Elite Dealers 2017: $50 Million to $100 Million

All Copy Products
Denver, CO
www.allcopyproducts.com

  • Year Founded: 1975
  • President/Owner: Brad Knepper
  • Number of Employees: 399
  • Primary Vendors: Konica Minolta, Canon, Sharp, Toshiba, Muratec, Lexmark, Océ, KIP, KYOCERA
  • Primary Solutions Offerings: MPS, document management, workflow solutions, facilities management, interactive boards, managed IT, cloud services, phone systems, Access Control, Intellinetics, Square 9, Laserfiche, Nuance
  • Primary Leasing Partners: GreatAmerica, DLL, US Bank
  • Approximate Yearly Revenue: $80 to $85 million
  • Fastest Growing Business Segments: Managed IT
  • Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: All Copy Products broke ground on its new corporate headquarters in downtown Denver, a $34 million project. With five stories and 81,000 square feet, the building will be attached to the current 25,000-square-foot structure.

All Copy Products new corporate headquarters, slated for completion in 2019

Why We Consider All Copy Products Elite:

  • More than a copier dealer. All Copy Products has expanded its product and service portfolio to the point where it can provide a customized plan specific to the needs of its clients, making it a single-source solution provider. Its service component is backed by its designation as a Pros Elite 100 and a BEI top 10 Diamond level service provider.
  • In-house marketing. Using homegrown marketing strategies, the company has netted more than $2.5 million in net new business. It uses innovative pay-per-click (PPC) search ads and has crafted custom campaigns for each product and service through Google and Microsoft Bing. The result is dynamic content per service and a unique landing page experience for each campaign.
  • Digital marketing innovations. All Copy Products has used its paid ad search analytics to develop trends on what people are searching for and when they are searching for those items. The dealer’s account executives have incorporated that data into their cold calling initiatives to increase engagement and conversions.
  • Fun, productive work environment. From snack days to breakfast burritos to 15-minute massage breaks, All Copy Products endeavors to optimize its workplace. The dealer added employee-friendly amenities to its new corporate headquarters, including a golf simulator, pizza oven, full bar, 10 large-screen televisions, a shuffleboard table, and retractable glass walls that open to an outdoor deck.
  • All Copy Products provides employees with eight hours of paid time that can be donated to taking part in charitable activities. The dealer hosts an annual charity golf tournament to benefit Warren Village, raising more than $20,000 in 2017.

Applied Imaging
Grand Rapids, MI
www.appliedimaging.com

  • Year Founded: 1987
  • President/Owner: John Lowery
  • Number of Employees: 352
  • Primary Vendors: Ricoh, Canon, Océ, Samsung
  • Primary Solutions Offerings: OnBase, Microsoft, Square 9
  • Primary Leasing Partners: GreatAmerica, US Bank
  • Approximate Yearly Revenue: $72 million
  • Fastest Growing Business Segments: Its IT division, branded as NetSmartai+
  • Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: The company moved into a new 63,000-square-foot headquarters that boasts an interior design rivaling giant technology firms. With the support of Ricoh, Applied Imaging assumed service responsibilities for all customers previously serviced by the manufacturer’s branch and opened an office in Toledo to launch its northern Ohio presence. Applied Imaging also added a third Detroit Metro branch and made several acquisitions.

John Lowery cuts the ribbon celebrating the Grand Opening of Applied Imaging’s new 63,000-square-foot headquarters in Grand Rapids, MI

Why We Consider Applied Imaging Elite:

  • The Applied Chemistry culture. To reinforce the importance of its corporate culture, dubbed Applied Chemistry, the company produces a 100-plus-page book annually to highlight the relevance of each element of that culture. It allows employees to flourish and deliver on the value proposition promised in the dealer’s marketing and advertising. In addition to a family-oriented environment where fun and community service are encouraged, Applied Imaging provides training, education, certifications and opportunities for growth and advancement.
  • Stuck on labels. Part of the Applied Imaging brand includes labeling everything. The dealer feels labeling itself is communication and helps position the brand as unique and apart from the competition. In addition to labeling all solutions groups, Applied Imaging has labeled its off-site service center the Customer Loyalty Center, where 85 percent of the calls are answered before the second ring by a live person. The training center is labeled Get Smart University, playing off its solutions groups’ names.
  • Marketing philosophy. Applied Imaging’s philosophy is frequency, consistency, and living up to and delivering on their positioning theme: Fast. Friendly. Amazing. The dealer has used customer testimonials as the primary creative execution for its aggressive morning drive radio schedule. Applied Imaging commercials can be heard on 17 of the top-rated stations throughout Michigan and northern Ohio three weeks per month, 12 months a year.
  • Personal priorities. Applied Imaging employees are encouraged to put family first, whether it’s providing flex hours or allowing a parent time off to take their child to a doctor or be present for an important event. The dealer believes that balance in life is critical to having happy employees who enjoy their job and want to consistently perform at their best for the customers.
  • Shared Chemistry. Community is an important element within the Applied Chemistry culture. Many employees and virtually the entire management team sit on non-profit boards and are active members. The dealer focuses on a different charity each month. Employees are encouraged to donate at least $5 dollars each week in exchange for the opportunity to wear jeans on Wednesday. They are also encouraged to volunteer 10 paid hours per calendar year at an organization that interests them. This lets employees devote time to the causes that are dearest to them, so they are able to thoroughly enjoy the time spent volunteering. This includes groups of Applied Imaging staff members who are sent to volunteer during the workday twice per month at local nonprofits. In addition, one of Applied Imaging’s drivers delivers lunches once a month to local schools for children who cannot afford them.

Blue Technologies
Cleveland, OH
www.btohio.com

  • Year Founded: 1995
  • President/Owner: Paul Hanna
  • Number of Employees: Just under 200 full time employees
  • Primary Vendors: Konica Minolta, Lexmark, KIP, HP
  • Primary Solutions Offerings: AnyDoc, AutoStore, BlueBeam, BlueDocX by Intellinetics, BlueProtect, BT Scan, BT Capture, DocsCorp, Nuance, Filebound, Kofax, Hyland Software, iManage, Objectif Lune, Print Audit, PrintGroove, Prism DocRecord, ScanPath, Software Shelf Print Manager Plus
  • Primary Leasing Partners: DLL, US Bank, GE, CIT
  • Approximate Yearly Revenue: $50 million
  • Fastest Growing Business Segments: Professional services (30%), managed IT (213%)
  • Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: The expansion of Blue Technologies’ managed IT services, procuring several large clients with monthly recurring revenue contracts, including a $2 million contract with an Ohio-based nonprofit organization.

Blue Technologies’ headquarters in Cleveland

Why We Consider Blue Technologies Elite:

  • Commitment to excellence. A tech-savvy dealer, Blue Technologies prides itself on being a one-stop shop for total solutions, as opposed to offering products or services in silos. It abides by the “Commitment to Excellence—EVERY DAY” mantra, which includes a five-point pledge that protects each customer after an acquisition is complete, guaranteeing quality product performance, product service, supplies, easy acquisition and complete customer satisfaction. The dealer also has a set of service guarantees for managed print services, managed IT services and productivity solutions. Each of these guarantees reduces a customer’s risk by doing business with Blue Technologies.
  • Vertical marketing program. Blue Technologies has completely overhauled its vertical marketing program, Blue Prospecting (BP), with the help of Pontrelli Marketing—an outside consultant specific to the office technology industry. A critical initiative across marketing and sales, Blue Prospecting utilizes vertical market information in its CRM to assist sales representatives in identifying incremental prospective customers to contact and sell to.
  • Technology showcase. Beginning in 2016, Blue Technologies changed the format of its annual Technology Showcase at Quicken Loans Arena to attract a larger, qualified attendee base. Previously hosted in trade show format, with vendor booths and equipment on display, marketing instead creates a collaborative forum for education and professional development regarding cutting-edge, industry leading office technology solutions. Rebranded “Grow Tech,” the conference messaging revolves around helping attendees grow their business.
  • Industry honors. Blue Technologies has captured the Konica Minolta Pro-Tech Service Award each year between 2004 and 2016. Other Konica Minolta recognitions include Top Performer for Revenue and Market Share and the $10 million Circle of Excellence. It has garnered Diamond Reseller status from Hyland Software three times, including in 2017. Publication kudos were given by Better Buys for Business (Editor’s Choice Award) and the NEO Success Award by Inside Business Magazine.
  • Community recognition. Blue Technologies President Paul Hanna was presented the Our Lady of the Wayside—Starlight Guardian Humanitarian Award in 2015, which recognize selfless acts of individuals through devotion to creating opportunities for enhanced quality for many. Blue Technologies is also a three-time winner of the SBN and Medical Mutual Pillar Award. The Pillar Award for Community Service honors businesses with a commitment to community throughout northeast Ohio, as demonstrated through their charitable works and donations. Blue Technologies was honored for its long-term history of corporate philanthropy, most notably to OhioGuidestone.

Centric Business Systems
Owings Mills, MD
www.centricbiz.com

  • Year Founded: 1990
  • President/Owner: Rick Bastinelli
  • Number of Employees: 232
  • Primary Vendors: Sharp, Ricoh, KYOCERA, HP
  • Primary Solutions Offerings: M-Files, Square 9, PaperCut
  • Primary Leasing Partners: DLL, US Bank
  • Approximate Yearly Revenue: $55 million
  • Fastest Growing Business Segments: Software, production
  • Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: The ability to maintain significant and consistent growth, attaining more than $55 million in annual revenue and 230-plus employees.

Centric’s Corporate Headquarters in Owings Mills, MD

Why We Consider Centric Business Systems Elite:

  • Scaled for success. Centric’s size enables it to hire dedicated specialists who provide the expertise required to support its sales team with software, production, vertical markets, wide format and facility management. It also provides Centric with the buying power to offer customers attractive pricing. The dealer backs its sales with uncompromising service to ensure a commitment to total customer satisfaction.
  • Single-source solutions. Centric has the resources and capacity to offer a full range of hardware, software, support and managed service solutions, along with the sophistication to integrate those solutions from trained and qualified professionals. It provides customers with a single-source solution for all document output and state of the art reporting capabilities that allow customers to streamline operations and cut costs. In addition, Centric’s CustomerFIRST philosophy ensures that every customer is supported after the sale when any issues arise.
  • Service competencies. To best serve customers, Centric offers a guaranteed four-hour response time. Each technician calls every customer within two hours to clear or confirm the call and Centric utilizes MWAi, GPS, MS Mapping, PDFs to manage its fleet of technicians for maximum efficiency. Centric provides bonuses to its technicians on the BEI concept of total call effectiveness to minimize down time. If necessary, a loaner is offered to any customer down for more than one day at no charge.
  • Customer-first approach. Centric adopted a CustomerFIRST program that emphasizes its commitment to customer satisfaction. It consists of three major principles: responsiveness, communication and ownership. These programs have been successful because Centric’s employees are motivated by them and they benefit the customers with outstanding service.
  • Employee training programs. All newly hired sales representatives at Centric go through “Centric University,” an 18-day program spread out over four weeks. In the fourth week, there is a practical final where the new hires are evaluated on their product knowledge and ability to conduct each step of the sales cycle. The trainers assist in pre- and post-sales support by helping the sales team choose the best technology fits for a company, training customers on their new machines and providing ongoing training support to customers.

EO Johnson Business Technologies
Wausau, WI
www.eojohnson.com

Mary Jo Johnson,
owner

  • Year Founded: 1957
  • President/Owner: Mary Jo Johnson (owner), Dave Greene (president)
  • Number of Employees: 275
  • Primary Vendors: Canon, Lanier, Océ, Ricoh, Samsung, Toshiba, RISO, Fortinet, HP, Nimble, Dell, Destroy It, Duplo, PSI, Standard, Zebra
  • Primary Solutions Offerings: EFI, Fabsoft, Fusion Pro, MBM, MSI, Nuance, Objectif Lune, PaperCut, Print Fleet, PSIGEN, RFIDeas, Square 9, StorageCraft, eset, Kaseya, Microsoft, VMWare, Autotask, Zix, Barracuda, Cybershark, Qualys
  • Primary Leasing Partners: In-house leasing through GreatAmerica
  • Approximate Yearly Revenue: $55 to $60 million
  • Fastest Growing Business Segments: Document scanning and conversion (40%), production print (25%)
  • Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: EO Johnson experienced expansion by adding new adjacent counties to its footprint, readied its Minneapolis market office for Imaging, and increased staff to meet growth demand. On the leadership front, the dealership continues to develop its leaders through readings, workshops, education and mentoring. EO Johnson named Dave Greene to replace retiring longtime president/COO Roger King.

Why We Consider EO Johnson Business Technologies Elite:

  • Values system. The dealer places great emphasis on ethics and values, which traces back to company founder Emery (E.O.) Johnson. It abides by four cornerstone core values—caring, trustworthy, customer vision and stability—and 16 “Behaviors to Live By,” which emphasize a team mentality, and encourage positivity and support. The values-based approach gives customers and potential employees greater insight to what the company stands for beyond mere products and services.
  • Marketing identity. A new marketing approach, “Your Business. Better,” was launched during 2017. It has a supporting marketing pack, which is a statement derived directly from the value propositions, pains, and gains the dealer identified in research. They touch on logical, credible, and emotional feelings. EO Johnson’s marketing pack is: “We’re more than the technologies that power your business. We’re the people that create solutions, solve problems, and help you work smarter.” Each of EO Johnson’s six product divisions has its own Marketing Identity statement and marketing pack. Each provides a specific brand promise, offer greater detail in specific areas, and are consistent and cohesive with the overall company Marketing Identity and marketing pack.
  • Content marketing. EO Johnson has a robust content marketing program that features weekly original blogs, which are marketed in strategic ways. The weekly blogs are structured in four categories: IT, solutions (document management, document scanning and business workflow process), production print and leadership. The topics are generated to support relevant industry news and demonstrate the expertise EO Johnson has among its employees. Content writers interview EO Johnson experts, do additional research, and write the articles assigning authorship to EO Johnson experts. The blogs are published on a weekly basis on the company website.
  • Digital marketing. Aside from emailed weekly blogs, EO Johnson employs integrated, multi-channel marketing campaigns that encompass email, postcard mailers, QR codes and personalized landing pages. Email marketing is used to promote EO Johnson seminars. In addition to general marketing emails (using Constant Contact) additional marketing automation software (DRIP and Leadpages) are used to invite business (DRIP) and track seminar registrations with automated responses (Leadpages). Additionally, DRIP messages are used to provide a more personalized looking communication from specific sales reps.
  • Employee input. EO Johnson engages its employees through an “Ideas in Motion” program where team members can submit ideas for improvements. It has netted more than 50 responses, and an employee-led team evaluates the suggestions and works with applicants to facilitate a feasibility analysis and implement them—many of which have been accepted.

Impact Networking, LLC
Lake Forest, IL
www.impactmybiz.com

  • Year Founded: 1999
  • President/Owner: Frank Cucco
  • Number of Employees: 427
  • Primary Vendors: Konica Minolta, KYOCERA, Muratec, KIP America, Bowe Bell & Howell, Lexmark, Ricoh, RISO
  • Primary Solutions Offerings: DocuWare, Obectif Lune, Kofax, Nuance, PaperCut, Darwin VDP Software, Planet Press Suite, Printshop Mail, Via Works, Square 9, Marketo
  • Primary Leasing Partners: GE, EverBank, Key Leasing
  • Approximate Yearly Revenue: $70 to $80 million
  • Fastest Growing Business Segments: Managed IT and document management
  • Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Impact Networking successfully completed its acquisition of Illinois Paper & Copier Co., which now serves as its Bolingbrook, IL, location. The dealer also expanded operations in Los Angeles to include a brand new branch and warehouse.

Impact’s founding partners (from left): Frank Cucco, CEO; Dan Meyer, president; Nathan Robinson, document solutions account executive; Thomas Pieters, senior vice president of sales

Why We Consider Impact Networking Elite:

  • Customer satisfaction. With more than 450 reference letters on file and 15,000 satisfied customers, Impact Networking has gained a reputation for delivering on expectations. As an independent dealer, it is able to focus on being a solutions provider for clients, providing the exact hardware, software and solutions specific to the individual needs of its clients. The dealer constantly seeks out and implements innovative technologies and solutions to be a true one-source provider committed to keeping up with the needs of the modern office.
  • Marketing ingenuity. Impact Networking sought to capitalize on the organic growth and success of its managed IT department by strategically placing advertisements in Crain’s Chicago Business for both print publication and web. The campaign helped increase its visibility, reach the intended audience of decision-makers and generate new, valuable leads.
  • No horsing around. In an effort to seek new and creative ways to reach its target audience, Impact Networking installed phone-charging stations at Arlington International Racecourse. The charging stations are convenient for patrons and require them to spend at least several minutes at the station in order to achieve a partial charge. To leverage this captive opportunity, the charging stations were branded with the Impact logo and a unique URL and QR code for its managed IT website.
  • Industry accolades. Among its many honors during the past three years, Impact Networking has received the KYOCERA Diamond Premier Award, Total Solutions Provider Plus Certification and Elite Dealer Sales Award; the CompTIA Managed Print Trustmark, the Konica Minolta Pro-Tech Service Award of Excellence, Outstanding Achievement Award and Dealer Top Revenue Growth; the DocuWare Platinum Partner Status and Diamond Club Member; the Lexmark Platinum Partner and Ricoh Circle of Excellence Award.
  • Employee perks. In addition to Nespresso machines, popcorn machines and periodic food truck visits, Impact Networking employees can avail themselves of premium employee gifts, such as branded luggage and bags, bluetooth headphones, speakers and other electronics. The dealer also offers premium-branded employee clothing each fall and winter from brands such as The North Face, Nike, Calloway, and Marmot. Employees in different departments qualify for all-expenses paid trips annually, including an admin trip to Wisconsin’s Northwoods, a service department fishing trip to Canada, and various incentive-based sales trips. In addition, all employees with one calendar year of tenure are eligible for an all-expenses paid trip to a tropical destination such as Puerto Vallarta or Puerto Rico. All employees receive employment milestone gifts as well, including $2,000 to spend at Tiffany & Co. after five years, and a Rolex watch after 10 years.

LDI Color ToolBox
Jericho, NY
www.myLDI.com

  • Year Founded: 1999
  • President/Owner: Jerry Blaine
  • Number of Employees: 250+
  • Primary Vendors: Canon, Sharp, Toshiba, HP, Samsung
  • Primary Solutions Offerings: Canon Uniflow, PaperCut, nQueue, Sepialine, Drivve, EFI, CGS|Oris, Onyx, MaxxVault, Zoom, Nuance
  • Primary Leasing Partners: Canon Finance, EverBank, DLL, Leaf
  • Approximate Yearly Revenue: $70 million
  • Fastest Growing Business Segments: Legal, financial, education, health care, ad/design graphics
  • Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: LDI relocated three of its five offices, creating new technology centers and showrooms to demonstrate state-of-the-art digital office technology.

LDI NYC showroom

Why We Consider LDI Color ToolBox Elite:

  • Innovative marketing. LDI has expanded its product and service offerings to include professional audio visual and managed network services. Its fluency in these areas add value to other offerings and to the clients it serves. The dealer has developed a focus in new markets that allows it to use an expanded portfolio of products and services, along with its certified pre-owned program. Additionally, LDI has expanded its use of the Internet and social media to communicate its value proposition to a new generation of procurement and C-suite individuals.
  • Going full circle. LDI takes a 360-degree approach to technology, creating integration strategies that seek to leverage its clients’ investments in digital office technology.
  • Career path. With its increasing volume of products, services and support, LDI employees are afforded the opportunity to chart a career path in a multitude of areas and achieve success. Despite its growth, the dealer has been able to maintain a nurturing, family-oriented atmosphere.
  • Community support. LDI boasts an extensive list of charitable organizations that it has supported with equipment, in-kind donations and financial support. Members of the LDI management team and sales representatives participate on the boards and committees of not-for-profit and community organizations. The dealership continues to use its expertise and resources for community outreach, advancing the neighborhoods and organizations that lack the funding, education and advantages required to be successful.
  • Manufacturer recognition. LDI is proud of its elite status and high level of achievement with the majority of strategic manufacturer partners and software companies that it currently represents. The company is equally gratified with the recognition that it has received from the clients, communities and charitable organizations that it currently supports.

Les Olson Company
Salt Lake City, UT
www.lesolson.com

  • Year Founded: 1956
  • President/Owner: Troy Olson/19 Olson family members share ownership
  • Number of Employees: 244
  • Primary Vendors: Sharp, HP, Fujitsu
  • Primary Solutions Offerings: DocuWare, eFile Cabinet, Sophos, PaperCut
  • Primary Leasing Partners: REVCO (internal leasing), US Bank, Wells Fargo, GE, DLL
  • Approximate Yearly Revenue: $50 million
  • Fastest Growing Business Segments: Managed IT services
  • Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Les Olson Company was recognized as a Sharp AAA Platinum Service Provider, a designation achieved by only seven out of more than 400 other dealers in the nation. The Sharp AAA Platinum Service Provider is awarded to dealers who demonstrate the highest levels of customer service and exceed industry service benchmarks.

The Les Olson Company’s ownership group, now in its third generation. Front row (from left): Chris Weenig, Matt Olson, JamesOlson, Deb Olson, Lisa Thaller, Troy Olson, Ryan Bingham; Back row: Tammy Peck, Josh Weenig, Mark Babcock, Scot Olson, Paul Clawson, Clayton Olson, Jason Olson, Tim Olson, Daphne Webster, Ivy James

Why We Consider Les Olson Company Elite:

  • Dependability. Les Olson has carved out a reputation for meeting the needs of customers during their most critical circumstances. Its culture as owners and employees is to be there for customers, whether it’s for service or to take time to hammer out a dispute to their satisfaction. Les Olson boasts relationships that trace back decades with many customers.
  • Fairness in business. The dealer offers contracts for service that are competitively priced, and don’t surprise customers with hidden costs or grandfather clauses. Les Olson avoids promoting specials that feature a low introductory offer then include balloon clauses on the back end. Its go-to-market strategy is to be fair and honest up front, and maintain that throughout the ownership cycle. As a result, the dealer’s customer retention rate is significantly higher than that of its competitors.
  • Positive feedback. Customers of Les Olson tend to post positive feedback on review sites. The dealer has more than 230 customer reviews on Google, with a 4.9 star rating at its Salt Lake branch. Other impressive performances include five-star ratings at its Logan, Ogden, Lindon, Cedar City, St. George and Las Vegas branches. It amounts to 595 reviews with an average five-star rating.
  • Song of success. Les Olson developed a jingle for its television and radio advertising spots that has proven to be a hit for customers and prospects. It’s not unusual for a prospect to sing the jingle to a Les Olson sales rep during an in-person cold call. People complained when subsequent advertising spots did not include the jingle, so it was restored to all current advertisements.
  • Community outreach. Les Olson feels a responsibility to give back to the community and gives of its time and financial resources to support organizations including Utah Food Bank, Primary Children’s Hospital and the Special Olympics. Its owners serve on boards for local charities and hospitals. Through this support, the company is able to network with other business leaders, and develop relationships.

NovaCopy, Inc.
Nashville, TN
www.NovaCopy.com

  • Year Founded: 1998
  • President/Owner: Darren Metz
  • Number of Employees: 320
  • Primary Vendors: Konica Minolta, Canon, HP, MarkForged, Kodak, Mimaki, Mutoh, KIP
  • Primary Solutions Offerings: M-Files, PaperCut, PSIGEN, Kofax ScanPath Desktop/eCopy
  • Primary Leasing Partners: Wells Fargo, NovaWells
  • Approximate Yearly Revenue: $80 million
  • Fastest Growing Business Segments: MPS, document solutions, managed IT
  • Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: NovaCopy was acquired by its senior management team with equity financing provided by Trivest Partners, LP, a private investment firm that focuses on founder- and family-owned businesses in the Southeast.

NovaCopy’s management team and owners

Why We Consider NovaCopy Elite:

  • Solutions and service. NovaCopy prides itself on offering comprehensive needs including hardware, document solutions, managed IT and office supplies, but believes its true value proposition is customer service. Client needs are met through online customer account portal for each customer, live help via online chat or phone, and by its AR staff, which can answer questions or concerns. The NovaCopy sales staff is trained in countless customizable solutions to enhance the customer experience.
  • Marketing automation. The recent addition of Salesforce CRM tied to new Marketing Automation (Pardot) has enabled NovaCopy’s marketing and leads teams to track and react to online requests, email blasts and leads in a more effective manner. Marketing automation allows each account rep to see the online interactions their customers have on a daily basis. This allows them to ask pertinent questions and offer solutions. The addition of a digital marketing analyst to the team allows for collected data to be reviewed and acted upon.
  • Social media. NovaCopy has expanded into social selling. From teaching and coaching on proper ways to use LinkedIn to providing content and access to NovaCopy across various platforms, the use of social media has become a key to the dealer’s sales and marketing efforts. The rollout of Salesforce, coupled with Chatter, alerts teams to important posts and quickly share them on their social networks.
  • Industry recognition. Among its many honors, NovaCopy has been named to the list of 101 Best and Brightest Companies to Work for in the Nation, the Top 100 Places to Work (Dallas and Nashville), Fastest 50 growing businesses in Nashville, the Inc. 500/5000 (11-time Hall of Fame winner the past five years), Konica Minolta Pro-Tech Dealer (11-time winner, including past six years), Konica Minolta Top Production Print Dealer ($5+ million) in the US (2012-16), Best Marketing Program in North and Latin America from M-Files, and the Best Marketing Video in the World from PR Daily Video Awards for “The Making of Buttercup’s 3D Printed Foot.”
  • Giving back. NovaCopy has a Donated Copier Program for non-profits, through which it has provided equipment to organizations for the past 11 years. Its employees volunteer in walk-a-thons, food drives and other events at each branch, and its staff sit on local boards, charity groups and other community-based organizations.

Prosource
Cincinnati, OH
www.totalprosource.com

  • Year Founded: 1985
  • President/Owner: Brad Cates (president and CEO), Ben Russert (owner)
  • Number of Employees: 200
  • Primary Vendors: Konica Minolta, Lexmark, Toshiba
  • Primary Solutions Offerings: Hyland, Nuance, Kofax, OpenText,
  • Primary Leasing Partners: US Bank, GE, DLL
  • Approximate Yearly Revenue: $45 to $55 million
  • Fastest Growing Business Segments: MPS (62%), service and supplies (11%)
  • Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Prosource measures the impact of its customer experience though the Net Promotor Score (NPS). In 2016, its NPS score reached an all-time high of 90, and the dealer has scored as high as 93 during 2017.

Prosource team members enjoy tailgating before the Bengals vs. Bills game on Oct. 8

Why We Consider Prosource Elite:

  • Customer excellence. The TotalPro Experience, Prosource’s pledge of excellence to its customers, is a commitment to quality, service and improving the customer’s business. This comprehensive six-step approach to identifying customer document needs and exceeding their expectations ensures that Prosource gets the job done right from start to finish. The pledge is backed by the TotalPro Guarantee, Prosource’s commitment to customer satisfaction in writing. If a customer feels that Prosource has not met or exceeded expectations, the dealer will immediately make things right. Prosource gives its customers TotalPro Attention, an escalation process for resolving critical issues. When an issue is logged, the team is alerted, aware and immediately begins to resolve critical issues within 15 minutes. Prosource’s executive team follows the issue through completion.
  • Brand awareness. To boost brand awareness and ultimately drive sales, Prosource has partnered with many athletic teams and venues in its communities, including the Cincinnati Bengals, the University of Dayton Arena and the Kentucky Speedway. This marketing strategy allows Prosource to have a presence at some of the most highly attended sporting events in its markets.
  • Inbound marketing. Prosource launched a comprehensive inbound marketing strategy to build trust, reputation and authority in the office technology industry. The strategy incorporates many forms of pull marketing, including content marketing and blogging, social media marketing and search engine optimization. Since launching this strategy, the dealer has experienced an 11 percent increase in overall website traffic.
  • Flightplan. Prosource instituted a five-year growth and transformation initiative called the Prosource Flightplan in 2013. One of the foundations of the Flightplan, which consists of annual and quarterly goals, was the setting of three cornerstone objectives: to have the highest customer loyalty in the industry, to be the best workplace in the Midwest, and to become the fastest-growing company in the Midwest.
  • Professional development. Prosource provides on-site onboarding training, professional development opportunities through Prosource Academy and personal development courses. Programs that award high performance and programs that encourage team members to give back to the community also help make Prosource a great place to work.

Systel Business Equipment
Fayetteville, NC
www.systeloa.com

  • Year Founded: 1981
  • President/Owner: Keith Allison
  • Number of Employees: 243
  • Primary Vendors: Ricoh, Konica Minolta, HP, Panasonic, Lexmark
  • Primary Solutions Offerings: Doc Record, PaperCut, Nuance, Square 9, zVerse
  • Primary Leasing Partners: DLL, US Bank
  • Approximate Yearly Revenue: $60 million
  • Fastest Growing Business Segments: Over the past few years, Systel Business Equipment has grown its in-house business to very large multi-machine placements with an average of 25-plus machine accounts.
  • Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: Systel launched a targeted hiring promotions campaign to help recruit people impacted by recent manufacturer layoffs, which included signing bonuses. The dealer has hired a number of key personnel during the initiative.

Why We Consider Systel Business Equipment Elite:

  • Customer satisfaction. Systel believes its clients value the company’s knowledge, efficiency and expediency in all aspects of the customer experience. It boasts an equipment ordering turnaround time of 7-10 days. From the time equipment is delivered and a maintenance agreement is in place, supply orders and service requests can be done online. Supply orders are often delivered overnight and service response times average 2.5 hours, so customers experience little to no downtime.
  • Video marketing. Systel introduced and launched a video recruitment marketing campaign as a way to engage job seekers, as well as act as a company branding tool to align with the changes and shifts occurring in the industry. A teaser video was launched on social media announcing its hiring initiatives and then a full video was posted on its website with employee testimonials about what it’s like to work at Systel. In addition, the expanded video was shared in two separate categories (sales and service) on its social media pages.
  • Contract win. In January, Systel was awarded a contract by the state of North Carolina, making it the only authorized independent dealer to receive the award. The dealer launched a number of marketing materials for the program per the needs of its customer, including the Systel state contracts website, full Konica Minolta and HP product catalogs, product quick reference guides, state contract business cards and a quarterly state contract bulletin.
  • Awards and recognitions. For the past seven years, Systel has earned a spot on the list of North Carolina’s Top 100 Private companies and was featured in the October Issue of BNC Magazine for its latest award. The dealer also garnered a spot on the Inc. 500/5000 list for fastest-growing companies in the United States. Systel was recognized by HP as one of the Top MPS Partners in the United States, earning the HP Best in Class award. Systel holds the 2017 HP Platinum Partner Status as well as being acknowledged as a Qualified Supplies Partner. All of Systel’s HP awards are among the highest tier status possible within the HP channel program. HP’s Best in Class award was given to only 10 partners. Other honors include the 2017 Konica Minolta Pro-Tech Service Award, along with Ricoh’s 2017 RFG Circle of Excellence Award, which is earned by fewer than 5 percent of Ricoh dealerships nationwide.
  • Employee-friendly atmosphere. Systel holds at least one or two employee events per quarter, such as bowling or an evening at the local live theatre, to give its people the opportunity to unwind, network with fellow colleagues and meet and congregate with each other’s families. The dealer recently launched an improved Intranet for its employees. The design provides an intuitive resource to communicate, collaborate and access employee-relevant information. Created with the user experience and employee engagement in mind, the site has been designed using an organized interface and conversational type display that makes locating information and receiving employee news easy.

TGI Office Automation
Brooklyn, NY
www.tgioa.com

  • Year Founded: 1964
  • President/Owner: Frank Grasso
  • Number of Employees: 450
  • Primary Vendors: Toshiba, Lanier/Ricoh, Lexmark, HP, FP Mailing
  • Primary Solutions Offerings: DocuWare, PaperCut, Nuance, Square 9, Drivve, Ricoh, LincWare, EzeScan, Continuum
  • Primary Leasing Partners: DLL, CIT, GE, EverBank, Wells Fargo
  • Approximate Yearly Revenue: $90 million
  • Fastest Growing Business Segments: Solutions sales (15%), professional services, security solutions, document management/business automation, cloud services.
    Biggest Accomplishment of the Past Year: TGI significantly grew its business in central and southern New Jersey, Florida and Connecticut through organic development as well as acquisition. The dealer now supports more than 4,000 new customers.

“Our family has put our heart and soul into this company from day one, 54 years ago.”
TGI CEO Frank Grasso

Why We Consider TGI Office Automation Elite:

  • The complete package. The personal touch that TGI provides each customer is one of its differentiating factors. The dealer takes pride in backing up all recommendations that are geared toward improving a client’s business, providing cost and time savings. In a highly competitive market, TGI constantly seeks ways to impress its customers. It can structure and customize the business relationship to the customer’s liking by offering customized billing, financing and flexible plans to fit individual needs.
  • Service portal. TGI introduced the myTGI service portal, an online dashboard that provides customers the ability to manage equipment and serviceable items. TGI’s goal is to lessen the amount of time it takes for clients to manage their devices and make it easier to take care of an invoice or update a meter reading. The portal allows customers to place service requests and view service information, place supply orders, input meter readings manually or automate the task, view meter information, communicate with service technicians, view equipment/item information by location and pay invoices.
  • TGI has been named the official office solutions sponsor of NYCB LIVE, home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. TGI has been aligned with Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment since Barclays Center opened in 2012, and currently holds the designation as the official office solutions partner of the New York Islanders. TGI has been serving the New York metropolitan area for more than 50 years. As part of the new alliance, TGI has provided office printing and scanning equipment for the Coliseum and will receive marketing and branding rights for all events at the venue.
  • Community involvement. TGI focuses much of its charitable efforts to the causes championed by its nonprofit customers. It allocates up to $500,000 per year to donate to causes via the support of golf tournaments, galas, races and walks.
  • Employee training. Abiding by its motto, “A satisfied customer is our greatest asset,” TGI continuously designs and develops training programs for its teams to keep them abreast of the corporate vision. This philosophy and continuous communication, along with its tenured professional staff, ensures that regardless of what department a client interacts with, they will receive a well-informed, productive, economic, secure and satisfactory solution.

TGI’s Brooklyn office

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