It’s not hard to see why Gregg Petrie teamed with his brother, Mark, to form Copiers Northwest 33 years ago. After all, his father, Bob, sold 3M Thermofax copiers in the late 1950s.
“He told us growing up that ‘sales makes the world go around,’” Gregg Petrie recalled, “and that there’s no better training than in the office products industry.”
The president of Seattle-based Copiers Northwest, a $50 million dealership, has crafted his own philosophy along the way. Petrie sees himself as being in the people business, and derives much satisfaction from the success of clients and employees alike. As an example, one of the dealer’s biggest clients is working on a cure for cancer by 2025, and the customer “makes us feel like an important part of their mission.”
A graduate of Western Washington University, Petrie and his brother opened the doors to Copiers Northwest in 1986. Consistent growth has been sparked by strategic additions to the product menu, including Canon’s wide-format printer line and the dealer’s own on-site production capabilities. The common denominator in the dealer’s success path has been its commitment to taking care of customer needs.
It’s a job that entails being part coach, part cheerleader. “I really enjoy the creativity required to motivate a large sales force and develop promotions that help differentiate us from the competitors,” Petrie said.
Bob Petrie, who later enjoyed a prosperous career in the business forms industry, definitely was his son’s model in shaping his approach to sales. From an industry standpoint, Petrie garnered great insight from the Copier Dealer Association, which opened his eyes to resources including an advertising firm, enterprise software and other valuable ideas that he’s been able to implement at Copiers West.
After 30-plus years of knowing what success looks like, Petrie can also appreciate when an idea is not panning out. Earlier this year, Copiers Northwest made the difficult decision to sell its managed network services division.
“I believe part of success is admitting and knowing when you have failed,” Petrie said. “It’s difficult to compete when you’re surrounded by Microsoft, Google and Amazon buildings. We’re now focusing on our core business and competencies.”
Looking Ahead
To that end, Petrie will be looking to grow the dealership by offering unique and creative products and services around MPS and production print, two of the greatest resources for growth potential. In a nod to philanthropic growth, Copiers Northwest has embarked upon various promotions to support charities in the northwest. One current promotion provides $400 to local foodbanks on behalf of clients that purchase or lease any 30-plus ppm systems. With 12 branches in three states, the goal is to support all of the communities it serves.
Petrie is the father of three children—Christina, 19, Michael, 22, and Steven, 24. His brood is definitely a baseball family, spending many hours at the ballpark. In fact, Michael Petrie is the catcher for the University of Washington and was on the 2017 team that advanced to the College World Series. Christina is a freshman at Gonzaga and Steven is a financial advisor for Morgan Stanley.
Petrie himself is a fan of all things water-related—boating, fishing, snorkeling and wake surfing. He’s dedicated more time to interests such as golfing, photography and bicycling, and his favorite travel destinations include Cabo, Maui, Thailand, China, Africa and Italy.
