{"id":66473,"date":"2025-09-26T07:23:05","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T14:23:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=66473"},"modified":"2025-09-26T07:48:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T14:48:01","slug":"bob-smith-90-embraced-servant-mindset-as-top-executive-of-copiers-plus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2025\/09\/bob-smith-90-embraced-servant-mindset-as-top-executive-of-copiers-plus\/","title":{"rendered":"Bob Smith, 90, Embraced Servant Mindset as Top Executive of Copiers Plus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Bob Smith, Copiers Plus<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When the family-owned calculator company where Bob Smith worked for over 25 years was sold to a large corporation, he quickly sensed a shift in leadership philosophy\u2014and not for the better. Determined to build something rooted in shared values, he decided to start his own business alongside family members whose principles aligned with his own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Smith, who passed away on Sept. 6 at the age of 90, founded Copiers Plus in 1985. Over the next four decades, the Fayetteville, North Carolina-based dealership remained steadfast in its commitment to serving customers with honesty, integrity and an unwavering dedication to their satisfaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur slogan was born: the PLUS stands for service,\u201d Mr. Smith once wrote on the company\u2019s website. \u201cTo accomplish this, we knew we would have to surround ourselves with employees who shared our dedication to the cause. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve always believed a committed employee is the most valuable asset a company can have. Through our passionate and loyal team, we will always be there for our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born on Jan. 10, 1935, in Benson, North Carolina, Mr. Smith met his future wife, Jackie, in his hometown. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1959 and joined Monroe Systems for Business later that year. At the age of 50, he left Monroe and, with very little capital, launched Copiers Plus, growing it into a thriving enterprise with nearly $10 million in annual revenue, offering equipment from Kyocera and Canon. He served as the company\u2019s president and CEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Smith\u2019s care for customers and employees extended to the communities served by Copiers Plus. Earlier this year, in partnership with Kyocera, the company commemorated its 40th anniversary by donating $500 to each of 40 organizations across North Carolina. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drew Smith, his grandson and the company\u2019s director of communications, remarked at the time, \u201cThere is no better way to celebrate 40 years of serving North Carolina than by supporting these organizations that give so much to their communities every single day\u2014with the key ingredient my grandfather instilled in our company: CARE.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to Jackie, Mr. Smith is survived by four children, five grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held on Sept. 13 in Hope Mills, North Carolina.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When the family-owned calculator company where Bob Smith worked for over 25 years was sold to a large corporation, he quickly sensed a shift in leadership philosophy\u2014and not for the better. Determined to build something rooted in shared values, he decided to start his own business alongside family members whose principles aligned with his own. Mr. Smith, who passed away on Sept. 6 at the age of 90, founded Copiers Plus in 1985. Over the next four decades, the Fayetteville, North Carolina-based dealership remained steadfast in its commitment to serving customers with honesty, integrity and an unwavering dedication to their satisfaction. \u201cOur slogan was born: the PLUS stands for service,\u201d Mr. Smith once wrote on the company\u2019s website. \u201cTo accomplish this, we knew we would have to surround ourselves with employees who shared our dedication to the cause. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve always believed a committed employee is the most valuable asset a company can have. Through our passionate and loyal team, we will always be there for our customers.\u201d Born on Jan. 10, 1935, in Benson, North Carolina, Mr. Smith met his future wife, Jackie, in his hometown. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1959 and joined Monroe Systems for Business later that year. At the age of 50, he left Monroe and, with very little capital, launched Copiers Plus, growing it into a thriving enterprise with nearly $10 million in annual revenue, offering equipment from Kyocera and Canon. He served as the company\u2019s president and CEO. Mr. Smith\u2019s care for customers and employees extended to the communities served by Copiers Plus. Earlier this year, in partnership with Kyocera, the company commemorated its 40th anniversary by donating $500 to each of 40 organizations across North Carolina. Drew Smith, his grandson and the company\u2019s director of communications, remarked at the time, \u201cThere is no better way to celebrate 40 years of serving North Carolina than by supporting these organizations that give so much to their communities every single day\u2014with the key ingredient my grandfather instilled in our company: CARE.\u201d In addition to Jackie, Mr. Smith is survived by four children, five grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. A memorial service was held on Sept. 13 in Hope Mills, North Carolina.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":66474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[80,1650,82,1638],"tags":[4619,1597],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66473"}],"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=66473"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66489,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66473\/revisions\/66489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}