{"id":42010,"date":"2020-10-22T11:21:11","date_gmt":"2020-10-22T18:21:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=42010"},"modified":"2020-10-22T11:21:14","modified_gmt":"2020-10-22T18:21:14","slug":"clover-difference-maker-jim-cerkleski-most-comfortable-behind-the-wheel-of-his-own-destiny","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2020\/10\/clover-difference-maker-jim-cerkleski-most-comfortable-behind-the-wheel-of-his-own-destiny\/","title":{"rendered":"Clover Difference Maker Jim Cerkleski Most Comfortable Behind the Wheel of his own Destiny"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Jim Cerkleski, Clover Imaging Group<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Jim Cerkleski is the first person to admit that he\u2019s a bit\nof a hands-on executive when it comes to every aspect of business. He\u2019s left\nhis fingerprints at a number of ventures during his career\u2014Superior Office\nProducts, Superior Wireless and now Clover Imaging Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That he has experienced success and overcome challenges at\nevery mile along the road of his career validates Cerkleski\u2019s penchant for\ntaking the steering wheel. After all, Cerkleski knows where he\u2019s been and is\nhell-bent on getting to where he\u2019s going next\u2026regardless of how many obstacles\nlay in the road ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome may even say that I am too hands-on, but I challenge\nthe leaders within the organization by asking tough questions and expecting\naccountability,\u201d said Cerkleski, chairman of Clover Imaging Group and a 2020 ENX Magazine<\/em> Difference Maker. \u201cNo one\nwould say I\u2019m afraid to get my hands dirty. But truth be told, I am fortunate\nto have a driven, loyal leadership team that gives 110% every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cerkleski views himself as the stereotypical\nentrepreneur\u2014thriving on risk, making deals and navigating complex situations.\nHe grips the bat a little tighter in challenging situations, eager to deliver in\nclutch situations that can spell the difference between victory and defeat. But\nhe\u2019s no one-man star of the show; Cerkleski is fiercely proud of that\nworld-class leadership team he alluded to, and is proud of how it continues to\ndrive the business forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of clutch situations, 2019 represented some of the finest work done by Cerkleski and Co. to date. When Clover\u2019s former parent company, 4L Technologies, showed signs of buckling under a debt load, he led a management buyout. Cerkleski then quickly scooped up the assets of bankrupt competitor LMI Solutions and embarked on a Silver Bullet program that counter-acted attempts by manufacturer competitors to undercut pricing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early Lesson<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cerkleski\u2019s professional journey began with IBM shortly\nafter graduating from Northern Illinois University, but he soon soured on the\nnotion of working in corporate America. When he started his own business,\nCerkleski learned his first lesson in business\u2014he had signed a non-compete\nagreement with IBM, and needed to shift from selling hardware to offering supplies\nsuch as fax paper, typewriter ribbons and printer cartridges. Thus, a career in\nthe office products industry was born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest turning points in Cerkleski\u2019s career came\nin 2005, when Clover acquired Dataproducts from Hitachi, enabling the company\nto expand into Europe and Mexico. \u201cThat\u2019s when I started to understand the\nmagnitude of the business we had built,\u201d he explained. \u201cThat acquisition, of a\ncompany of a similar size, completely transformed our capabilities and really\nsolidified our status as a market leader in the aftermarket space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Another positive byproduct of the Dataproducts deal was the\ninfluence of Bill Barclay, the former executive vice president of Ricoh\nPrinting Systems America (RPSA), the manufacturer of Dataproducts and other\ncompatible supplies brands, who would become president of the Dataproducts USA,\nLLC division of Clover. Cerkleski cited Barclay\u2019s ethical approach to treating\ncustomers as being impactful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBill\u2019s philosophy of \u2018Take care of the people you do\nbusiness with and it will come back tenfold\u2019 was a definite influence on me\nthroughout the years,\u201d Cerkleski noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2019 restructuring of Clover was the best education\nCerkleski ever received. While separating the wireless division from the\nimaging division was challenging and exhausting, it was ultimately the right\nmove, in his estimation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\nwould not wish it upon anyone, but the experience and knowledge I gained from\nall of the attorneys, financial analysts and investment bankers that we worked\nwith as we navigated this process was invaluable,\u201d Cerkleski added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digging Deep<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming off the restructuring experience, Cerkleski obviously could\nnot envision the pandemic challenge around the corner. Clover mobilized in\nshort order, adjusting its business operations and diversifying into product\ncategories such as personal protective equipment, to weather the COVID-19 storm\nand position the company for a stronger future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cerkleski is bent on allowing his teams to become fully engaged and using their strengths and skillsets to drive the business. One of the keys moving forward was the appointment of George Milton as CEO. He credits Milton with setting the stage for future growth and providing the leadership necessary to usher in the next chapter of Clover\u2019s story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt\nthis point in my career, it\u2019s about leaving a legacy I am proud of and a big\npart of that is putting the right people in the right roles to position the\ncompany for success well into the future,\u201d Cerkleski said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the home front, Cerkleski and his wife, Sheryl, have been\nmarried for 24 years. They have two children\u2014a recent college graduate and\nanother who is an underclassman. An avid golfer, fisherman, boater and hunter,\nCerkleski finds his greatest enjoyment to be spending time at their lake house\nwith family and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI live for those family times,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jim Cerkleski is the first person to admit that he\u2019s a bit of a hands-on executive when it comes to every aspect of business. He\u2019s left his fingerprints at a number of ventures during his career\u2014Superior Office Products, Superior Wireless and now Clover Imaging Group. That he has experienced success and overcome challenges at every mile along the road of his career validates Cerkleski\u2019s penchant for taking the steering wheel. After all, Cerkleski knows where he\u2019s been and is hell-bent on getting to where he\u2019s going next\u2026regardless of how many obstacles lay in the road ahead. \u201cSome may even say that I am too hands-on, but I challenge the leaders within the organization by asking tough questions and expecting accountability,\u201d said Cerkleski, chairman of Clover Imaging Group and a 2020 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. \u201cNo one would say I\u2019m afraid to get my hands dirty. But truth be told, I am fortunate to have a driven, loyal leadership team that gives 110% every day.\u201d Cerkleski views himself as the stereotypical entrepreneur\u2014thriving on risk, making deals and navigating complex situations. He grips the bat a little tighter in challenging situations, eager to deliver in clutch situations that can spell the difference between victory and defeat. But he\u2019s no one-man star of the show; Cerkleski is fiercely proud of that world-class leadership team he alluded to, and is proud of how it continues to drive the business forward. Speaking of clutch situations, 2019 represented some of the finest work done by Cerkleski and Co. to date. When Clover\u2019s former parent company, 4L Technologies, showed signs of buckling under a debt load, he led a management buyout. Cerkleski then quickly scooped up the assets of bankrupt competitor LMI Solutions and embarked on a Silver Bullet program that counter-acted attempts by manufacturer competitors to undercut pricing. Early Lesson Cerkleski\u2019s professional journey began with IBM shortly after graduating from Northern Illinois University, but he soon soured on the notion of working in corporate America. When he started his own business, Cerkleski learned his first lesson in business\u2014he had signed a non-compete agreement with IBM, and needed to shift from selling hardware to offering supplies such as fax paper, typewriter ribbons and printer cartridges. Thus, a career in the office products industry was born. One of the biggest turning points in Cerkleski\u2019s career came in 2005, when Clover acquired Dataproducts from Hitachi, enabling the company to expand into Europe and Mexico. \u201cThat\u2019s when I started to understand the magnitude of the business we had built,\u201d he explained. \u201cThat acquisition, of a company of a similar size, completely transformed our capabilities and really solidified our status as a market leader in the aftermarket space.\u201d Another positive byproduct of the Dataproducts deal was the influence of Bill Barclay, the former executive vice president of Ricoh Printing Systems America (RPSA), the manufacturer of Dataproducts and other compatible supplies brands, who would become president of the Dataproducts USA, LLC division of Clover. Cerkleski cited Barclay\u2019s ethical approach to treating customers as being impactful. \u201cBill\u2019s philosophy of \u2018Take care of the people you do business with and it will come back tenfold\u2019 was a definite influence on me throughout the years,\u201d Cerkleski noted. The 2019 restructuring of Clover was the best education Cerkleski ever received. While separating the wireless division from the imaging division was challenging and exhausting, it was ultimately the right move, in his estimation. \u201cI would not wish it upon anyone, but the experience and knowledge I gained from all of the attorneys, financial analysts and investment bankers that we worked with as we navigated this process was invaluable,\u201d Cerkleski added. Digging Deep Coming off the restructuring experience, Cerkleski obviously could not envision the pandemic challenge around the corner. Clover mobilized in short order, adjusting its business operations and diversifying into product categories such as personal protective equipment, to weather the COVID-19 storm and position the company for a stronger future. Cerkleski is bent on allowing his teams to become fully engaged and using their strengths and skillsets to drive the business. One of the keys moving forward was the appointment of George Milton as CEO. He credits Milton with setting the stage for future growth and providing the leadership necessary to usher in the next chapter of Clover\u2019s story. \u201cAt this point in my career, it\u2019s about leaving a legacy I am proud of and a big part of that is putting the right people in the right roles to position the company for success well into the future,\u201d Cerkleski said. On the home front, Cerkleski and his wife, Sheryl, have been married for 24 years. They have two children\u2014a recent college graduate and another who is an underclassman. An avid golfer, fisherman, boater and hunter, Cerkleski finds his greatest enjoyment to be spending time at their lake house with family and friends. \u201cI live for those family times,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":40065,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[80,1650,82,1638],"tags":[2166,3897],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42010"}],"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\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42010"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42010\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42012,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42010\/revisions\/42012"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}