
President/Owner: Alex Richard “Rick” Bastinelli
Number of Employees: 240
Primary Vendors: Sharp, Ricoh, HP, Kyocera
Primary Solutions Offerings: Square 9, M-Files, PaperCut, TroyRX
Primary Leasing Partners: DLL, U.S. Bank
Approximate Yearly Revenue: $55 million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: A4 devices (20%), MPS (14%), production print (10%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Centric acquired a small base of customers from Service First Copier, strengthening its existing customer base in the Richmond, Virginia, marketplace.
Why We Consider Centric Business Systems Elite:
- Change agents. In an effort to address the challenges it faces as an organization and devise recommendations for change, Centric assembled five Delta teams comprised of team members across the organization. Each team was given a specific area of focus to improve processes, best practices and the dealer’s use of technology to allow employees to become more effective and provide a better customer experience. The recommendations yielded improved communications, opportunities for greater employee engagement, process improvements and technology leveraging to meet its goals.
- Service enhancements. With a growing need for customer network support, Centric implemented a service program, Centric Connect, which provides technical support on network connectivity issues related to multifunctional copiers. This coverage enables the dealer to resolve issues that occur post-installation and are outside the scope of the equipment maintenance agreement.
- Top takedown. Centric secured a deal with a county school district that includes 70-plus schools and 8,000 employees. The agreement featured an enterprise print management solution, 330 MFDs and an MPS program to support 2,200 printers. In the process, Centric customized print policies to reduce waste and costs.
- Community outreach. Team members support and serve on local non-profit boards including the Living Classrooms Foundation, Johns Hopkins Bayview Safety Advisory Board and board of trustees, and the Stella Maris Advisory Board. Centric donates more than 5% of its annual profits to local and national charities and non-profits, and provides equipment donations to churches, schools and other organizations.
Copiers Northwest, Inc.
Seattle, WA
www.copiersnw.com
Year Founded: 1986
President/Owner: Mark Petrie (CEO), Gregg Petrie (president)
Number of Employees: 200+
Primary Vendors: Canon, Sharp, HP, Nextiva, Lexmark
Primary Solutions Offerings: Kofax, Canon, Laserfiche, Square 9, PaperCut, Canon, OpenText, Rochester Software Associates
Primary Leasing Partners: Wells Fargo, Canon Financial Services, DLL, GreatAmerica
Approximate Yearly Revenue: $50+ million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: Major accounts
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Copiers Northwest was able to retain 100% of its staff during the pandemic.
Why We Consider Copiers Northwest Elite:
- Top of class. The dealer’s Net Promoter Score is among the highest in the office technology space, with a 10-year average of 85. It has an extensive roster of clients that have worked with the company for more than 20 years, and its service technicians have an average of 23 years’ experience with the firm.
- Marketing mavens. Morning drive radio is a critical component of Copiers Northwest’s advertising program, strengthened by the inclusion of customer testimonials. Targeted email marketing campaigns, an SEO-friendly website targeting 16 different vertical markets and social media posts that promote its company culture and community involvement are the backbone of its endeavors.
- Win-win. In addition to a matching 401K and a profit sharing program, Copiers Northwest offers an additional employee bonus program based on criteria that improves the company’s overall performance.
- Corporate giving. The dealer provides corporate sponsorship and employee participation in the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center’s Obliteride, which raised more than $3 million for cancer research. A sponsor for the Max Foundation and the Northwest Kidney Foundation’s annual gala, Copiers Northwest also supports the local school supplies drive.
Kelley Connect
Kent, WA
www.kelleyconnect.com
Year Founded: 1974
President/Owner: Aric Manion
Number of Employees: 272
Primary Vendors: Toshiba, Pitney Bowes, Kyocera, Xerox, Sharp, Lexmark, Formax, HP, Canon
Primary Solutions Offerings: DocuWare, ABBY, PaperCut, Treeno, Satori, Flex Systems
Primary Leasing Partners: GreatAmerica, U.S. Bank, Xerox Financial, Wells Fargo
Approximate Yearly Revenue:
$65-$70 million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: Professional services (28%), technical service (17%), mailing (15%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Kelley Connect staffed subject matter experts to keep pace with its product and geographic expansion, the latter of which included an acquisition in Alaska.
Why We Consider Kelley Connect Elite:
- Brand enhancement. In tandem with its rebrand from Kelley Imaging two years ago, Kelly Connect broadened its portfolio of solutions that enable businesses to become more efficient and effective. To get the message across, the dealer launched a new advertising and messaging campaign to create visual consistency in the brand and make it memorable.
- Driving profits. The dealer secured an agreement with one of the nation’s largest automotive dealerships, headquartered in Oregon. The still-growing pact included more than 1,000 devices packaged with an MPS program.
- Career growth. Kelley Connect offers employees significant opportunities for professional development, aided by an aggressive corporate growth strategy that rewards top performers. The dealer hosts a president’s club trip each year and sponsors monthly/quarterly employee recognition programs that offer financial bonuses.
- Partner recognition. Many of Kelley Connect’s partners cited the company for dealer excellence, including Toshiba, Pitney Bowes, U.S. Bank, GreatAmerica and DocuWare. The dealer also copped the IBPI Top 10 Vendor award in 2020.
LDI Color ToolBox
Jericho, NY
www.myLDI.com
Year Founded: 1999
President/Owner: Jerry Blaine
Number of Employees: 250
Primary Vendors: Canon, Xerox, HP, Sharp, Toshiba, Brother, RISO, Samsung
Primary Solutions Offerings: Canon, EFI, Kofax, PaperCut, PrinterLogic, Microsoft, Intermedia, Datto, Martello, Vasion
Primary Leasing Partners: Canon Financial Services, DLL, CIT, LEAF
Approximate Yearly Revenue: $50+ million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: Cloud, managed IT, Pro AV, security solutions
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: LDI Color ToolBox continues to evolve its business model and further its mission of social responsibility and community outreach with hospitals, nonprofits and the underprivileged communities it serves.
Why We Consider LDI Color ToolBox Elite:
- Expanded offerings. LDI Color ToolBox obtained a company that specializes in security and low-voltage wiring solutions, expanding its portfolio to include security surveillance, card access systems and temperature-scanning kiosks.
- Addressing needs. The dealer focuses its retraining and recruitment efforts on sales, marketing and system engineering to align its support with current client requirements.
- Major wins. An enterprise-level health care provider and a large national financial institution were among the year’s top takedowns.
- Charitable guidance. LDI Color ToolBox has a strong core of representatives who sit on the boards and planning committees of not-for-profit and social agencies. The company received numerous awards for its work with people with disabilities and underserved community members.
Les Olson Company
Salt Lake City, UT
www.lesolson.com
Year Founded: 1956
President/Owner: James Olson
Number of Employees: 300
Primary Vendors: Sharp, HP, Fujitsu, Formax, RISO, Dell, Mint Mailing
Primary Solutions Offerings: DocuWare, Sophos, PaperCut, Objectif Lune, Goldfax, Drive Image, Microsoft, Google, EKM, PrinterLogic
Primary Leasing Partners: REVCO (internal leasing), U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, GE Capital, DLL
Approximate Yearly Revenue:
$50+ million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: MNS (62%), solutions (40%), IT hardware (7%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Les Olson Company was able to increase staff and continue growing amid talent and supply constraints.
Why We Consider Les Olson Company Elite:
- Marketing homework. In recent years, Les Olson Company created a sales development representative (SDR) team, which gathers information regarding prospective clients using social media and software to qualify prospects before marketing to them. Once qualified, the SDR uses an automated contracting software that emails the prospects pre-written communications and schedules follow-up phone calls for them. Prospects who indicate an interest are then turned over to the sales team.
- IT delivery. Due to the current state of the industry supply chain, Les Olson Company has implemented a bulk order strategy for laptops and other frequently needed IT hardware. This has enabled the dealer to stay ahead of supply chain constraints and fulfill equipment needs for current clients while also attracting net-new opportunities. The offering is promoted to the dealer’s sales team through an in-stock products brochure that’s constantly updated.
- Contractual success. The company secured an equipment and service deal worth just under $700,000 with a large Las Vegas construction company. It featured 23 Sharp A3 devices and four A4 devices.
- Leasing ease. Les Olson’s internal leasing company, REVCO, enables the dealer to make financing decisions on a local level. Approvals that may be difficult to obtain through a national lending partner can be approved based on other criteria that some larger companies won’t consider.
PERRY proTECH
Lima, OH
www.perryprotech.com
Year Founded: 1965
President/Owner: Barry Clark (CEO), Pat Summers (president)
Number of Employees: 239
Primary Vendors: Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Lexmark, Mimaki, HP, Gallagher, Avigilon, Promethean
Primary Solutions Offerings: Cisco, PaperCut, Konica Minolta, Workpath, Kofax, RSI, DocuWare, RightFax, Microsoft
Primary Leasing Partners: U.S. Bank, GreatAmerica
Approximate Yearly Revenue: $70-$75 million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: MNS (43%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: PERRY proTECH’s new 65,000-square-foot headquarters is slated for completion in July of 2022. Its service team also garnered 373 new certifications.
Why We Consider PERRY proTECH Elite:
- Evolving solutions. Many customers value PERRY proTECH’s ability to furnish them with the latest solutions and support. With needs around physical and cybersecurity constantly evolving, the dealer provides flexible and economic solutions that can be supported for clients that lack in-house expertise.
- Production placements. While it wasn’t the biggest takedown of the year, PERRY proTECH notched a deal with a large national security provider to place 11 production units.
- Access granted. The dealer is seeing strong demand for access control and video surveillance-as-a-service from customers who want these solutions without needing to own or maintain them.
- Personal stake. Because the dealer is employee-owned, its team members are in lock step with the entire organization to achieve maximum success. To that end, the dealer provides resources, training and guidance to ensure employees are equipped with the proper tools to contribute to the success of the company.
Prosource
Cincinnati, OH
www.totalprosource.com
Year Founded: 1985
President/Owner: Brad Cates (president and CEO), Ben Russert (chairman)
Number of Employees: 200
Primary Vendors: Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Lexmark, Xerox, Toshiba, HP
Primary Solutions Offerings: PaperCut, Kofax, Microsoft, Datto, Blackpoint Cyber, Dell, Sophos, Barracuda, Hyland, OpenText
Primary Leasing Partners: U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, DLL, GreatAmerica
Approximate Yearly Revenue: $50-$55 million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: Managed IT/cybersecurity (27%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: An employee feedback survey conducted in March showed Prosource’s employees have never been more engaged in their work and the dealer’s mission, vision and direction, reporting their highest levels of satisfaction and loyalty to date.
Why We Consider Prosource Elite:
- Vertical education. As a tool to augment its vertical market expertise, Prosource launched a K-12 Education News & Insights hub that addresses concerns and challenges in the K-12 space, including instructional delivery, cost reduction and security. It includes links to featured or trending resources on topics ranging from ransomware and online security to cost-cutting solutions via PaperCut.
- Thought leadership. Prosource sponsored a native content hub, “The Technology Advantage,” on the Cincinnati Business Courier website. Content is produced by Prosource team members, covering business continuity, cybersecurity, building a strategic technology roadmap, leadership and culture, and digital transformation. The dealer’s associated digital creatives exceeded the Business Journal’s benchmarks and delivered 900-plus hours of brand awareness, as measured by Moat Analytics.
- Contractual success. Prosource renewed its contract with a large city government, a deal which included more than 500 devices under management.
- Giving spirit. The dealer’s annual corporate philanthropy includes support of 40 organizations and causes across its locations, with employees contributing more than 1,200 hours of volunteer work. Prosource and its team members have donated more than $1 million to organizations including the Dragonfly Foundation.
Systel Business Equipment
Fayetteville, NC
www.systeloa.com
www.systelprinting.com
Year Founded: 1981
President/Owner: Keith Allison
Number of Employees: 250
Primary Vendors: Ricoh, Konica Minolta, HP, Lexmark, Panasonic
Primary Solutions Offerings: Square 9, PaperCut, RightFax, Pharos, Kofax, Ricoh, EveryonePrint, All Covered
Primary Leasing Partners: DLL, U.S. Bank
Approximate Yearly Revenue: $53 million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: Managed IT/software (200%), fleet used equipment (30%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Systel Business Equipment acquired Baker Office Solutions of Florence, South Carolina, and purchased a 7,100-square-foot facility—its first brick-and-mortar location in the state.
Why We Consider Systel Business Equipment Elite:
- Added firepower. In March, Systel formed a production print and business solutions division with solutions specialists to assist its sales team by providing additional support to existing and new customers. In addition, the dealer expanded its sales team with a third division for government, education and health care that will act as an overlay support system for account managers during bid opportunities.
- Prime examples. The marketing department launched a case study initiative that highlights company products and solutions that align with current customer demands. To date, Systel has produced one video case study and two written reports, with another on cloud solutions developed in tandem with technology partner All Covered.
- Stately support. Systel added to its coverage of county systems by procuring two new accounts, both of which were decentralized and in need of a single vendor source. The deals entail more than 500 printers and MFPs with software. The dealer now counts more than 35% of North Carolina’s county systems among it clients.
- Charitable contributions. Last December, Systel hosted a company-wide canned food drive that yielded more than 200 canned and non-perishable items donated to His Bread of Life Food Bank in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The dealer also hosted a t-shirt fundraiser to support an employee diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, an initiative that raised nearly $4,000.
United Business Technologies
Gaithersburg, MD
www.ubti.com
Year Founded: 1978
President/Owner: Armen Manoogian (CEO), Stu Wise (president/COO)
Number of Employees: 75-100
Primary Vendors: Canon, HP, Toshiba, Brother
Primary Solutions Offerings: Canon, PaperCut, PrinterLogic, EFI, Kofax, ECI Software, Netaphor
Primary Leasing Partners: Canon Financial Services, CIT
Approximate Yearly Revenue: $62 million
Fastest-Growing Business Segments: MPS (12%)
Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: United Business Technologies registered $22 million in hardware sales during the pandemic and is on track for another record year in 2021.
Why We Consider United Business Technologies (UBT) Elite:
- Client outreach. The dealer partnered with Convergo to train its sales team on Fanatical Prospecting. By launching a Most Wanted program, UBT targeted new ways to contact C-level executives. Using videos in email correspondence provided a personal touch and bolstered open rates.
- Legal briefs. UBT netted a deal with one of the nation’s biggest law firms, providing an MPS solution for more than 2,000 printers and 200 MFPs. The addition of Canon uniFLOW software provided a more streamlined work environment and right-sized fleet.
- Difference maker. Employing a 12-month unconditional money-back guarantee has been a point of differentiation for UBT. The dealer developed an infrastructure that includes flexibility and optimum service levels, which seems to resonate with clients, as evidenced by its Net Promoter Score of 98.
- Good eats. Nothing makes for a happy worker more than a full stomach. UBT’s sales team shows its support for the company’s administrative and operations team by serving them breakfast. And while it was put on hold during the pandemic, the company holds an annual outdoor picnic starring Maryland’s renowned local crabs.
