![\"Grandpa](\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Grandpa-D-150x150.jpg\")
Grandpa Donnellon<\/p><\/div>\n
Donellon recalled that his father insisted he have a better understanding of the various company functions as well as develop empathy and compassion for the employees. So he started in the warehouse. It was a lesson he repeated when his own son, Tony, joined the company years later.<\/p>\n
In 1987 Jim Donnellon left Donnellon McCarthy to work for Fujitsu Imaging of America. He began as a Territory Sales Manager but worked his way up to regional district manager. In 1992, Fujitsu decided to leave the U.S. market and Donnellon accepted a six-month offer to help close out the operations.<\/p>\n
During the time he was completing this task he was also contemplating his future. He called Jim Belmont, a partner at ABS Business Products, and asked him if he knew anybody who wanted to sell their business. By coincidence, they were just beginning the process of selling. The two got together that night for a talk and on July 24, 1992, Jim Donnellon was the new owner of ABS. Since he had completed everything he had been asked to do by Fujitsu by the first week of July, everything worked out.<\/p>\n
Three years ago, Donnellon bought the family business and in January of 2015 they began the process of merging the two companies.<\/p>\n
![\"DM](\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/DM-building3-300x188.jpg\")
Donnellon McCarthy Building<\/p><\/div>\n
Today, Donnellon McCarthy Enterprises Inc. is a third generation $20 million plus dealership in the tri-state area with locations in Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and Lima, Ohio as well as North Kentucky and Indiana.<\/p>\n
Donnellon McCarthy Enterprises Inc. offers a wide variety of printing systems and managed services. Their primary vendors are Toshiba, Sharp and Savin and they provide support for more than 10,000 pieces of office equipment, and stock over half a million dollars worth of repair parts. They take great pride in their customer service and their extensive community work. We spoke to owner and CEO Jim Donnellon and his son Tony Donnellon, Columbus Branch General Manager, to learn more about the company, their offerings and the latest information on the merger between Donnellon McCarthy and ABS.<\/p>\n
What do you like best about the business?<\/em><\/p>\n Jim Donnellon<\/p><\/div>\n Jim Donnellon:<\/strong> I like the chase [laughs]. There\u2019s nothing the same on any given day. There\u2019s always something that happens \u2013 good or bad \u2013 that fascinates me. It\u2019s always interesting to see how people grow from a novice to a full-grown professional consultant who can sell anything to anybody. That\u2019s what I like.<\/p>\n What about Tony?<\/em><\/p>\n Tony Donnellon:<\/strong> I like the fact that technology changes how we mold ourselves in business today. It\u2019s a fast-paced business and I think our technology, our functions, and how we do things today, ties into the chase very nicely. I enjoy that side of it. Finding a unique product that actually fits a mold somewhere that you know is changing the lifestyle of a business is what I love. That brings me back every morning.<\/p>\n What was your most significant accomplishment last year?<\/em><\/p>\n Tony Donnellon<\/p><\/div>\n Tony Donnellon:<\/strong> For me, our biggest accomplishment last year was learning a lot of significant software integrations. We have some pretty large accounts where these solutions were the only reason why we were even involved in the discussion. Jim Donnellon:<\/strong> No question it has to be solutions.<\/p>\n What percentage of the business do solutions represent today?<\/em><\/p>\n Tony Donnellon:<\/strong> We\u2019re on a fast-growing pace with solutions. We started out with a five percent growth. Today it\u2019s about 45 percent. For every three copiers we sell, we sell a solutions package with it. There\u2019s still a need for copier, multifunction device, or MFP whatever you choose to call it. But I think we\u2019re integrating more. I feel by the end of 2016 we\u2019re going to see that surpass the 60 percent mark.<\/p>\n Do you find that communicating these is the biggest challenge you have?<\/em><\/p>\n Tony Donnellon:<\/strong> To be honest with you, the needs are coming to us. We\u2019re molding our company in a way that fits the ever-changing business office. The solutions are coming from us, but they\u2019re generating this need by buying behaviors. That\u2019s why I love coming to this particular company because I know we\u2019ll take an agnostic approach to fit the mold.<\/p>\n How do you choose the right software solutions to offer?<\/em><\/p>\n Tony Donnellon:<\/strong> That\u2019s a great question. Over the years we have found great partners. These companies advise us, spend time with clients and understand that we carry five or six different products that work in different environments.<\/p>\n What are the software solutions that you are selling the most?<\/em><\/p>\n Tony Donnellon:<\/strong> SmartSearch is one of our bigger ones. We sell quite a bit of FP Mailing Solutions today. DRIVVE is a system that is built with all three of our partners that allows us to integrate existing proprietary software with our core devices. In addition, we carry Barcode Solutions. It\u2019s a market that we never thought we\u2019d have potential in but now it\u2019s here. We\u2019ve embraced it very strongly. Digital signage solutions are a first for the company. We\u2019ve got quite a few in the field now.<\/p>\n Do you have a lot of specialists to handle these solutions?<\/em><\/p>\n Tony Donnellon:<\/strong> We have one or two specialists in each particular market. Our DSMs and our manufacturers stand strongly behind us. They\u2019re in our offices at least once or twice per month. They\u2019re always asking us how they can help us. They go to great lengths to make sure we get this product in front of a client.<\/p>\n Your regular sales reps are able to sell all of these software solutions?<\/em><\/p>\n Tony Donnellon:<\/strong> Yes, absolutely. We\u2019re trying to focus them on being well rounded. Training is ongoing. We don\u2019t saturate them on a first date appointment. On a second date appointment we usually have a manufacturer or DSM or a specialist riding along \u2013 or their manager. We cross train very much.<\/p>\n How is MPS doing?<\/em><\/p>\n Tony Donnellon:<\/strong> MPS is growing. We sell that quite often with a copier and mold it. Owning the account is number one for us. Adding value to that account is obviously right there \u2013 hand in hand.<\/p>\n Jim Donnellon:<\/strong> Let\u2019s keep something in mind with the MPS; it\u2019s still a very viable avenue. We still have sales reps that do seven-digit MPS annually. To bundle that with the leasing of copiers or any other software package or printers is still a key that we want to do. You always have to be moving forward because technology changes every day. If you\u2019re not going to be somewhat on the cutting edge and be gutsy, you\u2019re going to fall backwards.<\/p>\n Your website says that you do managed IT.<\/em><\/p>\n Jim Donnellon:<\/strong> We do have some IT management, but that\u2019s probably the smallest entity that we have at the moment. It takes a lot of money and a lot of time to get through that, and the margins aren\u2019t super good. They\u2019re not bad, but they\u2019re not great. You have to be careful there. Sometimes you\u2019re better off to have a partnership with some IT management program in order to get your feet wet. That\u2019s a tough arena.<\/p>\n What do you think is your strategic advantage over your competitors?<\/em><\/p>\n Tony Donnellon:<\/strong> That\u2019s a great question. Everybody talks about price. That\u2019s usually number one in every market. I think our value adds. And I think we have one of the best implementation programs when it comes to installing something. I think our customer service is top notch.<\/p>\n You have a diverse line of products. We noticed that Ricoh wasn\u2019t listed on the ABS website.<\/em><\/p>\n Jim Donnellon:<\/strong> Because we have four cities, we\u2019re not authorized in all cities for all products. We would like to be, but in Columbus we\u2019re just Toshiba and Sharp. In the rest of them we\u2019re everything. We\u2019d love to be Savin\/Ricoh in Columbus, Ohio, but until our distribution changes or we purchase somebody that has that product line, we\u2019ll be Sharp and Toshiba.<\/p>\n Do you do a lot of wide format?<\/em><\/p>\n Jim Donnellon:<\/strong> Yes. KIP. That\u2019s getting a lot more sophisticated than it had been in the past. We\u2019ve sold wide format for a number of years now. It\u2019s a much more sophisticated piece of equipment today \u2013 much more than what it was 15 years ago when we\u2019d just go and set it up because somebody wanted to make blueprints.<\/p>\n Would you consider that to be growing?<\/em><\/p>\n Jim Donnellon:<\/strong> I don\u2019t think wide format is going to grow in a big spurt, but I think it will gradually continue to do what it needs to do. There will always be a place for it.<\/p>\n ABS Building<\/p><\/div>\n Is the merger still an ongoing process?<\/em><\/p>\n Jim Donnellon:<\/strong> Yes, because the cultures were so different. ABS was more of a technology company, and Donnellon McCarthy was more of a traditional copier company. We\u2019re trying to get the mindset \u2013 the culture \u2013 changed. We\u2019re trying to be visionaries and not reactionaries.<\/p>\n For Jim and Tony Donnellon, their business culture is an extension of the wider community.<\/em><\/p>\n That is why Donnellon McCarthy partners heavily with LEDEs (Local and Economically Disadvantaged Enterprises) and MBEs (Minority Business Enterprises). They say that it allows them to give back to the community while also developing solid business relationships.<\/em><\/p>\n Jim Donnellon:<\/strong> I\u2019ve had some great relationships with LEDEs. I\u2019ll give you an example. A few years back, there was a big hospital in some trouble. And this particular association of about seven or eight hospitals needed to spend about $20 million in MBE money in order to meet their requirements. We just happened to be partnered with the MBE. We won that business. We weren\u2019t the lowest, but we had the best program. We fit their needs. It\u2019s not always price and it shouldn\u2019t be. It should be what you have to offer that fits the customer\u2019s needs \u2013 from the small mom and pops to the big major accounts.<\/p>\n Do you always address your dad as Mr. Donnellon?<\/em><\/p>\n Tony Donnellon:<\/strong> When it comes to business, I usually do. It\u2019s respectful. When we\u2019re at business I treat him like he would treat me.<\/p>\n Jim Donnellon:<\/strong> It\u2019s not mandatory. Whatever they want to do I\u2019m ok with.<\/p>\n What can we expect from Donnellon McCarthy in 2016?<\/em><\/p>\n Jim Donnellon:<\/strong> Hopefully, grow this business. Remain a viable, profitable entity. Be someone who contributes to the community by providing services, some of which are free. You always have to give back. Pass it forward if you can. That\u2019s really important. Jim Donnellon:<\/strong> Well, let\u2019s see. If I would have finished law school I probably wouldn\u2019t be here [laughs]. It\u2019s like these little branches on a tree that go this way and that way. Sometimes you take them because you\u2019re adventurous. You might fall down and catch on to the other one, and then you have to work your way back up and take a different branch. I\u2019m a bit more on the adventurous side. I\u2019ll take chances because I like to. That\u2019s the chase.<\/p>\n There was a time I was considering retirement and moving south. However, as I considered doing this I realized that I would miss out on the next chase in my life: the purchase of the family business and integrating it into our current business. Working with different cultures brought on a tremendous challenge, and with that the opportunity to grow an incredible business in an industry I love. The past three years have been a fascinating chase, and now we’re on to the next chase \u2013 expansion organically and through acquisitions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Donnellon McCarthy was started by Robert J. Donnellon with a partner back in 1957. Jim Donnellon began working at his father\u2019s company in the late 1970s, after graduating from college and earning two degrees. But it wasn\u2019t a beeline to a nice corner office and a walnut desk. Donellon recalled that his father insisted he have a better understanding of the various company functions as well as develop empathy and compassion for the employees. So he started in the warehouse. It was a lesson he repeated when his own son, Tony, joined the company years later. In 1987 Jim Donnellon left Donnellon McCarthy to work for Fujitsu Imaging of America. He began as a Territory Sales Manager but worked his way up to regional district manager. In 1992, Fujitsu decided to leave the U.S. market and Donnellon accepted a six-month offer to help close out the operations. During the time he was completing this task he was also contemplating his future. He called Jim Belmont, a partner at ABS Business Products, and asked him if he knew anybody who wanted to sell their business. By coincidence, they were just beginning the process of selling. The two got together that night for a talk and on July 24, 1992, Jim Donnellon was the new owner of ABS. Since he had completed everything he had been asked to do by Fujitsu by the first week of July, everything worked out. Three years ago, Donnellon bought the family business and in January of 2015 they began the process of merging the two companies. Today, Donnellon McCarthy Enterprises Inc. is a third generation $20 million plus dealership in the tri-state area with locations in Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton and Lima, Ohio as well as North Kentucky and Indiana. Donnellon McCarthy Enterprises Inc. offers a wide variety of printing systems and managed services. Their primary vendors are Toshiba, Sharp and Savin and they provide support for more than 10,000 pieces of office equipment, and stock over half a million dollars worth of repair parts. They take great pride in their customer service and their extensive community work. We spoke to owner and CEO Jim Donnellon and his son Tony Donnellon, Columbus Branch General Manager, to learn more about the company, their offerings and the latest information on the merger between Donnellon McCarthy and ABS. What do you like best about the business? Jim Donnellon: I like the chase [laughs]. There\u2019s nothing the same on any given day. There\u2019s always something that happens \u2013 good or bad \u2013 that fascinates me. It\u2019s always interesting to see how people grow from a novice to a full-grown professional consultant who can sell anything to anybody. That\u2019s what I like. What about Tony? Tony Donnellon: I like the fact that technology changes how we mold ourselves in business today. It\u2019s a fast-paced business and I think our technology, our functions, and how we do things today, ties into the chase very nicely. I enjoy that side of it. Finding a unique product that actually fits a mold somewhere that you know is changing the lifestyle of a business is what I love. That brings me back every morning. What was your most significant accomplishment last year? Tony Donnellon: For me, our biggest accomplishment last year was learning a lot of significant software integrations. We have some pretty large accounts where these solutions were the only reason why we were even involved in the discussion. What areas of the business are growing the fastest? Jim Donnellon: No question it has to be solutions. What percentage of the business do solutions represent today? Tony Donnellon: We\u2019re on a fast-growing pace with solutions. We started out with a five percent growth. Today it\u2019s about 45 percent. For every three copiers we sell, we sell a solutions package with it. There\u2019s still a need for copier, multifunction device, or MFP whatever you choose to call it. But I think we\u2019re integrating more. I feel by the end of 2016 we\u2019re going to see that surpass the 60 percent mark. Do you find that communicating these is the biggest challenge you have? Tony Donnellon: To be honest with you, the needs are coming to us. We\u2019re molding our company in a way that fits the ever-changing business office. The solutions are coming from us, but they\u2019re generating this need by buying behaviors. That\u2019s why I love coming to this particular company because I know we\u2019ll take an agnostic approach to fit the mold. How do you choose the right software solutions to offer? Tony Donnellon: That\u2019s a great question. Over the years we have found great partners. These companies advise us, spend time with clients and understand that we carry five or six different products that work in different environments. What are the software solutions that you are selling the most? Tony Donnellon: SmartSearch is one of our bigger ones. We sell quite a bit of FP Mailing Solutions today. DRIVVE is a system that is built with all three of our partners that allows us to integrate existing proprietary software with our core devices. In addition, we carry Barcode Solutions. It\u2019s a market that we never thought we\u2019d have potential in but now it\u2019s here. We\u2019ve embraced it very strongly. Digital signage solutions are a first for the company. We\u2019ve got quite a few in the field now. Do you have a lot of specialists to handle these solutions? Tony Donnellon: We have one or two specialists in each particular market. Our DSMs and our manufacturers stand strongly behind us. They\u2019re in our offices at least once or twice per month. They\u2019re always asking us how they can help us. They go to great lengths to make sure we get this product in front of a client. Your regular sales reps are able to sell all of these software solutions? Tony Donnellon: Yes, absolutely. We\u2019re trying to focus them on being well rounded. Training is ongoing. We don\u2019t saturate them on a first date […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1643,82],"tags":[2642,2643],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17855"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17855"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17855\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17872,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17855\/revisions\/17872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17855"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17855"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17855"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Jim](\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Jim-Donnellon-2-1-150x150.jpg\")
![\"Tony](\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Tony-Donnellon-150x150.jpeg\")
\nWhat areas of the business are growing the fastest?<\/p>\n![\"ABS](\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/ABS-Building-300x225.jpg\")
\nCan you imagine doing anything else? If you could choose any other career what would that be?<\/p>\n