When you have been an independent dealer for 80 years—growing from one to 14 locations, employing 300 people and enjoying annual sales of $90 million—you will know a thing or two about what’s been driving that success.
Based in Grand Island, Nebraska, Eakes Office Solutions was founded eight decades ago by Howard Eakes, who had learned how to repair typewriters during the Second World War. He expanded from his kitchen table to a storefront in Grand Island, swiftly growing the company to become the fourth-largest office products supplier in the town of 50,000. In a short space of time, it had become the largest. After 25 years, his sons Ron and Dan took over and the business bloomed under their leadership for the next quarter of a century. Today, Ron is retired and Dan semi-retired. The company is owned by 36 key employees (seven with voting stock); and while Eakes is primarily Midwest-focused, it sells to customers in 27 states.
Success factors
“Our attention to employees is the first and foremost reason for Eakes’ success,” says president and CEO Mark Miller. “We ensure our employee experience is the best it can be. We promote good communication and provide education. We offer an extensive leadership program for individuals seeking to develop their leadership skills. Some companies focus on the customer, but our primary focus is on our employees because we know they, in turn, will take care of our customers. This is central to our success.
“Howard started Eakes based on three core values: work hard; be involved in the community; take care of customers,” he continues. “We’ve added some additional values, but these three we carry on even today. It’s who we are.
“An equally important reason for our success is that we are present. Anyone can sell our products; the major differentiator for us is we are there for our customers. We are not fully online only. There are a lot of customers who want to buy online, but a big part of the world still wants to buy from people. Be present. It’s our mantra—and not just for sales reps.”
Staying ahead of the curve
However, this commitment to presence doesn’t mean Eakes has ignored technology—far from it. The company recently established an IT management division that provides security and network administration, cloud storage and all things computer related. The new offering reflects Eakes’ belief that independent dealers must continuously adapt to stay competitive.
“When Staples, Office Depot and other big box stores started opening stores in our industry, we had to get better at retail,” explains Miller. “Today, Amazon is our single-biggest competitor, so we have to tweak our model. IT is our new macro business. We are doubling down on it because we see this as a growing and profitable market for us.”
Tips for the future
Miller offers this advice for other independent dealers keen to achieve the same longevity as Eakes: “Stick to the core principles that work for you, but at the same time adapt to important trends as time goes on.”
On the future of Eakes, Miller muses: “As rapidly as things are changing, it’s hard to make guesses even about the next five to 10 years. But we will take the appropriate steps to maintain our standing as a strong independent dealer and have every intention of being the dominant office solutions provider in our market.”
Headquarters: Grand Island, Nebraska
Top management: Mark Miller, president and co-CEO; Paul McKinney, CFO and co-CEO; Cameron Piester, sales director; Vicki Tautenhan, sales strategy director; Kevin Fries, HR director; Nate Schaf, marketing director
Annual sales: $90 million
Number of employees: 300
Main wholesaler: S.P. Richards
Sector breakdown: Managed IT 5% (new business); equal remaining percentages between office products, contract furniture, copiers and janitorial supplies and equipment