Of all the personality traits business people can have, passion is the one area that is virtually impossible to fake. You can hear it their voice and see it in their eyes. The enthusiasm they display is palpable, and the most passionate people are adept at making others feel excited. These are the personality types organizations love to onboard.
When Chris Nuiver discusses the passion he has for people, service and business, it’s not bluster or an attempt to score points with upper management. It’s genuine and brings a smile to the face of whoever he’s addressing. A little self-deprecating humor is a cherry on the top for Applied Innovation’s general manager for IT solutions and automation.
“It’s just being relentless about customer experience and providing one that is phenomenal,” said Nuiver, a 2025 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “I bring a strong dedication to customer service, and every decision that’s made is made with the idea of providing great service to our customers.”
Part of Nuiver’s value proposition is his ability to ask strong questions in dealing with clients. Quite often, the more probing the questions, the greater the likelihood that the customer can arrive at the answer themselves. That applies to internal challenges as well.
“There’s just a genuine desire to help team members, and when people love coming in to do their job, it shines through everything that we’re doing,” he added.
Discovering Passion
Fresh out of Hope College in 2005, Nuiver’s initial foray was into the financial services sector, but it wasn’t long before he realized it was not a good fit (“Everyone who trusted me didn’t have any money, and everybody who had money didn’t trust me,” he deadpanned.). He longed to be in sales, so he went back to the college and was introduced to Applied’s VP of sales by the school’s career guidance head. That triggered a 14-year journey with Applied that culminated with the director of sales role. In 2021, he made the move to GM for IT solutions and automation.
The IT gig has proven to be a boon for the dealer. Under Nuiver’s guidance, the dealer’s IT business surpassed $17 million in revenue, a drastic jump from the $5.4 mark it had attained before his arrival.
Nuiver was exposed to the world of sales as a youngster. His father was a traveling salesperson who targeted beauty salons, offering hair care products to a core of faithful clients. In doing so, he showed his son the value of cultivating relationships. By constantly providing quality experiences, clients tended to be more understanding and accepting when things invariably go wrong. Putting other people first was the biggest step toward embracing a servant mentality.
Another mentor is Casey Lowery, Applied Innovation’s president, an intelligent exec who takes a tactical approach to running the business. “He’s very analytical and has a great mind for looking at things rationally, whether it be numbers or an HR situation,” Nuiver said. “At the same time, he’s very humanistic about it. He has a strong passion for the people that work for the organization.”
Chart Topper
One of the highlights for Nuiver in 2024 was the reorganization of Applied Innovation’s IT division that brought clarity to leadership of sales, professional services operational leader and a managed services head. “It allowed me to focus my time more on the higher level business growth and also allow each division to set goals, create accountability and expectations, and drive for success,” he said. “Last year we had our most profitable year ever, division wide, since we’ve been in the IT game. We enjoyed double-digit growth.”
The front half of 2025 was spent sprucing up the organization’s operational house, from quoting to project management and other elements. Now the focus is on growing the team, and Nuiver notes the new office in Tampa, Florida, is primed to enjoy solid growth. It’s all geared, in part, toward enabling the company to meet its IT revenue goal and set the stage for a prosperous 2026.
Being able to maintain what is working for the team is vital to Nuiver, but he also feels it’s important to skirt complacency during the quest to build upon past success. Continuous education and improvement are two key factors.
“We’re very people-driven, so we’re always looking to continuously add and develop really good people within the organization,” he noted. “Finding great people can be a challenge, but we need to work hard to ensure we’re continuing to add on to the great team we already have.”
Away from the office, Nuiver and his wife, Samantha, recently celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary. The happy couple have four children: two girls (ages 14 and 11) and two boys (15 and 6). Outdoor adventures, such as sunning on the beach or hiking through the mountains, are high on their favorites list. He loves golf, but admits he’s “not very good by any means.” That doesn’t stop him from enjoying the links.
