While something of an odd pairing, emergencies and opportunities have at least one thing in common: they can (and will) occur after traditional work hours. The ability to address one, in some cases, can lead to the other.
The phone rang early one evening at the Milwaukee dealership that Dan Schmidt called home. The caller was a surgeon from a local hospital system, just finishing his shift, in desperate need of a fax machine. He’d called several other metro area dealers, all of which had closed shop for the day, before reaching Schmidt. Upon fielding the distress call, he loaded a new fax machine in his car and made his way to the hospital. Emergency quelled.
Little did Schmidt know that the surgeon he’d helped was on the hospital’s board of directors. Given the speedy, after-hours service, he recommended to the procurement department that Schmidt’s company merited consideration as the health system’s new supplier.
Rarely has such a humble device wielded such great influence. “This allowed me to learn how important using fax was in a healthcare environment,” said Schmidt, a 2026 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “It led to a large install and a very satisfied customer.”
Healthcare has been a companion in Schmidt’s life. He’s spent a good deal of his 30 years at Konica Minolta serving the needs of the vertical, from compliance to security and the occasional fax machine. He currently supports the OEM’s 350 U.S. dealers with guidance on products, solutions and services. There’s no greater satisfaction for Schmidt than seeing the dealer sales reps he’s supported enjoy immense success.
Schmidt’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. On more than one occasion, a dealer account executive has invited him on a tour of the rep’s new home. The pride and appreciation always validates Schmidt’s role in the industry, and he’s never lost his drive for success.
Remaining grounded has provided even more benefits. Schmidt was a newbie at then-Minolta when he captured his first national sales award. One of his early teammates, the late Scott Boukal, offered his sincere congratulations…as well as a bit of advice.
“He told me, ‘Anyone can win this award once, but a real, dedicated professional returns to the stage for more,’” Schmidt recalled. “Thankfully, I’ve been able to meet his challenge.”
One of the people who helped set Schmidt on the path to success was his mother. She helped provide an advantage by enrolling her son in the Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics program, instigating what would become a voracious appetite for absorbing content (and eventually a multitude of subscriptions). Mrs. Schmidt was also an unabashed fan of the typewriter, and she saw an opportunity to share that affinity with her son after spotting an advertisement in the paper for a typewriter sales rep.
Schmidt was leery of the idea; he had no interest in doing sales—as a young man, he enjoyed being a photographer and bartender. On top of that, Schmidt was quite shy. That didn’t stop her from taking him to Siekert & Baum Office Equipment & Supplies for an interview. It was the early 1980s, but already Schmidt was getting a taste of the office technology universe.
While she has since passed, Schmidt remains grateful for her influence in his early career. “The joy I saw in my customer’s face when I sold my first daisy wheel typewriter, and how it made her job easier, gave me a feeling that I knew this [industry] was for me,” he noted.
Schmidt is the father of two grown children—a daughter, Kayla, 26, who began a career in the CNC industry; and son Derek, 21, a combat engineer in the U.S. Army. The latter is a newlywed, and Schmidt is hopeful that grandchildren are in the near future. A self-professed gym rat, he loves to weightlift and one day hopes to be, like his father, the “oldest guy in the gym.”
The high school version of me wanted to be a: Computer programmer
Interesting fact about you: When traveling, many times I have been asked if I am Wayne Newton, and lately asking if I am Steven Seagal.
Celebrities you have met: Bob Lanier, Al Jarreau
Favorite book: “Only the Paranoid Survive” by former Intel CEO, Andy Grove
Favorite food: Seafood
Person you’d most like to meet: David Gilmour of Pink Floyd
Dream vacation destination: Munich, Germany during Oktoberfest
Any special talents: Speed reader
Guilty pleasure: Bourbon
Most prized possession: Bright red, special edition 5.0 Ford Mustang GT convertible
