Difference Makers

Hannah O’Donnell was practically in a trance as she approached the stage during GreatAmerica Financial Service’s annual awards banquet. Her name had just been called as the organization’s Rookie of the Year—given to outstanding new employees for their exceptional first-year Read More

Mike Lepper freely admits that he’s addicted to success. Suffice to say, the dealership under Lepper’s guidance—Impact Networking of Lake Forest, Illinois—hopes there is no remedy for curing chronic competitiveness. It’s baked into his ascension to the top leadership role at the Read More

In his younger years, Erik Crane had two great loves in his life: his wife Heidi and coaching basketball. That kind of information will invariably cause someone—a friend or a family member perhaps—to pose the challenge “What if you had to choose one or the other? Which would it Read More

Joe Dellaposta is not afraid to admit that he loves numbers, and following where they go has served him well as COO of Doing Better Business in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Whether it’s the Small Business Administration or the Select Dealer Group (SDG) peer association, he’s learned Read More

There’s a line from the movie “Ricky Balboa” where the protagonist observes, “… it ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.” Ivan Mayorga Read More

It’s the spring of 2025, and the nation is already in dire need of a break. We’ve been inundated with conversations about the cost of eggs but never mind our Starbucks drinks cost more than a dozen. All this talk about the economy, inflation, tariffs, the recession-in-waiting, Read More

All of you have undoubtedly attended events where someone walks around tapping on a xylophone or some other bell-related instrument to alert guests that the next phase of a presentation is about to begin. That’s the cue to finish up your coffee and head on over to ballroom A/B. Read More

As reminders go, an award that signifies being the best at something is much better than a Post-it note or a string tied to your finger. Greatness is not a destination, but rather a mountaintop that continues to climb toward the heavens. Knowing you have been there is to know you Read More

Anyone who has spent appreciable time in the office technology industry is familiar with the tale of Rick Lambert, the onetime sales stalwart for IKON Office Solutions and now a sales coach (selltoWIN) and digital marketing mentor (IN2communications) with myriad products designed Read More

One of the greatest fears a salesperson can have is getting a request for a product that he/she hasn’t handled before. Michael Oransky knows how that feels—from security cameras to tablets, laptops and access systems, he’s often found himself in foreign territory when a client Read More

Many a CEO and VP of sales have professed a preference for hiring former college athletes. After all, they understand the team concept and how their role is essential to the overall success of the unit. They understand supporting and sacrificing, doing their part to enable others Read More

Earlier in his career, when Jeff Swenson was appointed to serve on the Konica Minolta Dealer Service Advisory Council, there was a little bit of trepidation. Certainly he was flattered by the honor. However, at that juncture in his career, Swenson wondered what he could bring to Read More

Confidence can be a funny thing, coming and going as it pleases, just like a teenager. When it checks out, confidence leaves more than its fair share of baggage—doubt, insecurity, hesitation and fear, to name a few. It strips one of the mojo, the swagger that can project a Read More

It’s amazing the depth of information you can absorb simply by listening. Elliot Williams knows this to be true. The director of product marketing for Business Imaging at Epson could easily throw around the weight of his long career, but a know-it-all attitude is the first step Read More

The title on Marc Grégoire’s business card may read “chief information officer,” but in his day-to-day interactions at Seattle-based Copiers Northwest, his underlying thrust is to be a catalyst for meaningful change. With the knowledge that the solutions he and his team implement Read More