It’s the dawn of a new year; yes, we still have a few weeks left in 2025, so it’s still dark outside, so to speak. As December continues to fade, we take stock of the year—both our victories and takedowns, and our losses and setbacks. We’ve had our share of all four yet emerged determined to build upon what we were able to accomplish in 2025.
That’s not to say that we escaped the year unscathed, and our problems have a way of ignoring the Gregorian calendar and sticking around until we devise a permanent solution. Here’s hoping unwanted baggage doesn’t follow you into 2026. That said, there are challenges universal to the office technology industry and the business landscape in general that are largely out of our control.
As we celebrate the 2025 Elite Dealers recognized in our December issue, we take a look at the trials and tribulations they faced in the past year and (in some cases) the solutions they devised to mitigate the negative impact on their business. Hopefully, you’ll find an idea or two that can enable your company to operate more effectively and profitably.
Pearson-Kelly Technology
Springfield, Missouri
Challenge: Lethargic start to 2025
Solution: “We started really slow in 2025, and at the end of the day we just had to own what we could. Our team came up with a strategy, banded together and have caught back up from where we fell short. We’re looking forward to finishing well ahead of our goal!”
RJ Young
Nashville, Tennessee
Challenge: Sales embracing expanded portfolio
Solution: “Many sales reps were more comfortable focusing on imaging solutions, despite customer demand for IT and automation. To address this, we launched an internal education campaign, added subject matter experts to support reps in the field, and created cross-selling incentives. This effort not only improved adoption but also positioned our team to sell technology solutions with confidence—turning a challenge into a growth opportunity.”
Quality Business Solutions
Towson, Maryland
Challenge: Elevating children into leadership roles
Solution: “Adopting to the changes in management, responsibilities, processes and more automation to increase our productivity was important. We continue to provide additional educational resources to expand their skills and customer service abilities. Setting a good example of how our customers come first and do whatever is necessary to be ‘Above the Curve.’”
Advanced Imaging Solutions (AIS)
Las Vegas
Challenge: Transitioning sales
Solution: “Like many organizations, we face the dual challenge of senior representatives nearing retirement and account portfolios that have grown too large to be fully cultivated. To address this, we’ve taken a proactive approach by building a new inside sales team focused exclusively on driving net-new logo growth. In addition, we’ve introduced an inside client success manager role, dedicated to guiding clients throughout their journey with AIS—ensuring satisfaction, fostering strong relationships and unlocking long-term growth.”
Alpha Laser & Imaging
Evansville, Indiana
Challenge: Maintaining employees
Solution: “Employee retention has been a challenge in certain areas of our business, particularly within administrative roles. Despite the significant time and effort our managers invest in training new hires, some positions tend to attract candidates who frequently change jobs and don’t stay long-term. While this has been frustrating, we are actively working through it and making steady progress.”
KOMAX Business Systems
South Charleston, West Virginia
Challenge: Office print decline
Solution: “Our biggest challenge continues to be the decline of prints made on copiers. This decrease in service revenue has led us to focus our efforts on diversification of our product line. We are now offering other products and services which help us to get deeper with existing customers. We are able to pursue other streams of revenue that can help us to replace the lost service revenue on copiers.”
WiZiX Technology Group
Roseville, California
Challenge: Growing pains
Solution: “Our biggest challenge was also one of our most exciting opportunities: acquiring two companies that grew WiZiX by more than 25 percent. While we view the acquisitions as a success, we recognize the responsibility that comes with this kind of growth. It’s important to us that we not only preserve the strong culture we had built prior to the acquisitions, but also honor and maintain the ‘secret sauce’ that made those companies so successful. By blending the best of both, we’re creating a stronger, more unified organization without losing the qualities that our employees and customers value most.”
TGI Office Automation
Brooklyn, New York
Challenge: Clicks/profitability
Solution: “Declining clicks and profitability have been the core concerns. To maintain healthy margins considering inflation and rising material costs, we continue to diversify revenue streams beyond hardware and clicks. Focusing more on services, software, workflow automation, managed print services (MPS), consulting, digital document management and security solutions has enabled us to pivot.”
American Business Machines
Bakersfield, CA
Challenge: Delayed client purchasing
Solution: The biggest challenge was the market uncertainty that slowed decision cycles and tightened budgets. We addressed it by leaning harder into our solutions-based approach: deeper discovery, clear ROI/TCO models, and phased, right-sized deployments that protected cash flow. Our diversified portfolio allowed customers to prioritize the outcomes that mattered most without compromising reliability. The result: our solid reputation and diversification helped us maintain year-over-year growth, even in an uneasy market.”
Woodhull LLC
Springboro, OH
Challenge: Office space
Solution: “We started the year short on space and had to relocate the sales team while we built a dedicated sales area. That transition wasn’t easy. Completing the new space has already paid off: the team is back together in a purpose-built environment that enhances focus and collaboration, fosters a consistent customer experience, and provides room for growth.”
