North Canton, OH (Aug. 8, 2018) — Exxon and Mobil. Sirius and XM. While it’s not often that two leading competitors agree to join forces, amicable mergers do happen and it is happening in Mashpee, Massachusetts. Visual Edge Technology, Inc. has forged an agreement to acquire KenMark Office Systems and merge it with its core New England company, Axion Business Technologies.
KenMark was established in 1983 by Ken Pedicini and Mark Brainson who had previously worked together for Savin Corporation handling the State of Massachusetts’ photocopier contract. Their business philosophy is to treat all customers as friends and to provide products and service that surpass their customers’ expectations. KenMark has been a Savin dealership for over 30 years and has been awarded as a Savin Elite Dealer for the past five years.
The deal unites the two companies as Axion/KenMark, a true, total business solutions, supply and technology powerhouse serving the Greater Boston, Greater Worcester, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Southern Massachusetts marketplaces, along with Cape Cod and the Islands. Axion will be relocating its Cape Cod office as the two companies combine operations at KenMark’s Mashpee headquarters.
“KenMark is one of Axion’s biggest competitors in Southeastern Massachusetts. We both have super reputations, long-time customers, and long-tenured employees; they’re the perfect compliment,” says Axion’s president, Robert Ferland.
Further complementing the merger, KenMark represents the manufacturers of Konica Minolta and Savin/Ricoh, as does Axion, making service and support continuity seamless.
“I have traveled the world working in this industry but Cape Cod is still my slice of paradise. My wife and I love raising our family here and getting engaged in the community,” says Pedicini, who has built his career on being a community-based business. “From sponsoring and coaching our three children’s youth teams, to leading the Board of Directors of the Baybridge Clubhouse for the mentally ill, giving back to the community is at the heart of this business.”
KenMark also sponsors an annual student scholarship fund for local graduating seniors and is an active supporter of the United Way and the Woman’s Empowerment through Cape Area Networking (WE CAN) organizations.
Moving forward, Axion/KenMark will operate under Ferland’s leadership with Pedicini assuming the role of vice president of sales for the newly combined sales teams.
“In today’s world, this is not like your typical manufacturer, corporate buyout. It’s a great thing to have two competitors remain local in the Massachusetts/Cape Cod community and continue to do business like they have for the past 35 years,” says Ferland. “Like I told my employees, the great part about acquisitions is that you can constantly expand your own customer base through products and services that you didn’t have before.”
For the first time, both companies will be able to offer their respective customers products and services that they had previously not been able to offer, such as office furniture, managed network and IT services, production print, and expanded managed print services.
“There is great synergy with our companies that we were missing before,” adds Pedicini, “We will now be able to offer so much more as Axion/KenMark under one roof.”
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About KenMark Office Systems
Since 1983, KenMark Office Systems has been Cape Cod and South Shore’s single source for office automation, furniture, and supply needs. As office equipment and document solution experts, KenMark offers Savin and Konica Minolta with an award-winning responsive service team; including servicing of Hewlett Packard Laser machines. KenMark carries a full line of quality office furniture, design services, as well as a complete, competitive line of office supplies.
About Axion Business Technologies
Axion Business Technologies, a Visual Edge Technology Company, was founded in 2004 by Robert Ferland, a 40-year veteran in the office products industry. Currently, Axion is the product of 13 acquisitions over the past decade, including five that expanded the company’s footprint in four New England states in just under a year. This rapid growth has enabled Axion to be a driving presence in the industry, proudly representing the Greater Boston, Greater Worcester, Rhode Island, and Southern Massachusetts marketplaces, along with Cape Cod and the Islands. Axion’s product lines include Konica Minolta, Ricoh, Toshiba, Okidata and HP multifunctional products.
About Visual Edge Technology
Visual Edge Technology, a family of Office and IT Solutions Companies, incorporates a strategy of operating through established dealerships across the U.S., focused on providing a broad line of office solutions, including the sale and service of automated multifunction products, wide-format solutions, managed print services, document management software, network management services, and IT solutions. Visual Edge sells products supplied by Konica Minolta, Canon, Xerox, HP, Kyocera, Sharp, Samsung, Muratec, Okidata, Toshiba, Kip, Lexmark and Ricoh. Through its acquisition strategy, Visual Edge will continue to identify successful companies that focus on providing simple solutions to complex challenges.
