What is the common thread between actor Kevin Bacon and Pulse Technology CEO Chip Miceli? Both gentlemen are ideal candidates for the Six Degrees of Separation game. One can link any actor with Bacon inside of six steps—for example: Dustin Hoffman starred with Donald Sutherland in “Outbreak,” and Sutherland was in “Animal House” with Bacon (of course, Hoffman and Bacon were in “Sleepers” together, but you get the idea).
Similarly, the same thing can be said about Miceli. Any dealer exec who has been in the industry an appreciable amount of time has either worked directly with Miceli, appeared on a dealer panel with him at a conference, is a fellow member of a peer/user’s group or sat on a board/council with him. If not, a connection can certainly be drawn to Miceli in four or fewer steps instead of six.
What does this say about Miceli? Other than he probably has enough frequent flyer miles to board SpaceX, it’s a testament to how much the man cares about his fellow dealers and the industry in general. If there’s a cutting-edge technology, he wants to learn more about it. If there’s a better, more efficient way to conduct business, Miceli is all in. If a fellow dealer is challenged by a particular issue, he is willing to listen and offer advice. The man wants to make a buck, of course, but he’s not above sharing ideas and innovations to the betterment of all.
“I enjoy spending time helping other dealers. They call and ask questions and I try to help them find answers and solve problems,” said Miceli, a 2023 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “With the time I have spent in different industry peer groups, I always do whatever I can to help other dealers stay strong and thrive. To me, it makes sense to help each other because we’re all stronger together and our industry benefits.”
One of a Kind
Utterly frank, sometimes self-deprecating and immensely humble, Miceli has plied his craft since 1972, when he joined father Vince’s company, then known as Des Plaines Office Equipment (DPOE). Miceli doesn’t claim to have all the answers to the dealer community’s challenges, but he’s been around long enough to offer a viable perspective.
What makes Miceli particularly valuable to the industry is his progressive approach to business. He’s not tied to any time-honored methods or sacred cows. From his 2018 company rebrand to the acquisitions of McShane’s and Kramer & Leonard, and resulting product and service additions, Miceli has long been a forward thinker. This goes back to his earliest days with DPOE.
“I’ve always been something of a tech geek,” he admits. “As things evolved in the business, we sold electric typewriters and programmable calculators. The technology is far more advanced today, but we still operate in the same way – we look for what our customers need. If it’s something that makes sense to add to our offerings, we’ll do it. If not, we’ll refer them to someone who can help them. I’ll do anything I can to help a customer.”
Miceli was only following the advice of his father, whom upon convincing his son to join the company, issued the edict “Go sell things.” It was, after all, the early 1970s, with the aforementioned calculators and typewriters sitting atop the DPOE product menu. Vince wasn’t exactly clear about what he wanted his son to sell, but it didn’t matter. The younger Miceli visited the firm’s customers to find out what they needed to do their jobs better.
“I came back with orders for products that we didn’t carry,” he admitted. “My approach in those early days was similar to what I do today – ask customers what they need and try to find a way to meet that need. This resulted in our adding more products to what we sold.”
Miceli’s quest to build a better mousetrap has aligned him with many organizations, including the Select Dealer Group, Sharp’s Dealer Advisory Council and International Business Products buyer’s group. You’ll also see him speaking at events for Epson and Canon in addition to Sharp. If there are dealers on stage at an event, he’s certain to be among the panelists.
New Roads
He certainly loves new adventures. The 2023 campaign yielded growth for Pulse Technology, not to mention some fun and interesting projects. One saw the dealer build and install a 23×45’ wall at the home park of the Schaumburg Boomers, a baseball team in the independent Frontier League. The high-brightness digital sign conveys scores, upcoming events and other various messages.
“It has led the way to our bidding on some other very interesting video wall projects,” Miceli noted. “This has put us in the outdoor market and showed us that there is nothing too big for us to accomplish.”
For Miceli, every day presents an opportunity to improve and carve out a path that leads to new clients. When it comes to finding new ways to support current or prospective clients, everything is on the table. Pulse Technology boasts a robust ecommerce platform, which was recently expanded to include janitorial/sanitation products, along with coffee machines and supplies. Given Miceli’s rich network of connections, it would be difficult to name a product or service that he hasn’t at least considered.
On the home front, Miceli and his wife, Terry, have five children: Vince, William, Nicole, Paul and Cindy. Four of them work at Pulse. Miceli was heavily involved in Boy Scouts in the past, and these days he enjoys traveling (Tuscany is a favorite) and reading, whether it’s history books or mysteries. Spending time with his family, including grandson Logan, is a high priority.
