![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Cover2.jpg\")
Schnabel may not have visions of becoming the predominant dealer in the state of Colorado\u2026wait, he\u2019s not willing to concede that it won\u2019t happen, either. But two years into his stint as president following extensive experience with both Centric Business Systems in Maryland and Connecticut Business Systems, Schnabel wants to let the chips fall where they may.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think putting a number to it would be an injustice,\u201d Schnabel said of Frontier\u2019s potential. \u201cIf you\u2019re the best\u2014and we\u2019ve worked hard every day to do a great job supporting our clients\u2014the \u2018big\u2019 comes along with that over time. There doesn\u2019t need to be a top to that number, it can just keep growing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Mitschkes tabbed Schnabel to quarterback the dealer\u2019s moving-forward sales blueprint, and he\u2019s relying on time-tested measures to catapult Frontier to the next level. His addition was part of a larger effort to bolster the company\u2019s leadership team across services, operations, managed network services and sales, and the dealer has invested significantly in setting the stage for next-generation leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Schnabel found in the Mitschkes kindred spirits; he was drawn to the ethical nature in which the firm does business and the team\u2019s well-documented penchant for providing outstanding customer service. That Frontier was as focused on driving net-new business as it was cultivating wider and deeper relationships with existing clientele cemented his decision to head west and join the firm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe concept of taking good care of the customers after the sales process was over really stood out for me,\u201d Schnabel explained. \u201cOne of the things we\u2019ve had some success with on the sales side is really driving and focusing on net-new business. Certainly, having great service allows us to keep our current customer base, and our sales force has been highly focused and energized in going after net-new opportunities in the field. That\u2019s really led our growth this past year and continues in 2023.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Mitschkes debuted their company in Boulder, Colorado, on Jan. 1, 1979, both having previously worked for A.B.Dick during an era when mimeograph machines and duplicators (a.k.a. ditto machines) as well as offset printing presses ruled. While there, Carol Mitschke sold Ricoh coated-paper copiers marketed under the A.B.Dick brand. A few years into Frontier\u2019s journey, it was clear that mimeograph machines and Spirit duplicators were losing steam, so the Mitschkes turned to Ricoh and became a charter dealer in 1981.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Frontier\u2019s focus continued to shift, and the dealer welcomed in RISO, Sharp, Brother, Lexmark and HP as it grew to offer both A3 and A4 solutions. The company\u2019s reach spans from the Wyoming border to the New Mexico border, serving the needs of nonprofits, charter schools, legal, health care, government, faith-based organizations and commercial businesses, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Frontier continues to grow past its pre-pandemic trajectory, Carol Mitschke admits the 2020-2021 timeframe was extremely challenging. \u201cWe concentrated more on developing and adding growth to our managed network services and MPS business,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen the manufacturers experienced delays in shipping, we focused on selling used equipment when we could or focused on representing the suppliers who actually had product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n MNS was a tricky proposition for Frontier in the early stages of its now eight-year odyssey. Trial and error could occasionally be an unforgiving teacher, but Mitschke believes the experience enabled Frontier to develop a better, stronger team with a broader portfolio of products while fostering enhanced managerial competencies. Today, it\u2019s one of the high-growth vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of growth, Frontier has enjoyed significant traction with its back file scanning operations, which were up nearly 400% year over year. MPS has witnessed the same level of performance, and a 250% uptick validates the approach Frontier takes in charting client growth. MPS can be a tough sell, but Frontier comps its reps well to focus on it. Moreover, reps are conditioned to ensure they\u2019re vetting clients for a match across the dealer\u2019s entire catalog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have a two-week new hire training process that puts a lot of emphasis on mapping out and looking at the client\u2019s entire environment. That\u2019s reinforced not only with new hires, but in every conversation our reps have with clients to ensure they\u2019re doing a full overview of their output needs,\u201d Schnabel said. \u201cWhat\u2019s propelled us the most is having SMEs support the reps in each area, which brings tremendous value to the conversation, the walkthrough with clients and mapping out their needs. Plus, our reps feel super comfortable starting the conversation, knowing they can lean on somebody. It can lead to a powerful discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Frontier\u2019s sales and service excellence haven\u2019t gone unnoticed. The dealership has won several manufacturer awards, from the Ricoh\u2019s Circle of Excellence kudos to Sharp\u2019s Platinum Service Level Award and the Hyakuman Kai distinction. Peter Mitschke has been providing oversight for the service department since the company\u2019s inception, and he also garnered recognition from A.B.Dick during his time there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With technical service locked down, Mitschke notes it mitigates the loss of existing accounts, enabling the team to focus on net-new. \u201cScott and I emphasize that we have to view things from the client\u2019s perspective and keep their best interests in mind,\u201d she said. \u201cWhatever we do has to make sense for our customers. We believe in doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. That builds loyalty and keeps our clients coming back year after year, refresh after refresh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While not major players in the M&A theater, the Metro Copier Services deal was an optimal fit. Both the Mitschkes and Metro owner Roger Magelky shared the same views on customer service and taking care of employees. Magelky remained on board during the transition process, which went smoothly due to the synergies between the organizations. Schnabel and Mitschke wouldn\u2019t rule out future deals; although nothing is imminent, they would relish the opportunity to add a managed IT organization or another hardware dealer. Additional product lines, such as mailing systems and security offerings, are also being considered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re looking for harmonious acquisitions that are going to complement our culture and share our values for high service,\u201d Mitschke said. \u201cThat\u2019s important in maintaining our culture and the satisfaction level of our client base.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to its leadership core, Frontier is also in hiring mode for other positions. The dealer made a significant investment in onboarding a recruitment team that builds on the organization\u2019s crew of 75 teammates while mentoring them to follow the dealer\u2019s principles. Schnabel anticipates adding sales reps to address the needs of the company\u2019s 10,000 clients and continue the growth track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schnabel notes that word of mouth has been a boon for Frontier\u2019s recruiting efforts, and the company\u2019s reputation has led to quality hires across the board. Introducing and mentoring candidates is an all-hands-on-deck proposition, Mitschke added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen senior leadership is having interviews with these individuals, they can set the stage for a culture that\u2019s caring internally and externally,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s something a lot of people are looking for today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Schnabel remains bullish on the prospect of Frontier becoming a substantial player in the Colorado markets and believes the building blocks are in place to make it a reality. Key to that will be the \u201cdeeper and wider\u201d mantra with existing accounts, in addition to fishing for new clients. Whether it\u2019s VoIP or AQUOS Boards, document management or scanning, the goal is to become the one-stop shop provider that can keep customers happy and firmly in place, such as the two clients that purchased equipment from Mitschke in January 1979 and are still on the books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhile I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll become the dominant player size-wise in the immediate future, our objective is to become a dominant player when it comes to customer service,\u201d she added. \u201cOne of the things we\u2019re constantly focusing on is ensuring that we have a great customer experience so people always want to come back and do business. We want to have that dominant reputation in our marketplace for exceeding customers\u2019 expectations. That will lead us to the dominance in size eventually. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPeter\u2019s Wife\u201d: Mitschke a Pioneer in Female Office Dealer Leadership Don\u2019t come at Scott Schnabel while spit-balling potential sales figures. The president of Frontier Business Products doesn\u2019t want to speculate on just how high the Aurora, Colorado-based dealer can scale. When it comes to growth, everything\u2019s on the table. Frontier isn\u2019t a flashy organization. Owned by the wife-husband duo of Carol and Peter Mitschke, the company weathered the pandemic storm and posted a 20% year-over-year sales increase from 2021 to 2022, and it currently sits at roughly $17.5 million in annual sales. Part of that influx can be attributed to its acquisition of Metro Copier Services in late 2021, and toward the tail end of 2022, the dealer cut the ribbon on a new sales office in Denver that can help accentuate that growth. Plus, the team is settling in nicely into its new Aurora headquarters. Schnabel may not have visions of becoming the predominant dealer in the state of Colorado\u2026wait, he\u2019s not willing to concede that it won\u2019t happen, either. But two years into his stint as president following extensive experience with both Centric Business Systems in Maryland and Connecticut Business Systems, Schnabel wants to let the chips fall where they may. \u201cI think putting a number to it would be an injustice,\u201d Schnabel said of Frontier\u2019s potential. \u201cIf you\u2019re the best\u2014and we\u2019ve worked hard every day to do a great job supporting our clients\u2014the \u2018big\u2019 comes along with that over time. There doesn\u2019t need to be a top to that number, it can just keep growing.\u201d The Mitschkes tabbed Schnabel to quarterback the dealer\u2019s moving-forward sales blueprint, and he\u2019s relying on time-tested measures to catapult Frontier to the next level. His addition was part of a larger effort to bolster the company\u2019s leadership team across services, operations, managed network services and sales, and the dealer has invested significantly in setting the stage for next-generation leadership. Schnabel found in the Mitschkes kindred spirits; he was drawn to the ethical nature in which the firm does business and the team\u2019s well-documented penchant for providing outstanding customer service. That Frontier was as focused on driving net-new business as it was cultivating wider and deeper relationships with existing clientele cemented his decision to head west and join the firm. \u201cThe concept of taking good care of the customers after the sales process was over really stood out for me,\u201d Schnabel explained. \u201cOne of the things we\u2019ve had some success with on the sales side is really driving and focusing on net-new business. Certainly, having great service allows us to keep our current customer base, and our sales force has been highly focused and energized in going after net-new opportunities in the field. That\u2019s really led our growth this past year and continues in 2023.\u201d The Mitschkes debuted their company in Boulder, Colorado, on Jan. 1, 1979, both having previously worked for A.B.Dick during an era when mimeograph machines and duplicators (a.k.a. ditto machines) as well as offset printing presses ruled. While there, Carol Mitschke sold Ricoh coated-paper copiers marketed under the A.B.Dick brand. A few years into Frontier\u2019s journey, it was clear that mimeograph machines and Spirit duplicators were losing steam, so the Mitschkes turned to Ricoh and became a charter dealer in 1981. Frontier\u2019s focus continued to shift, and the dealer welcomed in RISO, Sharp, Brother, Lexmark and HP as it grew to offer both A3 and A4 solutions. The company\u2019s reach spans from the Wyoming border to the New Mexico border, serving the needs of nonprofits, charter schools, legal, health care, government, faith-based organizations and commercial businesses, among others. While Frontier continues to grow past its pre-pandemic trajectory, Carol Mitschke admits the 2020-2021 timeframe was extremely challenging. \u201cWe concentrated more on developing and adding growth to our managed network services and MPS business,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen the manufacturers experienced delays in shipping, we focused on selling used equipment when we could or focused on representing the suppliers who actually had product.\u201d MNS was a tricky proposition for Frontier in the early stages of its now eight-year odyssey. Trial and error could occasionally be an unforgiving teacher, but Mitschke believes the experience enabled Frontier to develop a better, stronger team with a broader portfolio of products while fostering enhanced managerial competencies. Today, it\u2019s one of the high-growth vehicles. Speaking of growth, Frontier has enjoyed significant traction with its back file scanning operations, which were up nearly 400% year over year. MPS has witnessed the same level of performance, and a 250% uptick validates the approach Frontier takes in charting client growth. MPS can be a tough sell, but Frontier comps its reps well to focus on it. Moreover, reps are conditioned to ensure they\u2019re vetting clients for a match across the dealer\u2019s entire catalog. \u201cWe have a two-week new hire training process that puts a lot of emphasis on mapping out and looking at the client\u2019s entire environment. That\u2019s reinforced not only with new hires, but in every conversation our reps have with clients to ensure they\u2019re doing a full overview of their output needs,\u201d Schnabel said. \u201cWhat\u2019s propelled us the most is having SMEs support the reps in each area, which brings tremendous value to the conversation, the walkthrough with clients and mapping out their needs. Plus, our reps feel super comfortable starting the conversation, knowing they can lean on somebody. It can lead to a powerful discussion.\u201d Frontier\u2019s sales and service excellence haven\u2019t gone unnoticed. The dealership has won several manufacturer awards, from the Ricoh\u2019s Circle of Excellence kudos to Sharp\u2019s Platinum Service Level Award and the Hyakuman Kai distinction. Peter Mitschke has been providing oversight for the service department since the company\u2019s inception, and he also garnered recognition from A.B.Dick during his time there. With technical service locked down, Mitschke notes it mitigates the loss of existing accounts, enabling the team to focus on net-new. \u201cScott and I emphasize that we have to view things from the client\u2019s perspective and keep their best interests in mind,\u201d she said. \u201cWhatever we do has to make sense for our customers. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1643],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56298"}],"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=56298"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56311,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56298\/revisions\/56311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/Meeting.jpg\")
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/strong>
It\u2019s always been clear to Carol Mitschke that she would need to work hard to get ahead in the business world\u2014that\u2019s been a universal truism across time. But as a female leader in a male-dominated business world in the 1970s, when the so-called glass ceiling more closely resembled a steel roof, Mitschke quickly appreciated the notion that she would indeed need to work even harder than others to attain success. It may not have been fair, but it was the reality of the day.
\u201cWhen Peter and I met with Japanese manufacturers about taking on their product line, they were hesitant to even give us the opportunity to become a dealer for them because we were woman-led,\u201d said Mitschke, who alongside husband Peter are the ownership duo behind Frontier Business Products in Aurora, Colorado. \u201cPeter went to the service meeting, and I sat in on the sales\/leadership meeting. I was typically referred to as \u2018Peter\u2019s wife.\u2019 I didn\u2019t have my own identity.\u201d
That provided all the motivation Mitschke needed to carve out her place in the industry. Frontier Business Products opened in January 1979, and she sold seven machines to three different businesses during that first month, two of which are still loyal clients. The Mitschkes had actually worked for A.B.Dick, but once they hung their own shingle, the safety net disappeared and she knew her ability to get paid hinged solely on her ability to push product.
Mitschke looks across the industry with satisfaction these days. Forty-four years have yielded dramatic changes in the attitudes toward females at the helm of corporations. The days of being \u201cPeter\u2019s wife\u201d or \u201cMrs. Peter Mitschke\u201d are long gone.
\u201cWhen I faced those challenges, I would typically be the only woman in these business meetings,\u201d she noted. \u201cWe\u2019re not the anomaly anymore. Social and cultural changes, as well as the success that other women business leaders experienced, have really opened the door, so we see more and more women leading businesses today both in our industry and others. It certainly has been an interesting journey from 40 years ago to where we are today, where women are much more accepted as leaders in business.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"