Reprographics 101

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  • Quick Profile: Thomas Reprographics Acquisition Activity

    Prior to the onset of the Great Recession (and, near the beginning of the Great Recession), Thomas Reprographics was very active in acquiring reprographics companies.

    Thomas Repro, either in its own name or under the name of acquired companies, operates in Texas, Arizona, Minnesota and Florida. Thomas is third or fourth largest “reprographics enterprise” in the world, and the second or third largest “reprographics enterprise” in the U.S.

    Thomas has not announced any reprographics-company acquisitions since July 1st, 2008. One wonders when Thomas Repro will resume its acquisition activities (or will that never happen?)

    Earlier this year, ARC said that it had completed acquisitions of (at least) three small reprographics companies. And, recently, ARC’s China affiliate completed the acquisition of a Chinese reprographics company. And, ABC Imaging, one of the largest reprographics companies in the U.S. and the world, did some sort of deal with Bruce Wiener, formerly President of BW Reprographics (of NJ/NY), although I don’t know if that deal could be characterized as an acquisition, or not. One of ABC’s senior officers told me that ABC Imaging did not acquire BW Reprographics. But, nonetheless, Bruce Wiener, owner of BW Reprographics, has joined ABC Imaging’s business development team, so you’ll have to put your own spin on what really went down.

    As to Thomas Reprographics’ acquisition activities, here’s a very quick look back:

    Thomas Reprographics Acquires AccuGraphics in Austin

    July 1, 2008 — Thomas Reprographics,Inc. is pleased to announce the acquisition of AccuGraphics, Inc. in Austin, Texas from Terry and Patty Meyers.

    Winter Park Blue New to the Thomas Reprographics Family of Companies

    April 1, 2008 — Thomas Reprographics, Inc. is pleased to announce the acquisition of Winter Park Blue, a second-generation print solutions company in Orlando, Florida.

    Thomas Reprographics Acquires A&E – The Graphics Complex in Houston

    January 1, 2007 — A&E – The Graphics Complex, a 42 year old, Houston based family-owned printing company, has been acquired by Thomas Reprographics, Inc.

    Thomas Reprographics Acquires Reprografia and Digiprint in South Florida

    October 16, 2006 — Thomas Reprographics has acquired Reprografia, Inc. and Digiprint, Inc. from Richard and Linda Caso. Established in 1980 as a blueprint and materials supplier to Architects and Engineers, Reprografia has evolved and grown into a full service reprographic resource for the architecural/construction communities and beyond. They have four locations in the South Florida area including Miami, Coral Gables, West Palm Beach and Pompano Beach.

    Thomas Reprographics Acquires Precision Reprographics in South Florida

    December 1, 2005 — Thomas Reprographics has acquired Precision Reprographics as of December 1, 2005. Precision operates locations in Ft Lauderdale, FL and North Palm Beach, FL.

    Thomas Reprographics Acquires Vanco Reprographics

    August 1, 2005 — Thomas Reprographics, Inc. is pleased to announce the acquisition of Vanco Reprographics in Houston, Texas from Chris DeLaGarza effective July 31, 2005.

    Thomas Reprographics Acquires Blaylock Reprographics

    July 1, 2005 — Thomas Reprographics, Inc. is pleased to announce the acquisition of Blaylock Reprographics, Inc. from Mark and Nancy Blaylock effective July 1, 2005. Blaylock Reprographics opened in 1986 and offers traditional reprographic services, as well as, small and large format color services to their valued clients. Over the past nineteen years, they have expanded to sixty employees with four locations in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, one in Phoenix, Arizona and one in Tempe, Arizona.

    Thomas Reprographics Acquires Go Repro

    March 1, 2005 — Thomas Reprographics has acquired Go Repro in Phoenix, Arizona from Steve Richter. Go Repro has 15 employees in one Phoenix location.

    Thomas Reprographics Acquires Cline Graphics

    December 1, 2004 — Thomas Reprographics acquired Cline Graphics in Houston, Texas effective December 1, 2004. Cline Graphics provides fleet graphics (truck sides, vehicle wraps, bus graphics, etc.) for clients such as Eagle Global Logistics, Academy, Ryder Truck Lines and Mattress Firm.

    Albinson Reprographics and ProColor Join Forces

    August 16, 2004 — Albinson Reprographics and Professional Color Services (ProColor) joined forces today, August 16, 2004. Both companies will continue their unique business offerings while benefiting from this strategic union. (Albinson is a Thomas-owned company.)

    Thomas Reprographics Acquires Tucson Blueprint

    August 1, 2004 — Thomas Reprographics announced the acquisition of Tucson Blueprint from Richard Grijalza effective August 1, 2004. Tucson Blueprint has twenty employees and two locations in Tucson, Arizona.

    Well, okay, those were the acquisitions listed in announcements on Thomas Repro’s web-site. Prior to that, Thomas Repro also completed these acquisitions:

    Carich Reprographics, Dallas, TX.

    Carich was owned by Dick and Carin Wittrup. Carich was a member of MiniMax. Carich was one of the principal founders of ReproCAD.

    Albinson Reprographics, Minneapolis, MN.

    Thomas Reprographics’ “near misses”:

    Thomas Reprographics came very close to buying Reprographics Technologies, Inc. (which was based in Washington, DC). But, ARC came in at the last second and purchased RTI from Darras McCord.

    Thomas Reprographics made an informal offer to buy NGI (National Graphic Imaging) (FL and Atlanta), but NGI was purchased by ARC.

  • Quick Profile: Springfield Blueprint & Photo Copy (an RSA member) – Options offered: buy printed set of plans or buy digital files?

    So, what options does your company offer for prospective construction-project bidders who are in need of plans and specs?

    SPB operates a electronic planroom, and, for each “public” project hosted its e-planroom, SPB offers these options – purchase a printed set of plans and specs or purchase and download a set of digital files.

    When I visited SPB’s eplanroom, I noticed that SPB offers a set of digital files (to be downloaded) for 50% of the cost of a printed set.

    How would reprographers fare if all (or if most) purchasers opted for digital-file downloads? Margins would be healthy, I think. But, what need would there be for large-format printing systems or for people to operate them, let alone the space required to operate a large-format printing operation?

    Information from SPB’s web-site (“about us”):

    Springfield Blue Print & Photo Copy Co., Inc. first opened its doors August 30th, 1930 by Charles A. McCann. Today, Springfield Blue Print is still owned by the McCann family, and for more than 80 years we have provided a high level of service and integrity to the customers we serve. We are proud to say that value, service, and integrity are what have made us the company we are today.

    Through the years, Springfield Blue Print has evolved in to a state-of-the-art reprographics facility which has made us the largest and most diverse reprographer in southern Missouri. We are authorized sales and servicing dealers for Xerox, Kip, Hewlett Packard, Canon and other leading manufacturers of large-format digital imaging equipment. Our services include online planroom bid and distribution to the design and construction industry; large and small format printing, scanning and archiving; large-format mounting and laminating; full color indoor/outdoor, banners, posters, exhibit graphics and custom trade show booths of any size, delivered and set up anywhere in the world.

Springfield Blue Print is a shareholder of the Reprographics Services Association (RSA) consisting of 130 leading reprographers throughout the country with over 3000 employees and net annual revenues exceeding 300 million dollars. This exclusive shareholder network requires that we, as members, adhere to strict guidelines including financial, technical, and ethical standards. Our affiliation allows us to manage any printing and distribution projects for our customers, meeting deadlines, saving time, money and shipping cost no matter the location. Additionally, RSA members work closely with major industry vendors to provide feedback to aid in research, design, and product development. In turn, RSA members are on the forefront of technology trends in our industry.

As Springfield Blue moves further into the 21st Century we will never lose sight of how we got here. We value our customers and our employees and will continue to provide value along with the highest level of service and integrity.


    PROJECT:

    Clever, MO – Wastewater Lift Station

    Shaffer & Hines, Inc

    Shaffer and Hines

    Plans and Specification may be obtained from Springfield Blue Print for the cost of printing ($35.00).

    Electronic files are available ($17.50)

    An additional $10.00 handling fee, as well as associated shipping costs, will be added to all shipped orders.

    PROJECT:

    Highlandville, MO – Water System Improvements

    Shaffer & Hines, Inc

    Shaffer and Hines

    Plans and Specifications may be obtained from Springfield Blue Print for the cost of printing ($75.00)

    Electronic Files are available ($37.50)

    An Additional $10.00 handling fee, as well as associated shipping costs, will be added to all shipped orders.

    PROJECT:

    Springfield, MO – Lifestyle Dental REBID

    Buxton Kubik Dodd

    Brian Kubik

    Plans and Specifications may be obtained from Springfield Blue Print for the cost of printing. ($88.22 + Taxes)

    Electronic files are available. ($44.00)

    An additional $10.00 handling fee, as well as associated shipping costs, will be added to all shipped orders.

  • LBO haunting Rowley-Scher Reprographics in slow market

    Nostalgia beckons! (Sorry, but I’m a very nostalgic person by nature, and I could resist posting this story …. from the Washington Business Journal in July 1990!)

    Washington Business Journal | July 23, 1990 | writer: O’Hara, Terrence H.

    “LBO haunting Rowley-Scher in slow market”

    Operations and staff cut at former top-100 firm.

    Plagued by debt and a slowing demand for its product, Beltsville-based Rowley-Scher Reprographics Inc., the area’s largest reproducer of architectural and design documents, has cut back its operations and pared its executive staff considerably.

    The former public company was the target of a $12 million leveraged buyout in late 1987. Since going private, the company has followed a pattern like that of many other companies that were involved in highly leveraged transactions during the 1980s. Strapped with high interest payments, the company is highly sensitive to downturns in the market which it serves.

    Rowley-Scher chief executive Donald Jackson said last week that the company’s strategy to branch into other markets has been put on hold given the slowdown in the building industry, upon which the firm’s business depends.

    Part of the rest of the story behind the story that appeared in the WBJ:

    · We took Rowley-Scher public (NASDAQ) in November 1985.

    · We sold Rowley-Scher, in an LBO transaction, in February 1988. The shareholders who owned the company, after we sold it, were Citi-Corp Venture Capital, Ltd, Jack Rand and Carlo Simoni.

    · I retired from Rowley-Scher six months after we completed the sale. I was asked to stay on, but was not interested in staying on.

    · Don Jackson was hired by the new owners to be Chairman/CEO of the company (in spite of the fact that I suggested that was not necessary, that Mark, John and Rich could handle the operations.)

    · John Scher Zeller, our COO, left Rowley-Scher approximately two years after we completed the sale.

    · Richard Heller, our VP of Sales, stayed on with Rowley-Scher for several years after we sold the company.

    · Mark Sirangelo, our President, left Rowley-Scher a bit before John Zeller did.

    · After struggling for several years, due to an extremely heavy debt load and a downturn in sales, the “assets” of Rowley-Scher were sold to an entity controlled by Darras McCord (then owner of Shacoh USA). Rich Heller ran the company for Darras. By then, the company’s name had been changed to RTI (Reprographics Technology.)

    · A few years later, Darras sold the company to ARC. Shortly afterwards, Rich Heller left the company and joined ABC Imaging.

    · ARC also purchased Ridgway’s, which had operations in the DC Metro area and Leet-Melbrook (one location in Gaithersburg, MD).

    · Eventually, RTI, Ridgway’s and Leet-Melbrook were merged together, continuing under the RTI name.

    · Later, ARC purchased MBC Precision Imaging, and, shortly thereafter, merged all of the former-owned entities into MBC.

    · On January 1, 2011, ARC rebranded all of its entities under the ARC brand name.

  • Wow – here’s an AE firm – Burns & McDonnell – that is, apparently, doing very well, in spite of difficult AEC industry conditions

    This firm has offices all over the U.S.; what a wonderful “national account” for a reprographer to have!!!

    This story is from August, but I just noticed it today…..

    Burns & McDonnell plans 500 new jobs in Kansas City (!!!)

    Kansas City Business Journal by Alyson Raletz

    Date: Wednesday, August 31, 2011, 10:48am CDT

    Burns & McDonnell plans to create 500 jobs in Kansas City and another 500 jobs companywide by end of 2013, the engineering and architecture services firm announced Wednesday at its Kansas City headquarters.

    The additions, which count 150 hires made since January, will bring the company’s total employee count to about 4,000 nationally and 2,500 in the Kansas City area. The company, which has 2,150 local employees, plans to hire 50 more Kansas City employees by the end of this year.

    To handle the larger work force, Burns & McDonnell is extending and expanding by 12,000 square feet its lease at the 145,000-square-foot office building it has used since 2007 at 9201 State Line Road in Kansas City. In doing so, Burns & McDonnell is occupying space that Swiss Re has been trying sublease since it left that building to consolidate in Overland Park. The building houses 400 employees.

    Strong projected demand for large public and private construction, utility and environmental projects is fueling the company’s expansion plans.

    Burns & McDonnell said its sales through July this year are 56 percent ahead of the same period last year.

    Burns & McDonnell will not seek tax increment financing tied to expanding its work force, CEO Greg Graves emphasized to roughly 1,000 employees and community members who attended a Wednesday news conference.

    However, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon — who also attended the announcement — said the state had been working with Burns & McDonnell on a tax incentive package. A company spokesman said Burns & McDonnell would apply for tax credits tied to job creation during the coming year, but the company didn’t yet know how much it could capture. In 2010, Burns & McDonnell received $3 million in tax credits for its building renovation efforts and for creating fewer than 100 jobs. The spokesman said this year’s investment is expected to exceed last year’s.

    “We have always been conservative in our real estate planning, only adding space when the need was immediate, not sometime in the future,” Graves said in a written statement. “We have never had much margin for error in our space planning, so we have been scrambling a little bit in the past few months. We’re very pleased with our agreement to stay at State Line because it keeps us in an attractive office building that our people like and because it gives us some breathing room to plan for the additional space we will need as we get closer to the 4,000 threshold.”

    Kansas City Mayor Sly James joked during the event that if Burns & McDonnell needed more space, it could use his house.

    “This is the sort of economic development that I’m focused on,” James said, pointing to the high-paying engineering and architecture jobs.

    In 2009, Burns & McDonnell announced that it had expanded and extended the lease at its headquarters at 9300/9400 Ward Parkway for 15 years to accommodate 2,000 employees. The company is renovating the 217,000-square-foot 9300 wing of the complex, which previously housed J.P. Morgan Retirement Plan Services. More than 500 employees working out of an office building at 10450 Holmes Road will move into the wing when the interior office work wraps up in October, the company said.

    Employees have worked out of the Holmes office since 2006.

    Burns & McDonnell previously announced a $25 million renovation at the Ward Parkway campus. The company also is building a 9,000-square-foot, 450-seat auditorium and conference center, fitness center, wellness clinic and revamped food service space. The overall renovation project is slated for completion in mid-2012.

    “I believe deeply that the investments you make now in these markets will pay out for years to come,” Nixon said. “At a time when others have put on the brakes, (Burns & McDonnell) is putting on the gas.”

    In the State Line office expansion deal, John DeHardt, a principal with Kessinger/Hunter & Co. LC, represented Burns & McDonnell; Bryan Johnson, CEO of Colliers International’s Kansas City operation, represented Swiss Re.

    _________________

    Who We Are, What We Do

    Burns & McDonnell, headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a full-service engineering, architecture, construction, environmental and consulting solutions firm. Our multidisciplined staff of more than 3,000 employee-owners includes engineers, architects, construction experts, planners, estimators, economists, technicians and scientists, representing virtually all design disciplines. We plan, design, permit, construct and manage facilities all over the world, with one mission in mind: 
Make our clients successful.

    Celebrating Employee Ownership

    In 2011, Burns & McDonnell celebrates 25 years of being 100 percent employee owned. These years are a small portion of our 113-year heritage, but they play a formative role in how we continue to serve our clients today. In the highly competitive world of engineering, architecture, construction, environmental and consulting solutions, our ownership mentality sets us apart from the competition. We all share a commitment to client service that means we never stop until the job is done right. After all, what else would you expect from an owner?

  • Further on Nova Blue Reprographics Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

    This post is a brief follow-up to previous posts on this blog about Nova Blue Reprographics’ Chapter 11 Bankruptcy case.

    First, I want to mention that I would not be surprised, one bit, if one of the larger DC-area reprographics companies makes an offer to purchase the assets (and goodwill and customer list) of Nova Blue Reprographics and, subsequently, completes that offer, which would require the consent of the Trustee of this case as well as approval from the Bankruptcy court. Given the competitive landscape in the reprographics industry in the Washington, DC Metro area, I would think that ABC Imaging would take a look at acquiring Nova Blue Repro, and I think that would apply to ARC as well. And, maybe NRI would have an interest in looking at Nova Blue Repro. My own personal opinion is that, if Nova Blue Repro is acquired, the most likely acquirer would be ABC Imaging.

    Second, okay, here’s a very brief update, based on filings I briefly looked at this morning:

    (Note: Documents for this case can be found at www.pacer.gov, but please note that you have to register with “pacer” (and get an account) before you can access any documents.)

    Locations:

    According to a report filed by the Chapter 11 Trustee on October 4th, 2011, Nova Blue Reprographics has closed its locations in Fredericksburg and Winchester , VA and plans to relocate three northern Virginia locations to new facilities in Gainesville, Herndon and Chantilly, VA (i.e., these three locations to replace existing locations that need to be vacated.)

    “Income” (gross income, cash basis, NOT net income) reported for:

    June 2011 – – – $122,028.

    July 2011 – – – $ 105,567.

    August 2011 – – – $ 139,017

    Reports:

    I’ve posted into my Google Docs library copies of Nova Blue Repro’s most recent “monthly” operating reports – these are reports filed with the BK court to let the court know how things are going with the business.

    For the June 2011 Operating Report – click on this link:

    http://tinyurl.com/3qku4qa

    For the July 2011 Operating Report – click on this link:

    http://tinyurl.com/4yd3h6b

    For the August 2011 Operating Report – click on this link:

    http://tinyurl.com/3gtd7lu

  • Reprographics Industry legend, Mal Baboyian (of OCE), to participate in NPES Event

    Océ North America Production Printing President Joins High-level Panel at NPES 2011 Annual Conference

    Who would want to miss Mal at a public speaking engagement?! Prior assuming the position of President of OCE’s North American Production Printing business, Mal Baboyian was President of OCE’s North American “Wide-Format” business, so those of us (well, at least most of us) who’ve been in the reprographics business and industry for years and years know Mal well ….. and know that he is one of most engaging speakers to ever grace the Printing and Graphics Industry. If you have the chance to do so, attend the event that he will be speaking at (see below for details.)

    From a press release issued by OCE:

    Mal Baboyian Shares Experience and Ideas on “Pioneering New Partnerships” Panel

    TRUMBULL, CONN. October 13, 2011 – Océ, a Canon Group company and an international leader in digital document management, today announced that Mal Baboyian, President of Océ North America Production Printing Systems, will participate in a select panel of industry leaders at the NPES 2011 Annual Conference, October 17-19, 2011. The “Member Panel: Pioneering New Partnerships” offers a glimpse of how highly innovative former competitors – Océ/Canon and KBA/Donnelly – are cooperatively paving the way to new models of success.

    NPES is a U.S. trade association of over 400 companies in the Graphic Arts market that manufacture and distribute equipment, systems, software, supplies used in printing, publishing and converting. Océ is proud of its support for NPES, including involvement in the PRIMIR (Print Industries Market Information and Research) organization and through representation on the NPES Board of Directors.

    “We are strongly committed to NPES and to the Graphic Arts industry. The market is undergoing unprecedented change, and this panel will help attendees look at new ways to leverage partnerships in order to capture new business opportunities,” said Baboyian, who also serves on the NPES Board of Directors.

    With more than 30 years of sales and executive experience with Océ, Mal Baboyian has been instrumental in building Océ into a market leader. Drawing upon his hands-on experience on the “front line,” he leads Océ North America Production Printing Systems with a strong, customer-driven perspective and thorough understanding of the overall document imaging market and industry.

    Océ is respected throughout the industry for outstanding production print leadership and a technologically advanced product line for high-volume environments. Océ has leveraged its heritage of market-leading innovations to solve business problems facing customers in the Graphic Arts market and facilitate the offset-to-digital transformation occurring within the industry.

    “Graphic Arts companies choose Océ to support a variety of their digital print requirements, as our market-leading technology meets the demands of the marketplace. Even in a challenging economy, we have made inroads in key market segments and solidified our continuous feed dominance. We are proud to be recognized as a key supplier of color inkjet presses that can meet current and future needs of Graphic Arts printers, even in challenging economic environments,” Baboyian continued.

    “Our results have been equally impressive in the competitive cut-sheet arena, where our awarding-winning Océ VarioPrint® 6000 products have established leadership in just a few years,” he added. “We look forward to sharing the lessons of our leadership and experience to attendees at the conference who want to create their own opportunities for success in Graphic Arts.”

    Session Details

    The NPES 2011 Annual Conference is being held at the Four Seasons in Palm Beach, FL. Attendees can learn how to meet today’s challenges and benefit from the new opportunities they create.

    Member Panel: Pioneering New Partnerships

    Wednesday, October 19 10:30 – 11:15 A.M.

    This revealing C-level discussion reveals how innovative companies are cooperatively paving the way to new models of success. The panelists will share why the strategic relationship was created and what it provides for the customer, plus benefits to their companies and the industry arising from leveraging complementary offerings.

  • Océ North America, Document Printing Systems to sell Managed Print Services to the federal government

    From a Press Release issued by OCE:

    TRUMBULL, CONN. October 3, 2011 – Océ, a Canon Group Company and, an international leader in digital document management, today announced that Managed Print Services (MPS) has been added to Océ’s GSA Schedule 36 Contract, allowing Océ North America, Document Printing Systems to sell MPS to the federal government.

    MPS focuses on the proactive management of existing fleets of print devices as well as devices that are added in the future. It can support a wide range of single-function printers, multifunctional devices and stand-alone fax machines, including both laser and non-laser devices from a variety of manufacturers. The program enables single-point accountability and streamlining of printer supply and service vendors.

    To support continuous improvement in federal agencies, Océ will provide quarterly reviews and print lifecycle analysis, which includes reports on usage, trends, service detail and overall uptime. A focus on sustainability and environmental initiatives is supported by a closed-loop recycling process, energy consumption analysis and plans for decommissioning end-of-life devices.

    “We are committed to bringing the benefits of Managed Print Services to the federal government,” said Bryan Beauchamp, Vice President of Federal Sales for Océ North America, Document Printing Systems. “Our approach allows agencies to keep their existing hardware and have supplies, service and optimization strategies managed through a single vendor. Immediate hardware replacement isn’t always the best solution – our program allows investments in existing resources to be leveraged.”

    The addition of MPS to the GSA contract will allow Océ to provide federal agencies with in-depth needs assessments; a cost-per-impression MPS program that includes toner, consumables, parts and labor and dedicated onsite fleet managers.

    On October 13, 2011, Océ is hosting a workshop and strategy session for IT professionals in federal agencies, entitled “Best Practices for Mixed Fleet Management: Leveraging Your Existing Investment in Printer Technology.” To register for this event, email Barbara Bankert at Barbara.Bankert@oce.com or call 571-227-7700. For information and services, visit Océ at http://www.oceusa.com.

  • ABC Imaging – have they opened in Philadelphia?

    In July, I posted on the blog about ABC Imaging’s announcement that it would “soon be opening” a location (a regional hub location) in Philadelphia, PA.

    I have yet to see any further announcements about that opening (I do visit ABC Imaging’s web-site, frequently, to see what’s new at ABC), but, I did, this morning, find this help-wanted classified ad on craigslist, so I guess that ABC Imaging is either now open in Philadelphia or very soon to be opening. I hope they update the “news” on their web-site to let people know that they are open.

    Major Account Sales Exec. – Philly (Philadelphia)

    Date: 2011-10-04, 2:12PM EDT

    Reply to: careers@abcimaging.com

    ABC Imaging is an international leader in the Digital Printing and Reprographics industry providing on-site and off-site services to Fortune 1000 companies globally. Headquartered in Washington, DC, ABC Imaging is one of the fastest growing companies with an international presence in cities including Seattle, New York, Boston, Miami, Dallas, Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, London, Dubai, and San Francisco.

    ABC Imaging offers a one-of-a-kind place to begin or advance your career. We offer management opportunities, great salary and benefits, and an awesome fast-paced work environment. We are looking for candidates who have a great team-oriented attitude and really enjoy what they do.

    We are currently recruiting for a Sales Account Executive to join our Sales Team in Philadelphia, PA. The Sales Account Executive is responsible for sales, new business development and account management for ABC’s customers.

    RESPONSIBILITIES:

    • Cold calling, responding to customer sales needs, properly qualifying prospects

    • Applying a solutions selling methodology to the sales cycle

    • Promptly completing proposals and sales activities

    • Responsible for sales, new business development and account management for ABC’s customers in their assigned territory

    QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS:

    • Bachelor’s degree and/or equivalent sales experience

    • 3+ years experience in Reprographics/Digital Print sales in the architectural, engineering and/or construction industries

    • Proven successful sales track record

    • Experience with the bidding /RFP process, including creating proposal, negotiating, and implementing changes

    • Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal, required

    • Ability to speak knowledgeably about department capability and company to potential and existing clients

    • Ability to communicate effectively with employees when delegating work and explaining procedures and processes

    • Positive attitude towards daily work, coworkers, and clients

    Please email your resume and salary requirements to careers@abcimaging.com

    You must put SALES– Philadelphia in the subject line of the e-mail to be considered.

  • Service Point Solutions issued a press release today (October 13, 2011) – but I haven't been able to translate it!

    Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to figure out how to translate this one, so I really haven’t a clue as to what it says or what it’s about. It was issued only in Spanish, and, for some reason, I’m unable to translate it.

    Here’s a link to the press release:

    http://tinyurl.com/5rdfnu6

    If anyone can translate this press release, please kindly let me know what it says!

  • Related to Service Point Solutions 1st Half 2011 Financial Results Report – comments about Service Point’s business in the U.S.

    The numbers in the first two tables come from Service Point Solutions’ recently released first half 2011 Financial Results Report (that I posted about yesterday.)

    1st Half 2011

    Sales

    Region

    Region translated

    Amts in Euros

    % of Total

    EEUU

    United States

    € 8,649.00

    7.82%

    Escandinavia

    Scandanavia

    € 20,602.00

    18.64%

    Reino Unido

    United Kingdom

    € 28,315.00

    25.61%

    Europa Central

    Continental Europe

    € 52,989.00

    47.93%

    Total

    € 110,555.00

    100.00%

    1st Half 2011

    Sales vs. 2010

    Region

    Region translated

    Change from 2010

    EEUU

    United States

    0.0%

    Escandinavia

    Scandanavia

    15.6%

    Reino Unido

    United Kingdom

    3.9%

    Europa Central

    Continental Europe

    2.0%

    Comment about SPS’ Sales in the United States:

    Several years ago, when Mark DiPasquale was President of Service Point’s U.S. Division, it was my understanding that SP’s U.S. annual sales were approximately $44 million (USD.)

    If I do some simple math (and, yes, I am simple, get over it) and multiply SP’s U.S. Sales (for the first half of 2011) x 2, then do an exchange rate conversion (from Euros to USDs) using 1.36 as the exchange rate, the result comes to approximately $23.5 million in estimated projected sales for SP’s U.S. division for 2011. (This assumes that SP U.S.’s sales for the 2nd half of 2011 are on par with sales achieved in the 1st half of 2011. (Seasonally, that’s difficult to do.))

    Anyway, doing this simple math shows a sales decline of approximately 47% since Mark DiPasquale left SP. Certainly, the Great Recession (and continuing problems in the A/E/C sector in the U.S.) took a heavy toll on SP’s U.S. sales. But, did Mark’s leaving SP not have an effect on SP’s U.S. sales? We can only wonder about the answer to that question.

    As to Service Point’s head-dude in the U.S., Service Point, back in October 2011, issued a press release to announce that Kevin Eyers was selected to head-up SP’s U.S. division. He replaced Bill Sullivan, a long time veteran of SP’s U.S. division (who had taken over SP USA management after Mark DiPasquale resigned.)

    Here’s a copy of that prior press release: (and, my final comment for this blog-post is after the press release):

    Kevin Eyers to head up Service Point’s US business

    Kevin is currently at the helm of SPS’ fastest-growing subsidiary this year, YTD +13% His main remit at SP US will be to fortify targeted core sectors such as finance and education The plan is to open a new production centre in New York to enhance service standards across the entire financial segment and to cater print on-demand services

    October 20th 2010. – Service Point Solutions, S.A (ticker: SPS.MC) has appointed Kevis Eyers to run its US business. The US subsidiary accounts for roughly 9% of the group’s topline, with revenue last year of €20 million. (Euros)

    Until recently, Kevin Eyers was the head of CFI, Service Point’s business specialised in the provision of reprographics services to the financial sector, a position he held for 15 years. This segment has been the company’s fastest-growing this year and last.

    Mr. Eyers will take up his new role over the coming months. His priority near-term target is business development at the US operation in the education and financial sectors, those growing the fastest across the entire group. Building on his extensive track record, Mr. Eyers will launch multiple initiatives in the heart of the US financial system, New York, including a new digital production and offset centre to enable the company to meet the anticipated growth in this segment over the coming years.

    Service Point will base its tailored services targeted at the healthcare and education sectors in Boston, while the Washington DC production centre will prioritise the public sector.

    SPS expects the combination of its proactive marketing strategy, organisational transformation and strategic focus on the fastest-growing segments to bear fruit in terms of growth rates near term.

    According to Joan Carles Peiro, COO of Service Point Solutions, “With this appointment, Service Point is vouching strongly for its US subsidiary. Kevin has a tremendous track record in the world of document management within the financial arena. Judging by his successes in the past, he is bound to build SPS US into a benchmark player in the American market”.

    Joel’s final comment for this blog-post:

    SP’s U.S. sales for the first half of 2011 came in at 8.649 mil Euros. At the current run-rate, SP USA is likely to end up with 17 mil Euros (or thereabouts) for all of 2011. That’s a good bit less than what SP USA’s sales (reportedly) were (at 20 million Euro’s) when Kevin Eyers took over management of SP USA. Doesn’t look like Kevin has yet been able to make the kind of progress that Joan Carles Peiro, COO of Service Point Solutions, was hoping for, if not expecting. But, in all fairness to Kevin, it does take time for “changes” to trickle in and around a division as large as SP USA is.