Nearly 100 guests, including customers and manufacturer executives, converged on Greenville, South Carolina, for the official unveiling of MTS Office Systems’ new headquarters. The Sept. 19 grand opening, which included a ribbon cutting, facility tour and copier bash—complete with food and musical entertainment—helped usher in the dealer’s new 12,000-square foot facility on Thousand Oaks Boulevard.
Among the guests on hand was Toshiba America Business Solutions (TABS) President and CEO Larry White and TABS’ Chief Revenue Officer Steven Sauer. Peter Morisco, TABS’ vice president of Eastern U.S. sales, and Sean Endicott, Lexmark’s director of North America Channel Sales, also helped mark the occasion. MTS President and CEO Mason Smith appreciated having them fly in from across the country.
“It was a nice show of support for what we’ve done here,” he said. “We received great feedback from everybody. A lot of time and thought was put into what we wanted to do. We wanted to make it a fun event, but also a showcase of the new facility. Our team did a lot to get everything organized and looking good. The showroom and warehouse looked fantastic. It came together nicely.”
The new home for MTS, which also has a smaller facility in nearby Anderson, South Carolina, is a refurbished, freshly-painted facility that includes (among other things) new ceilings, flooring, lighting and HVAC. New paneling was installed in the warehouse section to complement the makeover. Warehousing and service were relocated from Anderson to the new digs, which went online in early June.
Among the perks of the new accommodations is ample space with a number of private offices, which Smith feels will make for a better work environment. Previously, MTS didn’t have the luxury of a loading dock and an adjoining drive-in door, as it does now. Plus, there’s room to accommodate future growth.
Geographically, the location is central to the upstate of South Carolina. Greenville is flanked by Spartanburg and Anderson—both larger cities—with easy access to I-85.
“The space is important, but really it’s a facility that we can take pride in,” Smith noted. “It’s been fun to be here. It’s also helped with our communication because most of us are now under one roof all the time.”
One of the highlights of the day was a copier bash. MTS sacrificed three competitor copier models next to the loading docks as attendees took turns pummeling them with a baseball bat. Smith’s daughter, Abigail, took the first crack at a unit with a Rawlings club as DJ/emcee Rickey Stanley (an MTS team member) blasted heavy metal music.
“It’s a fun way to take out your frustrations,” he joked.
The grand opening was supported by Table 301, a local restaurant, which had several trucks on hand to provide a variety of food including burgers, wraps and barbecue, while an ice cream truck furnished deserts. The festivities also included a raffle drawing for a Yeti cooler, Apple AirPods and various gift cards.
