{"id":63680,"date":"2025-02-06T12:32:49","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T20:32:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=63680"},"modified":"2025-02-06T12:32:51","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T20:32:51","slug":"whatever-floats-your-boats-executive-connection-summit-delivers-balanced-menu-for-dealers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2025\/02\/whatever-floats-your-boats-executive-connection-summit-delivers-balanced-menu-for-dealers\/","title":{"rendered":"Whatever Floats Your Boats: Executive Connection Summit Delivers Balanced Menu for Dealers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Konica Minolta’s Laura Blackmer emceed the ECS version of Shark Tank<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019d never heard of quantum computing before attending the Executive Connection Summit (ECS) last month, then you certainly got a crash course in one of the major technologies destined to change the landscape of the business community and beyond. But if Sean Brehm\u2019s hour-long presentation on the conference\u2019s second day left your brain a little flummoxed, take heart. You weren\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Brehm\u2019s \u201cAuthentic Intelligence\u201d program was definitely an advanced class in AI and quantum computing, there was ample technology and industry-related talk to go around for the 300ish attendees who took in the four-day event at the picturesque Scottsdale Resort and Spa at McCormick Ranch from Jan. 12-15. It was a who\u2019s who of the office technology dealer space, and the manufacturer-agnostic event reeled in OEM speakers from Sharp to Xerox to Toshiba and Konica Minolta. There were 20-plus presentations spanning from Sunday\u2019s press conference through Wednesday\u2019s wrap-up meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ECS Founder Mike Stramaglio, decked out in comfy duds, courtesy of Distribution Management <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Dozens upon dozens of speakers paraded through the McCormick Ranch conference room, punctuated by sponsor presentations and networking breaks throughout the event. The conference was capped by a golf outing on the afternoon of the final day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are just a few of the highlights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Mike Saraille, CEO of the Talent War Group\u2014as well as a veteran Navy SEAL\u2014roused the morning crowd with a presentation titled \u201cFrom Battlefield to Boardroom.\u201d These are the type of presentations have always played well at business conferences; in 2017, retired SEAL Brent Gleeson gave a similar talk at the BTA Grand Slam event in Philadelphia, and there have been others in between. There are ample parallels between battle and business, from strategy to execution, evolving plans and forsaking outdated approaches. Saraille is an excellent storyteller, and kept his audience on the edge of its seats.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"
    Evening dining accommodations were held in this picturesque (if a bit chilly) paradise<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
    • The show had a strong youth movement, beginning with Impact Networking\u2019s \u201cAdopting the Everyday Warrior Mindset in the Boardroom.\u201d Emceed by longtime Impact honcho Frank Cucco, the panel showcased the firm\u2019s burgeoning youth leadership, from new President Mike Lepper to Anthony Cucco and Ashley Barnes. They\u2019re taking the baton to help fulfill the company\u2019s ultimate goal of becoming a billion-dollar dealership. Not surprisingly, managed IT\u2014an area that accounts for about half of the firm\u2019s revenues, will play a prominent role in the quest.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
      • Continuing the next-gen theme was a panel presentation from the Breakout Team, the young men and women who are setting the stage for future dealer growth via diversifications (and a subset of The Consortium). The panel borrowed from ABC\u2019s Shark Tank program, where entrepreneurs pitch potential lucrative product and service ideas to the group of investors (sharks). Moderated by Konica Minolta\u2019s Laura Blackmer, six entrepreneurs (Lauren Hanna, Stephanie Keating-Phillips, Brice and Blake Renegar, Ben and Kory Philpot) made their cases to the Breakout Team sharks\u2014noted industry personalities Greg Goldberg (BTA), Kate Kingston (Kingston Training Group), Cameron Fisher (GreatAmerica Financial Services), Kyle Spriegel (ARCOA Group) and Jenna Stramaglio (ConnectWise).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        The diversifications included many of the popular options. Blue Technologies’ Hanna made a thorough argument in favor of managed IT, and Phillips (AIS-Minnesota) delivered a strong case for production print. The Renegar brothers of Kelly Office Solutions pitched cybersecurity, and the Philpots (Precision Duplicating Solutions) touted the virtues of water systems. Not surprisingly, all four diversifications were selected. Blackmer put the concept of diversification into the context of dwindling page counts on the print side, noting, \u201cI look at diversification not to add revenue and profit, but to replace revenue and profit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \"\"
        Kevin Jackson, president and CEO of Advanced Business Equipment, receives the 2024 Humanitarian Award for his efforts to help citizens of Asheville, North Carolina and his employees following Hurricane Helene last fall<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
        • Speaking of Konica, CEO Sam Errigo offered up his own take in an afternoon session, touting the importance of net-new for growth and diversification\u2019s role in it, observing \u201cIt\u2019s not too late, but it\u2019s late\u201d for those dealers still on the fence. Errigo followed suit with many of the conference\u2019s presentations in pointing out the growing role of AI moving forward (fellow OEM execs Larry White of Toshiba and Mike Marusic of Sharp did likewise).<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
          • In his second day presentation, White drew the conversation back toward print, noting it\u2019s still an $81 billion opportunity. Toshiba\u2019s been riding down the printing side streets of label and receipt units for a number of years. TABS has enjoyed 166% growth in that space since 2017, according to White. Thermal is also on the rise, and he pointed out the company has posted 24.5% growth in MPaaS in the last two years. TABS\u2019 solutions business is up 74% since 2017 as well.<\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            If you\u2019d never heard of quantum computing before attending the Executive Connection Summit (ECS) last month, then you certainly got a crash course in one of the major technologies destined to change the landscape of the business community and beyond. But if Sean Brehm\u2019s hour-long presentation on the conference\u2019s second day left your brain a little flummoxed, take heart. You weren\u2019t alone. While Brehm\u2019s \u201cAuthentic Intelligence\u201d program was definitely an advanced class in AI and quantum computing, there was ample technology and industry-related talk to go around for the 300ish attendees who took in the four-day event at the picturesque Scottsdale Resort and Spa at McCormick Ranch from Jan. 12-15. It was a who\u2019s who of the office technology dealer space, and the manufacturer-agnostic event reeled in OEM speakers from Sharp to Xerox to Toshiba and Konica Minolta. There were 20-plus presentations spanning from Sunday\u2019s press conference through Wednesday\u2019s wrap-up meeting. Dozens upon dozens of speakers paraded through the McCormick Ranch conference room, punctuated by sponsor presentations and networking breaks throughout the event. The conference was capped by a golf outing on the afternoon of the final day. Here are just a few of the highlights: Mike Saraille, CEO of the Talent War Group\u2014as well as a veteran Navy SEAL\u2014roused the morning crowd with a presentation titled \u201cFrom Battlefield to Boardroom.\u201d These are the type of presentations have always played well at business conferences; in 2017, retired SEAL Brent Gleeson gave a similar talk at the BTA Grand Slam event in Philadelphia, and there have been others in between. There are ample parallels between battle and business, from strategy to execution, evolving plans and forsaking outdated approaches. Saraille is an excellent storyteller, and kept his audience on the edge of its seats. The show had a strong youth movement, beginning with Impact Networking\u2019s \u201cAdopting the Everyday Warrior Mindset in the Boardroom.\u201d Emceed by longtime Impact honcho Frank Cucco, the panel showcased the firm\u2019s burgeoning youth leadership, from new President Mike Lepper to Anthony Cucco and Ashley Barnes. They\u2019re taking the baton to help fulfill the company\u2019s ultimate goal of becoming a billion-dollar dealership. Not surprisingly, managed IT\u2014an area that accounts for about half of the firm\u2019s revenues, will play a prominent role in the quest. Continuing the next-gen theme was a panel presentation from the Breakout Team, the young men and women who are setting the stage for future dealer growth via diversifications (and a subset of The Consortium). The panel borrowed from ABC\u2019s Shark Tank program, where entrepreneurs pitch potential lucrative product and service ideas to the group of investors (sharks). Moderated by Konica Minolta\u2019s Laura Blackmer, six entrepreneurs (Lauren Hanna, Stephanie Keating-Phillips, Brice and Blake Renegar, Ben and Kory Philpot) made their cases to the Breakout Team sharks\u2014noted industry personalities Greg Goldberg (BTA), Kate Kingston (Kingston Training Group), Cameron Fisher (GreatAmerica Financial Services), Kyle Spriegel (ARCOA Group) and Jenna Stramaglio (ConnectWise). The diversifications included many of the popular options. Blue Technologies’ Hanna made a thorough argument in favor of managed IT, and Phillips (AIS-Minnesota) delivered a strong case for production print. The Renegar brothers of Kelly Office Solutions pitched cybersecurity, and the Philpots (Precision Duplicating Solutions) touted the virtues of water systems. Not surprisingly, all four diversifications were selected. Blackmer put the concept of diversification into the context of dwindling page counts on the print side, noting, \u201cI look at diversification not to add revenue and profit, but to replace revenue and profit.\u201d Speaking of Konica, CEO Sam Errigo offered up his own take in an afternoon session, touting the importance of net-new for growth and diversification\u2019s role in it, observing \u201cIt\u2019s not too late, but it\u2019s late\u201d for those dealers still on the fence. Errigo followed suit with many of the conference\u2019s presentations in pointing out the growing role of AI moving forward (fellow OEM execs Larry White of Toshiba and Mike Marusic of Sharp did likewise). In his second day presentation, White drew the conversation back toward print, noting it\u2019s still an $81 billion opportunity. Toshiba\u2019s been riding down the printing side streets of label and receipt units for a number of years. TABS has enjoyed 166% growth in that space since 2017, according to White. Thermal is also on the rise, and he pointed out the company has posted 24.5% growth in MPaaS in the last two years. TABS\u2019 solutions business is up 74% since 2017 as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":63681,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[80,1650,82,1638],"tags":[2737,3530,2092,798,1933,2610,4024,4563,2094,4562,1975,3991,349],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63680"}],"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=63680"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63680\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":63686,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63680\/revisions\/63686"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}