Though it may sound contradictory, it is possible to be a dreamer and a realist at the same time. A prime example of this is Bill Melo, chief marketing executive for Toshiba America Business Solutions (TABS) and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions (TGCS).
Bill Melo, Toshiba
A musician in the New York scene during the 1980s, Melo played guitar in a band that had aspirations to make a name for itself. However, wanting to cultivate additional opportunities, Melo went back to school to get an MBA, building his credentials and skill sets. It proved to be a fortuitous choice.
“During the two years that I was back in school, the music industry changed dramatically and I was unable to find employment in the industry when I graduated,” Melo related. “Needing to eat, I took a job at Ricoh Corporation as a pricing analyst in their RMAP program. That was 1989, and I’ve been in the industry ever since.”
In a sense, Melo was following popular disc jockey personality Casey Kasem’s famous edict, “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.” Melo keeps on rocking, but the bright lights on his stage shine toward a different audience, where he has earned the distinction as a 2017 ENX Magazine Difference Maker.
Whether in music or business, Melo is driven by the notion that fear of failure is not acceptable. It’s important to be willing to risk failure if you truly wish to be innovative. That can entail a risk of failing big time; great risk can equate great reward.
“I stubbornly refuse to accept ‘that’s impossible’ or ‘that will never work,’ ” Melo added. “ I believe anything is possible. You just need to figure out how to get it done. There may be a right time to give up, but more often there’s a solution that is just looking to be found.”
One industry mentor who greatly influenced Melo during his formative years is Mike Stramaglio, now the president and CEO of MWA Intelligence. When they worked at Ricoh, Stramaglio challenged Melo to utilize all his skills and strive to meet challenges that were seemingly unattainable.
“We achieved some really audacious things together,” Melo said. “I always admired Mike’s daring and leadership.”
Melo is proud of the strides TABS and TGCS made with its digital signage program in 2016. He also played a key role in the Toshiba Plaza launch at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Last month, Toshiba welcomed 1,700 attendees to its LEAD conference, a year after the company unveiled 23 new MFPs.
“In 2017, I will be focused on rolling out our Elevate software platform for both our printing and retail businesses,” Melo said. “My hope is that every sales conversation begins by asking the customer if they work the same as everybody else in every other business. I know when we have that conversation with customers, we will win the majority of the time. My team’s focus this year is to make sure that we have the right conversation with customers.”
Melo strives to be inclusive in his thinking, mindful of the technologies that are impacting other industries, particularly those that revolve around mobility, location awareness and the cloud. Figuring out how they can be leveraged to better serve customers in the future is paramount.
“Trying to figure out what’s next has always been one of the best parts of my job,” he said.
Outside of spending time with his family, Melo’s twin passions are music and sports. He can often be found with a guitar in his hand, jamming away in his home studio. Melo is also a huge Dallas Cowboys fan.
