{"id":20743,"date":"2016-10-20T04:34:16","date_gmt":"2016-10-20T11:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=20743"},"modified":"2016-11-14T05:08:32","modified_gmt":"2016-11-14T13:08:32","slug":"difference-maker-spotlight-trimegas-brian-stevenson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2016\/10\/difference-maker-spotlight-trimegas-brian-stevenson\/","title":{"rendered":"Difference Maker Spotlight: TriMega\u2019s Brian Stevenson"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"TriMega's

TriMega’s Brian Stevenson<\/p><\/div>\n

TriMega\u2019s Brian Stevenson says that like many people, his introduction to the office technology industry came about by accident. He was playing fastpitch softball in New Zealand and then returned to North America to play in Toronto during the summer of 1994. \u201cWith plenty of downtime during the days, an old teammate recommended Lanier as a good part-time job to pass the hours and make a few dollars,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI started as a sales rep and spent the next 10 years growing in the copier world before making the shift to MPS.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today, much of Stevenson\u2019s focus at TriMega Purchasing Association is spent supporting the growth of independent MPS and technology dealers. He explains that this includes one-on-one time with the dealers, along with their supplier partners who are committed to the independent channel. \u201cIt\u2019s also starting to include more around the topic of IoT and how these advances in technology will fit with independent dealers in the near and midterm,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Stevenson expressed his deep appreciation for being named an ENX Magazine Difference Maker by his peers. He says that to be recognized alongside so many of talented people in the industry, along with one of his mentors, (Cannon IV\u2019s) Jerry Jones, was a humbling experience. \u201cOur independent community is relatively small, yet this ENX initiative brings to light several of those people that live just beneath the radar,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

As for colleagues and mentors who have made a difference in Stevenson\u2019s professional life, he says that the list is long and still growing. He notes that coming from the independent channel, partnerships have been critical throughout his career. \u201cI\u2019ve been extremely fortunate to connect with operational wizards like Trevor Moses, Doug Johnson and Ron Alphin, and strategizing on the future of MPS with visionaries like Chris Stoate, West MacDonald and the board of the MPSA,\u201d he says. \u201cOver the past few years, I\u2019ve learned a tremendous amount working with Mike Maggio, John Murabito and dozens of progressive independent dealers who are members of the TriMega Purchasing Association. They\u2019ve introduced me to fantastic new ways of growing a successful business, while having fun on the journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

He continues: \u201cOne final person that has provided so much insight and opportunity to me has been Rick Reid, the president of Tech Data Canada. He\u2019s been a true friend and a great mentor. He supported our business growth at LaserNetworks, helping us become the largest independent MPS provider in North America (eventually sold to Xerox). Rick has opened the biggest doors for me, from the president of HP to the smallest independent VARs that had it “figured out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked about his greatest accomplishments in 2016 and his plans for the future, Stevenson (understandably) cites competing in his first triathlon and professionally, engaging with several independent MPS companies that have adjusted their business models for continued growth. \u201cThree of the most successful ones this year include one dealer growing out their e-commerce engine; a second with the launch of cost-per-seat billing, and a third integrating their MPS practice with managed water and managed coffee services,\u201d he explains. \u201cLooking out to 2017, the growth of IoT will bring more opportunities \u2013 and more competitors. Think Amazon. Finding the path that allows the progressive independent dealers to continue their growth in these new areas will remain my primary focus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stevenson believes that it is time for the industry to \u201csense and adjust.\u201d He points to the slow decline of print and cautions that if an M&A strategy isn\u2019t a focus, then transitioning into concentric businesses could make sense for the dealers who want to continue in the imaging space. \u201cWhile avoiding the shiny object syndrome is critical, there are several solid growth avenues for dealers to explore — and I love the way the progressive dealers are responding to these opportunities,\u201d he says. \u201cSome are heading into advanced workflow, while others are exploring the endless list of managed services that are being created with the growth of IoT.\u201d<\/p>\n

There are many aspects to his work that Stevenson enjoys, but he cites the ability to participate in discussions across the industry as what he loves most about his job. This includes collaborating with key supplier partners like HP, Clover, and others as well as working with a diverse group of progressive dealers. \u201cOne day it\u2019s with a company like RE Business Solutions on its e-commerce growth and the next is supporting the integration of an MPS dealer into a traditional office products company,\u201d he says. \u201cThe variety ensures I continue to learn and hopefully add value to our independent channel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stevenson recalls that the best advice he ever received was from Mark Sorensen, a longtime New Zealand National Team member and one of top players in the history of fastpitch softball. Sorenson said: \u201cIt\u2019s critical to have the mental discipline to sense and adjust. Without it, you\u2019re just another player.\u201d Stevenson points out that the advice came after he completed a three-strikeout game against Darren Zach, one of the world\u2019s top pitchers back in the 1990s. \u201cThe advice has stayed with me from that day, and continues to be true in both sport and business,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TriMega\u2019s Brian Stevenson says that like many people, his introduction to the office technology industry came about by accident. He was playing fastpitch softball in New Zealand and then returned to North America to play in Toronto during the summer of 1994. \u201cWith plenty of downtime during the days, an old teammate recommended Lanier as a good part-time job to pass the hours and make a few dollars,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI started as a sales rep and spent the next 10 years growing in the copier world before making the shift to MPS.\u201d Today, much of Stevenson\u2019s focus at TriMega Purchasing Association is spent supporting the growth of independent MPS and technology dealers. He explains that this includes one-on-one time with the dealers, along with their supplier partners who are committed to the independent channel. \u201cIt\u2019s also starting to include more around the topic of IoT and how these advances in technology will fit with independent dealers in the near and midterm,\u201d he adds. Stevenson expressed his deep appreciation for being named an ENX Magazine Difference Maker by his peers. He says that to be recognized alongside so many of talented people in the industry, along with one of his mentors, (Cannon IV\u2019s) Jerry Jones, was a humbling experience. \u201cOur independent community is relatively small, yet this ENX initiative brings to light several of those people that live just beneath the radar,\u201d he adds. As for colleagues and mentors who have made a difference in Stevenson\u2019s professional life, he says that the list is long and still growing. He notes that coming from the independent channel, partnerships have been critical throughout his career. \u201cI\u2019ve been extremely fortunate to connect with operational wizards like Trevor Moses, Doug Johnson and Ron Alphin, and strategizing on the future of MPS with visionaries like Chris Stoate, West MacDonald and the board of the MPSA,\u201d he says. \u201cOver the past few years, I\u2019ve learned a tremendous amount working with Mike Maggio, John Murabito and dozens of progressive independent dealers who are members of the TriMega Purchasing Association. They\u2019ve introduced me to fantastic new ways of growing a successful business, while having fun on the journey.\u201d He continues: \u201cOne final person that has provided so much insight and opportunity to me has been Rick Reid, the president of Tech Data Canada. He\u2019s been a true friend and a great mentor. He supported our business growth at LaserNetworks, helping us become the largest independent MPS provider in North America (eventually sold to Xerox). Rick has opened the biggest doors for me, from the president of HP to the smallest independent VARs that had it “figured out.\u201d Asked about his greatest accomplishments in 2016 and his plans for the future, Stevenson (understandably) cites competing in his first triathlon and professionally, engaging with several independent MPS companies that have adjusted their business models for continued growth. \u201cThree of the most successful ones this year include one dealer growing out their e-commerce engine; a second with the launch of cost-per-seat billing, and a third integrating their MPS practice with managed water and managed coffee services,\u201d he explains. \u201cLooking out to 2017, the growth of IoT will bring more opportunities \u2013 and more competitors. Think Amazon. Finding the path that allows the progressive independent dealers to continue their growth in these new areas will remain my primary focus.\u201d Stevenson believes that it is time for the industry to \u201csense and adjust.\u201d He points to the slow decline of print and cautions that if an M&A strategy isn\u2019t a focus, then transitioning into concentric businesses could make sense for the dealers who want to continue in the imaging space. \u201cWhile avoiding the shiny object syndrome is critical, there are several solid growth avenues for dealers to explore — and I love the way the progressive dealers are responding to these opportunities,\u201d he says. \u201cSome are heading into advanced workflow, while others are exploring the endless list of managed services that are being created with the growth of IoT.\u201d There are many aspects to his work that Stevenson enjoys, but he cites the ability to participate in discussions across the industry as what he loves most about his job. This includes collaborating with key supplier partners like HP, Clover, and others as well as working with a diverse group of progressive dealers. \u201cOne day it\u2019s with a company like RE Business Solutions on its e-commerce growth and the next is supporting the integration of an MPS dealer into a traditional office products company,\u201d he says. \u201cThe variety ensures I continue to learn and hopefully add value to our independent channel.\u201d Stevenson recalls that the best advice he ever received was from Mark Sorensen, a longtime New Zealand National Team member and one of top players in the history of fastpitch softball. Sorenson said: \u201cIt\u2019s critical to have the mental discipline to sense and adjust. Without it, you\u2019re just another player.\u201d Stevenson points out that the advice came after he completed a three-strikeout game against Darren Zach, one of the world\u2019s top pitchers back in the 1990s. \u201cThe advice has stayed with me from that day, and continues to be true in both sport and business,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":20744,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[80,1638],"tags":[2046],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20743"}],"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=20743"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20743\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20790,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20743\/revisions\/20790"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}