The pace of deals has slowed considerably in the office technology dealer neighborhood, but a pair of transactions in the east from longtime Elite Dealers shook the M&A tree. Down south, Datamax bolstered its presence in Arkansas and Texas by obtaining Wight Office Machines. Farther north, Nauticon Office Solutions picked up Annapolis Office Products in an agreement involving Maryland dealers.
We start with Datamax, which hammered out an agreement to acquire Wight, a privately-owned business technology provider serving businesses in Fort Smith and Russellville, Arkansas. The acquisition aligns with Datamax’s strategic Growth Plus (+) corporate strategy to broaden its presence and strengthen its commitment to organizations throughout Arkansas and Texas.
Since 1929, Wight Office Machines has established itself as a trusted partner for local and regional businesses, consistently evolving with the technology landscape. The company’s mission has always centered on equipping its customers with solutions that improve efficiency and create a competitive edge in their markets.
The shared values and philosophies between Datamax and Wight Office Machines provide a strong foundation for this new partnership. This alignment ensures a smooth transition for customers and creates new opportunities to deliver even greater value in the future.
“We are truly excited about this new chapter for Wight Office Machines as we join the Datamax family. Datamax’s business ideology is the same as ours, and that’s ultimately taking care of the customer,” said Michael Wight, president at Wight Office Machines, Inc. “While our name and ownership may be changing, our customers can count on the same dedicated service with the team they’ve always known. With the added resources of Datamax, we are confident our ability to deliver outstanding technology solutions and support will only grow stronger.”
Together, Datamax and Wight Office Machines professionals will continue offering a full range of business technology services, including multifunction copiers and printers, desktop and wide-format devices, production print, as well as document management, managed print services, managed IT, and consulting services. This expanded portfolio provides customers with a holistic approach to solving today’s business technology challenges.
“Our excitement extends well beyond the business side of this acquisition,” says Barry Simon, president of Datamax Inc. “At Datamax, culture trumps everything. We don’t want our clients to just be satisfied — our mission is to Create Raving Fans. Wight Office Machines shares that same commitment to their customers, employees, and community, making this partnership a perfect cultural fit.”
This acquisition also brings additional energy, resources, and expertise that will benefit customers and employees alike, reinforcing Datamax’s promise to help businesses focus on what they do best — running their business, not their technology.
Nauticon Office Solutions-Annapolis Office Products
Nauticon, a leading provider of office technologies and managed IT services, signed off on an agreement to obtain Annapolis Office Products (AOP), a Millersville, Maryland-based office products dealer. The addition of AOP’s people and customers strengthens Nauticon, already one of the largest independently owned Toshiba and Xerox dealers in the Mid-Atlantic.
Established in 1994 and owned by brothers Bob and Jim Schalge, Annapolis Office Products distributes and services Xerox office equipment from its Millersville, MD location.
Carter Hertzberg, president of Nauticon, commented: “Our strategy is to partner with people and organizations that share our ServiceFirst ethos. Customer service must be the top priority for Nauticon to have an interest in acquiring. It was clear from the start that the Schalge brothers and AOP provided outstanding customer support and built a solid reputation for taking great care of their customers. Nauticon plans to build on this foundation and bring an ever-higher level of customer support and services to the AOP customer base.”
Schalge, co-founder and president of AOP, remarked “The choice to join Nauticon just made sense for our company. We had maxed out our growth with our current structure and we wanted to provide more opportunity for our customers and our team members to succeed. Nauticon brings growth opportunities to our team and additional services and support for our customers. We could not be happier with this decision.”
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About Nauticon
Founded in 1997 by Tom Cunningham and Gary Sockel, Nauticon Office Solutions will never stop until the customer is satisfied. For over 25 years we’ve made it our mission to provide the ServiceFirst experience to all our customers. This relentless dedication to customer service shows in Nauticon’s customer satisfaction ratings (97.8% Net Promoter Score, 4.8 stars of Google Reviews, 97% positive Smileback reactions, and 95+% customer retention). Nauticon specializes in providing world-class customer service, office equipment (Toshiba and Xerox), and fully managed IT support.
