{"id":51732,"date":"2022-10-06T10:00:06","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T17:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=51732"},"modified":"2022-10-06T10:00:10","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T17:00:10","slug":"from-tech-workhorse-to-service-manager-ais-difference-maker-jon-pottebaum-understands-the-craft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2022\/10\/from-tech-workhorse-to-service-manager-ais-difference-maker-jon-pottebaum-understands-the-craft\/","title":{"rendered":"From Tech Workhorse to Service Manager, AIS Difference Maker Jon Pottebaum Understands the Craft"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Jon Pottebaum<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Managerial styles can differ. Some prefer a hands-on approach that provides insight into every aspect of the team and the projects it\u2019s currently undertaking. Sometimes, it\u2019s a fine line between deft oversight and micromanaging, and its proponents must be mindful of the impact on morale and trust implications. Not everyone advocates the style, but for some, it provides a comfort level to ensure the manager is well-attuned to what\u2019s going on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

None of these attributes apply to Jon Pottebaum. Obviously, as service and operations manager for Advanced Imaging Solutions (AIS) of Minnetonka, Minnesota, he bears the ultimate responsibility for the performance of those technicians under his guidance. But where Pottebaum gleans his management style is from the decades of work as a technician in his own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pottebaum knows the process and what\u2019s involved in delivering quality technical service. He\u2019s been blessed with a team that is rich in experience and tenure at AIS. He knows what is expected of them, and the techs understand and appreciate that he is one of them, in addition to being their boss. That\u2019s cultivated an environment of mutual respect, and in giving the techs a longer leash, Pottebaum is free to focus on other aspects of his position. As someone who grew up doing chores on a farm in northwest Iowa, he\u2019s definitely not afraid to get his hands dirty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI love to manage people, but I like to give them the freedom to manage their territories as well,\u201d said Pottebaum, a 2022 ENX Magazine<\/em> Difference Maker. \u201cI don\u2019t need to tell them what to do all the time. That gives me the freedom to handle other responsibilities, such as overseeing the warehouse and handling building issues. Every now and then, I\u2019ll say something if I need to get a point across. But they work very well as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pottebaum credits much of the success with the close-knit atmosphere employed by AIS as a family-owned, independent dealer. AIS has hired techs in the past who have come from much larger organizations that treated them like a number instead of a person. And since many techs remain from when Pottebaum was named service manager in 2005, mutual respect has created a cohesive relationship among them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was in their shoes, so that helps,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople have issues to deal with, families. We treat them well and work with them on different aspects. The techs are really receptive to that approach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technical Prowess<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pottebaum\u2019s career has paralleled with immense changes in the technical makeup of devices, particularly production units. He started off in the industry with an Iowa dealer back in the 1990s, and upon moving to Minnesota, he teamed with another tech to do side work rebuilding and selling machines. One of his customers was Mike Keating, AIS owner. Pottebaum doubled down on his technical expertise to build his knowledge base as digital units were introduced in the market. Keating welcomed him to the company in 2000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The changes over the past 20 years have been monumental from a technical viewpoint. \u201cIt was a lot easier to work on machines back in the 1990s than it is today,\u201d Pottebaum observed. \u201cIt can be a pretty stressful job. But I really enjoy the work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pottebaum has benefitted from several key influences, including Brian Kempke, who worked alongside him for only 18 months but shared an abundance of technical wisdom. Another was the late Tim Keating, who provided a wealth of information from a business standpoint, particularly when it comes to financials. That helped grow his acumen beyond the nuts and bolts of service, so to speak, to include order processing, shipping and virtually every aspect of the operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

He\u2019s especially proud of the way AIS has endured through the post-pandemic period, with volumes and new deals on the rise. The dealer has been honored for technical service by both Sharp and Konica Minolta, and constant training helps keep the staff one step ahead of the changing technologies. On a personal front, Pottebaum is putting the finishing touches on his bachelor\u2019s degree in operations management, fulfilling a promise he made to himself 20 years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building Blocks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead, Pottebaum is focusing on improving processes and other aspects to make things more streamlined. Keeping customers happy is always an overarching priority, and he feels the company did a solid job of dealing with toner issues. AIS is also looking at leveraging SalesForce or DealerAgent to better handle its inventory and sales agreements, which also falls under the umbrella of streamlining processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the home front, Pottebaum and his wife of 26 years, Holly, have three children (two boys)\u2014a college graduate, one working on his degree and another in high school. He loves boating, with Lake Minnetonka among his favorite excursions. The Pottebaums enjoyed a two-week European vacation this past summer that crossed through five countries, fueling their shared love of history (which Holly teaches at the local high school). An avid golfer, Pottebaum also loves returning to his Iowa roots during the fall harvest season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Managerial styles can differ. Some prefer a hands-on approach that provides insight into every aspect of the team and the projects it\u2019s currently undertaking. Sometimes, it\u2019s a fine line between deft oversight and micromanaging, and its proponents must be mindful of the impact on morale and trust implications. Not everyone advocates the style, but for some, it provides a comfort level to ensure the manager is well-attuned to what\u2019s going on. None of these attributes apply to Jon Pottebaum. Obviously, as service and operations manager for Advanced Imaging Solutions (AIS) of Minnetonka, Minnesota, he bears the ultimate responsibility for the performance of those technicians under his guidance. But where Pottebaum gleans his management style is from the decades of work as a technician in his own right. Pottebaum knows the process and what\u2019s involved in delivering quality technical service. He\u2019s been blessed with a team that is rich in experience and tenure at AIS. He knows what is expected of them, and the techs understand and appreciate that he is one of them, in addition to being their boss. That\u2019s cultivated an environment of mutual respect, and in giving the techs a longer leash, Pottebaum is free to focus on other aspects of his position. As someone who grew up doing chores on a farm in northwest Iowa, he\u2019s definitely not afraid to get his hands dirty. \u201cI love to manage people, but I like to give them the freedom to manage their territories as well,\u201d said Pottebaum, a 2022 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. \u201cI don\u2019t need to tell them what to do all the time. That gives me the freedom to handle other responsibilities, such as overseeing the warehouse and handling building issues. Every now and then, I\u2019ll say something if I need to get a point across. But they work very well as a team.\u201d Pottebaum credits much of the success with the close-knit atmosphere employed by AIS as a family-owned, independent dealer. AIS has hired techs in the past who have come from much larger organizations that treated them like a number instead of a person. And since many techs remain from when Pottebaum was named service manager in 2005, mutual respect has created a cohesive relationship among them. \u201cI was in their shoes, so that helps,\u201d he said. \u201cPeople have issues to deal with, families. We treat them well and work with them on different aspects. The techs are really receptive to that approach.\u201d Technical Prowess Pottebaum\u2019s career has paralleled with immense changes in the technical makeup of devices, particularly production units. He started off in the industry with an Iowa dealer back in the 1990s, and upon moving to Minnesota, he teamed with another tech to do side work rebuilding and selling machines. One of his customers was Mike Keating, AIS owner. Pottebaum doubled down on his technical expertise to build his knowledge base as digital units were introduced in the market. Keating welcomed him to the company in 2000. The changes over the past 20 years have been monumental from a technical viewpoint. \u201cIt was a lot easier to work on machines back in the 1990s than it is today,\u201d Pottebaum observed. \u201cIt can be a pretty stressful job. But I really enjoy the work.\u201d Pottebaum has benefitted from several key influences, including Brian Kempke, who worked alongside him for only 18 months but shared an abundance of technical wisdom. Another was the late Tim Keating, who provided a wealth of information from a business standpoint, particularly when it comes to financials. That helped grow his acumen beyond the nuts and bolts of service, so to speak, to include order processing, shipping and virtually every aspect of the operation. He\u2019s especially proud of the way AIS has endured through the post-pandemic period, with volumes and new deals on the rise. The dealer has been honored for technical service by both Sharp and Konica Minolta, and constant training helps keep the staff one step ahead of the changing technologies. On a personal front, Pottebaum is putting the finishing touches on his bachelor\u2019s degree in operations management, fulfilling a promise he made to himself 20 years ago. Building Blocks Looking ahead, Pottebaum is focusing on improving processes and other aspects to make things more streamlined. Keeping customers happy is always an overarching priority, and he feels the company did a solid job of dealing with toner issues. AIS is also looking at leveraging SalesForce or DealerAgent to better handle its inventory and sales agreements, which also falls under the umbrella of streamlining processes. On the home front, Pottebaum and his wife of 26 years, Holly, have three children (two boys)\u2014a college graduate, one working on his degree and another in high school. He loves boating, with Lake Minnetonka among his favorite excursions. The Pottebaums enjoyed a two-week European vacation this past summer that crossed through five countries, fueling their shared love of history (which Holly teaches at the local high school). An avid golfer, Pottebaum also loves returning to his Iowa roots during the fall harvest season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":49676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3626,80,1650,82,84,1638],"tags":[4241],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51732"}],"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=51732"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51734,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51732\/revisions\/51734"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}