Led by the Woolfolk brothers, DOCUmation is on a mission to dominate the state.
Above: Hunter and Preston Woolfolk.
As private-equity-owned dealerships across the country flex their financial muscles and expand their footprints, some privately held independent dealerships like DOCUmation, based in San Antonio, Texas, are meeting this competition head on. Led by brothers Hunter and Preston Woolfolk, who serve as co-CEOs, their dealership has become the largest privately held independent dealership in Texas.
Both brothers have been working full-time for the nearly 35-year-old San Antonio-based company for 13 to 15 years—eight in its current incarnation—and each has been involved in some way since they were 12 years old. You name it, the two brothers have done it. Whether it’s sweeping floors, logistics, delivery driver, or sales interns, Hunter and Preston have a well-rounded education in the office technology business thanks in large part to their grandfather, Lou Scantland, a legend in the dealer channel and the founder of the business—actually, the founder of multiple dealerships throughout his long and storied career.
When asked if he could have imagined when he was 12 that someday he and Preston would be co-CEOs, Hunter replied, “Absolutely not. I always assumed that we would leave someday and start our own business. We intended to do that when the company split in 2016, and no one was here to keep the company afloat. It was just kind of needed, and we figured we might as well stay here to keep it going.”
That was a challenging time when most employees, including the company’s management team, were gone overnight after an acquisition. However, the San Antonio operations remained independent. “Preston and I could not believe, as a 29-year-old and a 28-year-old, that these people in San Antonio chose to stay with us,” recalled Hunter.
With little leadership remaining, the brothers realized that if what was left of the business were to survive, it was up to them to make it happen. The brothers quickly took charge and gained their employee’s respect. “Even though we felt like little kids, we were doing the job that we wanted to have someday,” recalled Hunter. “It was natural to fill those roles because I was already acting like a sales manager, even though I was a sales rep. They were used to asking me for all the answers. I liked being the person to help everybody. And Preston was naturally the operator.” Eight years later, the dealership is thriving.
Four months into 2024, DOCUmation is busier than ever. “That’s been a huge blessing and the story of the last two years,” reported Hunter. “The biggest challenge is keeping up with growth on the back-office side. We outgrew our first warehouse and moved into a new logistics center last year. Twelve months later, we’re moving into yet another new logistics center four times the size.”
Preston and Hunter Woolfolk proudly announced the winners of the Core Value Awards at DOCUmation’s holiday party. These awards, selected quarterly by a vote of their peers, are a true reflection of the dealership’s core values and the recognition from their colleagues makes it even more special.
DOCUmation’s growth is beyond anything the Woolfolks could have predicted. The business has been growing by $10 million a year over the last two years, and Hunter expects to see another $10 million in growth this year. The intent was never to grow more than 12% a year, which by all accounts would still be considered healthy growth. When asked to explain why the company is growing so fast, Hunter identifies multiple factors, including hiring non-tenured college kids. “We’re gaining a lot of business through their activity and flat-out hustle,” he said.
The dealership is also taking business away from private-equity-owned companies and OEM direct branches that have dropped the ball on service. Hunter referenced one competitor, who now has an eight-day response time. “Their customers are furious,” he said.
Indeed, service is the DOCUmation difference. “Our approach sets us apart,” said Hunter about being the largest privately held dealership in the state with a reputation for amazing service. “We’re competing against the $400 million companies, and we’ve never had such an easy time.” DOCUmation closely tracks all the deals in play, and at one time, it used to win 75% of those, primarily against the large private-equity-owned firms. Now, it’s winning 92% of those deals.
DOCUmation’s Culture of Good Character
DOCUmation employs a mix of tenured reps with 15 to 25 years of experience, many originating from its original San Antonio operations and college grads beginning their careers. The dealership is also taking advantage of the mergers, acquisitions, and downsizing occurring across the industry, hiring sales reps and service techs who once worked for competitors.
“We’ve brought over a ton of tenured people from our competition,” said Hunter. “The challenge we have is matching up high-character people who are also successful in their careers. We don’t hire solely based on revenue. We’ll forgo hiring a million-dollar producer if they are lacking high character.”
Left to right, Valerie Valez, Oralia Ortiz, and Marisol Chapa Elizondo at one of the dealership’s events.
DOCUmation has a knack for hanging onto talent, and its turnover rate has been a low 3% during the past three years. “That’s something we track heavily because we want to be recruiting and hiring great people and keeping them,” observed Hunter. “That’s the secret to growth.”
DOCUmation’s holiday party with the Million Dollar Club. These reps sold $1 million or more in 2023 and are celebrated at the company’s holiday party.
Culture is often a key factor in retaining employees, and when asked about the dealership’s culture, Hunter replied, “Culture isn’t something you can try to make, but it’s naturally who you are. We’re very purpose-driven, and our goal is to grow as large as possible, to make as much money as possible, and to give away as much money as possible in the communities [we serve].” That mission was inspired by his grandfather. “He spent his older years giving away his money and blessing people,” said Hunter. That purpose-driven mindset keeps everybody passionate about working at DOCUmation and is a big part of its culture.
Left to right, Cord Dunham and Jordan Rohlmeier having a great time during one of the DOCUmentation’s Sales Kickoff team-bonding games.
Everyone on DOCUmation’s sales team can qualify to win a Rolex through its Rolex Program. To receive a Rolex, sales reps must sell at least $1 million of services. If they sell more than that, they go up a level on the program to receive a newer/different model Rolex.
Recently, DOCUmation was named one of the Top 50 Best Places to Work in the U.S. “That’s a big award for us,” beamed Hunter. “We’ve always won best places to work in Texas, but to be in the top 50 in the U.S., we’re really proud of that.”
But the top reason people enjoy working there, based on internal assessments and polling, is that it’s a fun, family-oriented atmosphere with employees of high character. “That’s what our people are saying is special about us,” said Hunter. “But to Preston and me, the nucleus of what we’re doing is finding exceptional people, placing them in the right roles, and giving them a place that enables them to run with it.”
Inside DOCUmation’s Growth
In an industry where the decline of print is impacting many dealers across the country, DOCUmation is one of the exceptions. Two years ago, the imaging side of the business grew by 45%; last year, it grew by 28%.
Asked if he has any concerns about the decline of print, Hunter replied, “We’re young, so we might be naïve, but I’ll tell you this, Lou’s long-term input is he sold his businesses in the ’70s because that was the end of print and everybody was freaking out. And then he sold his business again in the late ’80s because that was the end of print. And then, everybody else sold their businesses when we started because that was the end of print.
He added, “So, we’re on, what is it, 50 years after the end of print? We’ve got 40 more years left in us, so maybe we’ll have the same run. But if you look at print and the millions of opportunities out there, I find it amazing how much we’re thriving, and we’re still not even a dot. There’s so much more business to accumulate.”
One imaging segment growing rapidly is production print. The dealership counts Konica Minolta, Ricoh, and Xerox as its hardware partners, so it has a bounty of production print devices to choose from. “We recently rolled out Xerox in March, and that was a big move for us,” noted Hunter. “It’s been an exciting partnership, and we’re amazed at how fast that took off.” Because of the recent spate of Xerox layoffs, DOCUmation now has the biggest footprint of former Xerox employees in Texas.”
The dealership’s fastest-growing division is IT, which has grown by 54% thanks to a flurry of new business. The reason for that is similar to why the imaging business is growing—taking business away from competitors. “There used to be a lot of quality, small companies that cared about their clients but were bought by private equity or the big guys,” said Hunter. “The competition is fading, and the major IT companies lack personalized support—this is a win-win for us.”
Another growth area is DocuWare, which isn’t surprising as DOCUmation is one of the largest DocuWare dealers in the country. Most sales reps can uncover opportunities, and DocuWare prospects are those with process automation needs. Once that customer is identified and expresses an interest, a specialist comes in. “If you don’t have the right specialists, it’s a great way to upset clients and ruin relationships,” said Hunter. “We’ve been very blessed to get the right ones.”
DOCUmation is taking it slow in terms of diversifying. It’s looking at cloud security systems and shredding services, but won’t venture into any of those segments until it can ensure that it has a profitable model for success. One area that it may dip its toes into is robotics because, as Hunter noted, this could be a technology in a customer’s business that needs service. He said, “The reason we’re a fit for somebody is they value exceptional service, and we’re the No. 1 choice for exceptional service in Texas.”
Great Expectations
The Woolfolk brothers have high aspirations and want to grow to $120 million over the next five years. The dealership is in the $60 million range today. “If we keep up our pace of growth, that’ll be the case,” said Hunter, who added that there are no plans to expand beyond Texas’s borders. “Texas is plenty enough. Our vision is to be a household name in Texas. The message to competitors is best of luck.”
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