Movers and Shakers

It’s been 25 years since Thomas Fimian brought his family to the United States from Switzerland. Ever since he was a child, Fimian hoped to one day own his own business, and in America, he saw the genesis of an opportunity to put those dreams into action. The choice wasn’t all Read More

At 6-4 and 215 pounds, John-Austin Shepard had the perfect frame as a baseball relief pitcher. He boasted a mid-90s fastball and a slider, an ideal combination for a closer. In fact, Shepard fanned future New York Yankees star Aaron Judge twice in one game while playing in the Read More

In a career that spans more than 20 years, Pamela Feld has taken some twists and turns in the office dealer space, from supplies and service to IT and now cybersecurity. The CEO of Triumph Technology Group has reached two conclusions along the way: there is ample business to be Read More

Amped to the hilt with adrenalin, perhaps a byproduct of cardio workouts as a lifelong soccer player, Matt Kochanowski exudes energy. As product manager for Epson’s Business Imaging unit, this is certainly an asset. Six years into his career with the manufacturer, Kochanowski Read More

The office technology industry wasn’t quite what Nicole Miceli had in mind when she graduated from the Illinois Institute of Art in Schaumburg. But after a four-month stint in a graphic design internship, Miceli wanted to cultivate other options. Getting into sales may have been Read More

There’s something to be said for creating things that are bigger than ourselves. Star-crossed historical figure Alexander Hamilton knew it to be true. He left behind many gifts to early America (Coast Guard, New York Post, national banking system) that still resonate today, even Read More

If the pandemic has taught Tarek Hafiz anything, it is that the ways and means of conducting business will continue to change over time as the needs of clients evolve. It is not that businesses are incapable of adapting to the sometimes violent changes that visit a given Read More

Let’s turn back the clock to 1998. In the basement of his home, wearing pajamas, sat Rick Lambert. He had recently resigned his position as vice president of sales for IKON Office Solutions, but now he was a cold calling machine, reaching out to various prospects and offering to Read More

Watching and listening are two vastly underrated tools for success in business. But John Sheehan learned early in his career that forging a strong relationship entails a combination of both in order to truly understand their needs. “My first lesson from one of my early mentors Read More

When Jeff Wilson entered the office technology space in the late 1990s, he only had a cursory knowledge of printers and copiers. That mattered little, because Wilson knew people. Blessed with the “gift of gab,” the man knew how to work a room. He’d been surrounded by older, Read More

One of the nice things that come with the territory of being Bob Goldberg is knowing that his impact on the industry will be keenly felt by generations to come. In early 2015, the Business Technology Association (BTA) established the Goldberg Legacy Scholarship in his honor to Read More

When Dan Meyer graduated from Denison University with an economics degree in 1985, he knew very little about technology and even less about the office dealer industry. In fact, the only reason he landed his first job selling Savin copiers was that he knew someone who worked at a Read More

Getting the job done. It’s an oversimplification of a task that oftentimes carries with it a high degree of difficulty. In the eyes of Jason LaComb, vice president of supply chain management and planning for Toshiba America Business Solutions (TABS), it is the mastery of both Read More

On the subject of career turning points, BTA Executive Director Brent Hoskins has much in common with veteran Genesis prog rock drummer and solo musician Phil Collins. Consider this common denominator of knowledge and opportunity. In 1970, Collins auditioned for the band’s Read More

It is safe to say that some of the most significant events during the past 10-plus years of Venetta Diesel-Varney’s life have revolved around Millennium Business Systems of Cincinnati. The question is, did destiny find her, or did she find her destiny? You be the judge. A Read More