CR-Connect Dealer Tour

Diversification checklist: managed IT, check; MPS, check; A4, check; inkjet, check; production print, check; wide format, check; document management, check; coffee…

POA takes the word “pivot” seriously, especially since that word succinctly describes what it has been doing since March 2020…

Paul Hanna, founder of Blue Technologies in Cleveland, Ohio, has a few reasons to feel good as 2020 comes to a close. Yet, at the same time, he also has a few good reasons…

“We’re very fortunate that the decisions we made in good times have really helped us in tough times,” observed Dean Swenson, president of The Swenson Group in Livermore…

Vision Office Systems in Charlotte, North Carolina, is proof positive that successful dealerships also come in small packages. The company represents…

The Cannata Report eased on down the virtual road, traveling to Dayton, Ohio, on July 23, for a visit with Woodhull LLC. Our hosts were owner Susie Woodhull and President…

Two years ago, Shore Business Solutions President George Krebs was at a crossroads. With his Farmingdale, New Jersey, dealership’s 40th anniversary approaching in 2020, he knew…

There are no signs of sibling rivalry at Doing Better Business (DBB). The dealership, based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, with offices in six locations, is led by Deb Dellaposta…

On a cold wintry day, CJ and I flew into Indianapolis, rented a car, and drove to Perry ProTECH’s Fort Wayne, Indiana, branch to meet with CEO Barry…

SumnerOne’s Managing Directors Liz Sumner and Edmund Sumner have their eyes focused on the future. As the daughter and son, respectively, of Ed Sumner, longtime…

In honor of LDI’s 20th anniversary, I asked our Editor-in-Chief Scott Cullen if we could write an article on the company’s recent celebration. Though we were…

In June, our Dealer Tour brought us to Novatech in Nashville, Tennessee. Dan Cooper, who joined the company as CEO on  April 12, 2019, graciously…

The common denominators for becoming a $100-plus million dealership are plentiful. For many dealers, their story generally starts with selling copiers for a…

When Frank and I stepped into Applied Imaging’s headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Thursday, August 25, we were  immediately impressed by our…

Don’t believe the naysayers. The ones who say a small dealer can’t compete in a market where large dealers have sizable footprints and OEM direct branches blanket…

Chip Miceli, president of Pulse Technology, is at his company’s office in Chesterton, Indiana, the day before its “The Office of the Future” open house. He just…

In our many dealer tours over the past two years, we’ve realized we can’t visit any of these dynamic organizations without focusing on the individual or individuals…

We had the distinct pleasure of being invited to present at Impact Networking’s February sales meeting in Chicago. The Lake Forest, Illinois-based company has…

An intriguing aspect of all these dealer acquisitions has been the quiet return of some dealers who had sold their businesses and are returning now that their…

It was a long time in coming, but we finally made it to Ray Morgan Company (RMC) in Chico, California. This 62-year-old company enjoys a wonderful reputation,…

Imagine being a senior executive at a copier dealership in Nashville, Tennessee. One day, as is your daily routine, you arrive at the office for one of your company’s…

Anyone in this industry interested in learning how to market their dealership and build strong, long-lasting customer and employee relationships could take a…

One of the nice things about visiting dealers in Baltimore, at least for us, is that we can drive or take a train. Carol and I elected to drive, and CJ took the train from…

he first time I called on Advanced Business Systems in Cockeysville, Maryland, 45 years ago, I was a DSM for Saxon Industries. I remember meeting the owners…

A man walks into a bar in the college town of Iowa City, Iowa, and buys it. Then, he discovers no matter how hard he works, whenever a hot new trendy bar opens…