Secrets of Success

When you see Spry, Inc.’s logo, Jeff Williams—chairman and CEO of the Anderson, Indiana-based dealer—hopes it reminds you of two things: “Spry, like an older gentleman kicking up his heels….

In 1996, Bruce Honoré tried to cash his paycheck, but it bounced. He went to the office products company where he worked and found the door locked. The company had…

Des Moines, Iowa-based Storey Kenworthy was established in 1936 by the Storey and Kenworthy families. The Kenworthys bought out the Storey family in 1980. Today, the fourth Kenworthy generation has…

Doug Stice, president and CEO of School Tool Box, once owned a traditional office products store—but it didn’t last for long. “I ended up selling it after just three years,”…

It’s always good to “do the right thing”; but for most businesses, that’s easiest when sales are booming. Yet according to Michael Witt, chief operating officer at Blaisdell’s Business Products,…

You must be doing something right when you’re an independent, family-owned office products dealer that’s been in business for 75 years and still going strong. More likely, you must be…

A time for fun You have to be doing something right to be a third-generation independent office product dealer that has been in business for more than 60 years. For…

When Harrison J. “Chip” Hummel started working in the family business as a delivery driver and retail clerk, he probably didn’t realize what a lynchpin of the company he would…

Today, many independent office supply dealers have diversified by selling furniture. However, some dealers—like DBI We Do Office in Lansing, Michigan—started in that category from the outset. “DBI originally stood…

While many businesses were struggling in 2021, Office Peeps, Watertown, South Dakota, was busy setting a company sales record. But the highest-scoring category wasn’t facility maintenance, as one might expect….