{"id":46286,"date":"2021-08-26T13:37:40","date_gmt":"2021-08-26T20:37:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=46286"},"modified":"2021-08-26T14:34:37","modified_gmt":"2021-08-26T21:34:37","slug":"epson-difference-maker-mark-mathews-remains-relentless-during-challenging-period","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2021\/08\/epson-difference-maker-mark-mathews-remains-relentless-during-challenging-period\/","title":{"rendered":"Epson Difference Maker Mark Mathews Remains Relentless During Challenging Period"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Mark Mathews, Epson<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The past 18 months have clearly illustrated the need to draw upon inspiration in the face of relentless adversity. For Mark Mathews, the vice president, North America commercial sales and marketing for Epson America, this period has certainly caused him to reflect on a former coworker, who used to conclude his presentations with a slide showing a frog fending off a bird that is trying to convert him into dinner. The caption read \u201cNever give up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fortunately, Mathews has won more than his share of battles during his 30-year journey, chiefly spent with Toshiba America Business Solutions (where he rose to president and CEO) and Epson, where he was tasked with bringing the OEM\u2019s inkjet proposition to the U.S. office market. This 2021 ENX Magazine<\/em> Difference Maker and dean of the imaging technology space has long been guided by a customer-centric approach to forging long-term relationships, all the while understanding the needs of dealers and end-users to enable their success and profitability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key, according to Mathews, is judiciously leveraging resources\u2014time, money and people. \u201cOne of the phrases we repeat often is select and focus,\u201d Mathews said. \u201cI believe one of the key elements of high-performing teams is aligning on what\u2019s important for the customer\u2019s success, selecting the key initiatives that support their success and then executing on these initiatives. Do that with your customer in mind and you have a winning formula. While it\u2019s easy to say, it\u2019s hard to do and requires constant energy and attention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mathews\u2019 starting point and his current destination bear little resemblance. An engineering graduate from Columbia University, he became an officer in the Air Force and was assigned to a weapon system development program as a program manager. Mathews followed that up with an MBA from UCLA\u2019s Anderson School of Management and took a position with a small San Diego firm that created generic font and postscript cartridges for HP LaserJets. That opened the door to becoming a product manager for Toshiba, in charge of guiding the development of the OEM\u2019s first digital copier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The path to discovering Mathews\u2019 ultimate destination was certainly an adventurous one. \u201cI never did any engineering, but I\u2019ve had a lot more fun, enjoyment and challenges than what I had originally planned to do after college,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Global Approach<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mathews loves the challenge of working for a multinational technology company, though he admits it can also be frustrating. He encounters businesses of all sizes, from start-ups to billion-dollar global concerns, and has a hand in every facet of business, from sales, marketing and service to supply chain and operations. Mathews has circled the globe and gained an appreciation for the many similarities that exist among various nationalities as opposed to differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe challenging part of the job is taking technology and products developed halfway around the world and making them successful in your local market. When you do that, it\u2019s really rewarding,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rollout of Epson\u2019s inkjet technology in 2019 and 2020 has certainly been an exhaustive, yet rewarding experience for Mathews and the team, which was built from scratch. That entailed a deep dive into every discipline under the start-up to ensure Epson could support the requirements of the office equipment space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pandemic added an unwelcome twist; in fact, the company\u2019s Ink Boldly partner conference\u2014a coming-out party of sorts for the inkjet platform\u2014was held one week before the onset of COVID-induced closures. But between the building and the pivoting, \u201cwe ended up having a good year,\u201d Mathews observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reverse Pivot<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2021 campaign marked a return to Epson\u2019s original plan and growing its office MFP business. \u201cWe\u2019re unique in that we started from zero and have a vision to be a major player,\u201d he said. \u201cThe world\u2019s gone through a lot these last couple of years, and it\u2019s exciting to get back to competing and growing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As he moves forward, Mathews\u2019 personal goal is to ensure those around him are successful and support their life journeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had a wonderful career in this industry, and I\u2019d like to see others have the same joy and benefits I have enjoyed,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, when I can help someone achieve their goals, personal or professional, I take great pleasure in that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Normally a frequent business flyer, Mathews saw his passport garner dust during the past year and a half. On the plus side, it has provided more time to spend with his wife, Cathy, and their children, walking the dog and enjoying game and movie nights. Mathews has also become a master of Rummikub, a rummy\/mahjong hybrid game. In a year that has witnessed his oldest daughter get married and his youngest daughter graduate from college, the many blessings have outweighed the negatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a wonderful year of focusing on family,\u201d Mathews added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The past 18 months have clearly illustrated the need to draw upon inspiration in the face of relentless adversity. For Mark Mathews, the vice president, North America commercial sales and marketing for Epson America, this period has certainly caused him to reflect on a former coworker, who used to conclude his presentations with a slide showing a frog fending off a bird that is trying to convert him into dinner. The caption read \u201cNever give up.\u201d Fortunately, Mathews has won more than his share of battles during his 30-year journey, chiefly spent with Toshiba America Business Solutions (where he rose to president and CEO) and Epson, where he was tasked with bringing the OEM\u2019s inkjet proposition to the U.S. office market. This 2021 ENX Magazine Difference Maker and dean of the imaging technology space has long been guided by a customer-centric approach to forging long-term relationships, all the while understanding the needs of dealers and end-users to enable their success and profitability. The key, according to Mathews, is judiciously leveraging resources\u2014time, money and people. \u201cOne of the phrases we repeat often is select and focus,\u201d Mathews said. \u201cI believe one of the key elements of high-performing teams is aligning on what\u2019s important for the customer\u2019s success, selecting the key initiatives that support their success and then executing on these initiatives. Do that with your customer in mind and you have a winning formula. While it\u2019s easy to say, it\u2019s hard to do and requires constant energy and attention.\u201d Mathews\u2019 starting point and his current destination bear little resemblance. An engineering graduate from Columbia University, he became an officer in the Air Force and was assigned to a weapon system development program as a program manager. Mathews followed that up with an MBA from UCLA\u2019s Anderson School of Management and took a position with a small San Diego firm that created generic font and postscript cartridges for HP LaserJets. That opened the door to becoming a product manager for Toshiba, in charge of guiding the development of the OEM\u2019s first digital copier. The path to discovering Mathews\u2019 ultimate destination was certainly an adventurous one. \u201cI never did any engineering, but I\u2019ve had a lot more fun, enjoyment and challenges than what I had originally planned to do after college,\u201d he noted. Global Approach Mathews loves the challenge of working for a multinational technology company, though he admits it can also be frustrating. He encounters businesses of all sizes, from start-ups to billion-dollar global concerns, and has a hand in every facet of business, from sales, marketing and service to supply chain and operations. Mathews has circled the globe and gained an appreciation for the many similarities that exist among various nationalities as opposed to differences. \u201cThe challenging part of the job is taking technology and products developed halfway around the world and making them successful in your local market. When you do that, it\u2019s really rewarding,\u201d he said. The rollout of Epson\u2019s inkjet technology in 2019 and 2020 has certainly been an exhaustive, yet rewarding experience for Mathews and the team, which was built from scratch. That entailed a deep dive into every discipline under the start-up to ensure Epson could support the requirements of the office equipment space. The pandemic added an unwelcome twist; in fact, the company\u2019s Ink Boldly partner conference\u2014a coming-out party of sorts for the inkjet platform\u2014was held one week before the onset of COVID-induced closures. But between the building and the pivoting, \u201cwe ended up having a good year,\u201d Mathews observed. Reverse Pivot The 2021 campaign marked a return to Epson\u2019s original plan and growing its office MFP business. \u201cWe\u2019re unique in that we started from zero and have a vision to be a major player,\u201d he said. \u201cThe world\u2019s gone through a lot these last couple of years, and it\u2019s exciting to get back to competing and growing.\u201d As he moves forward, Mathews\u2019 personal goal is to ensure those around him are successful and support their life journeys. \u201cI\u2019ve had a wonderful career in this industry, and I\u2019d like to see others have the same joy and benefits I have enjoyed,\u201d he said. \u201cSo, when I can help someone achieve their goals, personal or professional, I take great pleasure in that.\u201d Normally a frequent business flyer, Mathews saw his passport garner dust during the past year and a half. On the plus side, it has provided more time to spend with his wife, Cathy, and their children, walking the dog and enjoying game and movie nights. Mathews has also become a master of Rummikub, a rummy\/mahjong hybrid game. In a year that has witnessed his oldest daughter get married and his youngest daughter graduate from college, the many blessings have outweighed the negatives. \u201cIt\u2019s been a wonderful year of focusing on family,\u201d Mathews added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":44727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[80,1650,82,1638],"tags":[180],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46286"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46286"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46288,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46286\/revisions\/46288"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}