The office technology industry is deeply saddened by the loss of Wes McArtor, the president of NEXERA (formerly BEI Services) and a 30-year fixture on the industry circuit. Mr. McArtor, 67, fought a 20-month battle with glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, and passed away in the early morning hours of Oct. 27. His wife, Lisa, shared the news in a Facebook post.
Despite the cancer, Lisa McArtor wrote, he fought the disease with courage, dignity, grace and God by his side. “He lived an extraordinary life filled with many adventures, accomplishments and love,” the post read. “He touched many lives in a positive way over his 67 years. He will be greatly missed and leaves such a hole in our lives, but as he showed us his strength through all of this, we will honor him by living in that strength. We ask for continued prayers for our family as we navigate through this very difficult time. We’d like to thank you all for keeping us in prayer through this long, hard journey.”
Mr. McArtor graduated from Cody High School in Wyoming, and served in the United States Marine Corps. His career in the office technology sector included a stint at then-Minolta Corp., where he was a service marketing manager. But it was at then-BEI Services that he left an indelible mark on the industry.
Mr. McArtor founded BEI Services (along with Greg Moseley) in 1993, and for more than 30 years the firm has served as a measuring stick, offering business intelligence data and benchmarking tools that shined a light on industry standards. In consulting with BEI Services, dealers, managed service providers and manufacturers alike could discuss their pain points and receive big-picture analysis regarding inefficiencies, along with an action plan to reduce costs, grow revenue and increase profitability.
“Often times in the process, we see other things that either (clients) weren’t aware of or aren’t part of their core expertise,” Mr. McArtor told ENX Magazine on the subject of evaluations in a 2019 interview. “An owner sometimes doesn’t understand all the metrics around what’s going on in service. Sometimes they become compartmentalized around their sales organization and maybe finance, but aren’t keenly aware of what’s going on unless they’re billing for inventory or service. A lot of times, our evaluation process is about taking a holistic approach and looking at all the operations, focused on the pain points but also looking at where we can make improvements that would ultimately bring more profitability or efficiency to the dealership.”
Mr. McArtor was also an occasional contributor to ENX Magazine, providing insights into the profitability obstacles companies face.
Josie Heskje, the director of corporate communications for GreatAmerica Financial Services, recalled her first encounter with Mr. McArtor. In an email thread notifying members of The Consortium about his passing, Heskje noted that he left “an indelible mark on all of us he knew.”
“I’ll never forget how kind he was to me when I attended my very first conference in this industry. It was a Lyra conference in Palm Springs and he bought me and another colleague of ours dinner on the last night, as we were stragglers who didn’t really know anyone,” Heskje wrote. “It’s a small example of his kind nature and strong character.”
An adventurer with a thirst for the outdoors, Mr. McArtor was also co-owner of TDK Safaris, a full-service African safari outfitter located in Limpopo, South Africa, which launched in 2012. He served four years in the Marines and was a competition pistol shooter, winning several awards at Camp Perry. He was also an auto and hunting enthusiast.
In addition to his wife of 32 years, he is survived by two sons, Joshua McMillen (wife Desi, daughter Jolene) in Hutto Texas, and Dakota McArtor (wife Amanda) of Cave Creek, Arizona. He is also survived by his father, Jim. He was predeceased by his mother, Barbara.
A celebration of Mr. McArtor’s life will be held Feb. 22 at Carefree Church in Cave Creek, Arizona.
