While evaluating Elite Dealer submission forms last September, I came across a first-time entry, a dealer that hails from Swedesboro, New Jersey, a town not all that far from the East Coast offices of ENX Magazine. In fact, I had grown up in a neighboring community and still have family living in Swedesboro.
Thus, when Rob Richardson—the owner of Allied Document Solutions & Services (ADS&S), a dedicated HP shop that has been in business for 30 years—discovered my proximity to his business, he graciously invited me out to lunch at a local Italian restaurant. As we chatted, we managed to discover a few mutual connections, but they paled in comparison to the many members of the office technology dealer community who we know quite well. It certainly made for an enjoyable first meeting.
As an added bonus, Richardson was willing to talk on the record about his company, its recent performance and keys to growth moving forward. But what makes his shop a bit of a unicorn is the fact that his technical service team boasts three men under the age of 30. In an era of aging techs and dwindling resources for crafting the next generation of the mechanically inclined, it’s certainly an encouraging sign.
How did your company fare in 2023, and what were some of the drivers behind your performance?
Richardson: It was our best year ever. We had our biggest number in sales, and we’ll be 30 years old on Feb. 1. It was [a product of] more and more equipment tied to services. We were a printer company that evolved into more of a MFP/copier company. We now find ourselves in a position where we’re placing machines that are $8K plus, tied to services. So it’s that initial hit of an $8,000 unit versus a $600 unit, tied to services over a 3-5-year period. It was great to see that become the focus of our growth.
How were you able to cultivate the younger technicians?
Richardson: We have three technicians under the age of 30, which is probably the youngest group anywhere. Initially, it started with a higher ed [client] that we work with. They had an RFP that we won, and we developed a great rapport and relationship with them. At that point, we had more senior technicians, so I reached out to my resource at that client who was in the IT end and had a conversation about student assistants who might be a good candidate. That’s how the first one was hired. It was a good fit for what he was doing, and he’s still with us a little over two years later.
The next one was actually my son. He was working after school in a couple of different jobs and I didn’t want to bring him on board right away—I wanted him to see things on both sides of the fence, so to speak. He’s been with me five years now. The third one came to me from a local community college; I have a relationship with their placement people. I’d reached out to them to see if they had any candidates who might be a good fit. We interviewed a handful, which led us to a strong candidate.
Luckily, we were able to onboard them, because our two older techs ultimately phased out. But it’s tough. One of the biggest challenges is not only acquiring that younger talent, but retaining them as well.
What is it about your relationship with HP that has enabled it to work out so well?
Richardson: It’s been a great relationship, and the product has always worked from the printer perspective. The programs, from a printer perspective, from a managed print services perspective, they were extremely aggressive. So it just made sense when they came out with the HP line for us to explore that seriously. What’s refreshing is that our cost of labor to support those devices has been a favorable figure. They haven’t been a burden to support, and they’ve continued to evolve the product. We have a lot of happy customers as a result. The support we get from them, from a day to day partner business manager to a pre- and post-sales technical perspective as well, has been great. I’m looking forward to the prospects in the future with HP.
What do you hope to accomplish this year and what are your goals?
Richardson: We’re always looking to grow the business. Right now, I’m the primary from a sales perspective, which wasn’t always the case. It’s kind of ironic that I was [the lone salesperson] this year and we had our biggest year ever. My previous experience was that I had salespeople who weren’t hitting quota, and I felt like I was just giving them the minimums. It was such a challenge. I acknowledge that what I’m doing today isn’t sustainable long-term. What I hope to do this year is bring in some salespeople, set them up for a 30-90-day orientation, put them through a sales process and hopefully get some stickiness with respect to prospects.
We’re not looking to expand on lines of business at this point. We’re still gaining share, still getting deeper and wider within our existing base, and at the same time we’ve been fortunate enough to win new business. We’re really looking forward to a successful 2024.
