LOGIN

IMPORTANT: You can find our statement regarding the COVID-19 outbreak here.

Journey to Independent Dealership Opens World of Possibilities for Copier Headquarters

There was a time not long ago when Dan Strull felt like he was not actually the CEO of Copier Headquarters. The corner office had his name on it, but it seemed like someone else was in charge.

Now, after 17 years of operating as a Xerox agent, Strull has been reinvigorated by the freedom that comes with being an independent dealer for the office technology space. The Woodland Hills, CA-based business now predominantly offers the Sharp line of multifunction printers, along with a variety of products from Samsung, Brother, OKI, Xerox and HP that cover A3 and A4 products, as well as mailing, finishing, booklet making gear, scanning and software solutions. Its menu of services includes managed print (which has grown at a clip of 15 percent per yet), managed IT and security-as-a-service.

 

The move to offering Sharp products has been a fortuitous one. Backed by 9 percent equipment growth, Copier Headquarters captured the Hyakuman Kai Award for $1 million in sales – a feat few other dealers have accomplished in their first year – and catapulted the dealer to north of $5 million in total sales. It serves a variety of markets including healthcare, hospitality, aerospace, legal and finance.

But what has really energized Copier Headquarters is the freedom to dictate its own destiny, grow past geographic borders, and carve out an identity that resonates with clients as well as employees. ENX Magazine spoke with Dan Strull, CEO; Paul Cooper, senior vice president; and Stuart Fratkin, executive vice president; to garner insight into how the whirlwind changes of the past two years are shaping the company and guiding it toward a prosperous future.

How is business this year?

Strull: We’re on track to have our best year ever. We’ve had a lot of success in some key markets. We’ve had a couple of big wins in the hospitality area, along with an aerospace account. These are all new customers.

Cooper: We experienced strong, continued growth in key markets, such as hospitality and legal. Product expansion has opened doors for us. Without the limitations we’d been experiencing previously, it has greatly opened new sales and marketing opportunities.

What does Copier Headquarters pride itself on?

Strull: We live by our mission statement and our core values. It’s important to us that we sell our “why.” We’re focused on offering a boutique-level service. We deliver at the speed of business. Quality of life for our employees is very important to us. We offer flexibility to come and go so employees can see their kids participate in sports or perform in plays. We have a highly-tenured team because of the way we go to market and do business. We have a best-in-class support team and great experience in service and admin. The sales team has tremendous tenure as well.

What has been your biggest growth catalyst?

Strull: The expansion of our product line has helped us so much. We were able to expand our geography because we were limited with our old vendor. We’ve had a lot of success in our vertical markets as well. Through our growth in IT, we’ve opened up some new doors. We’ve rebranded ourselves as a technology company, and that’s helped our growth.

Cooper: We’ve also taken on a third-party, first-class telemarketing organization that calls into our territory to generate high-quality sales leads for us.

What are some of your newer areas of business? Is it going the way you hoped?

Strull: We sell a whole new line, so that’s been our focus. We added more A4 options, envelopes and finishing devices that we couldn’t sell before. We’ve got so much in our bag that we can sell now; we can offer what the customer needs, not necessarily what we have in our warehouse. We’re also looking to continue to grow our IT services. We started in IT long before it was commonplace in our industry. We had some success, but I didn’t control it. We had a sales rep that was running it, and he did a great job, but we didn’t’ have the right of control over it. We let the rep branch out on his own, so we’ve had to rebuild it ourselves.

Is there a product or solution that you are looking to add in the near future?

Cooper: We continue our growth in the MFP side, so that’s constantly evolving. We’re going to start marketing a unique, specialized water filtration system for commercial use in the next 90 days.

You were a Xerox agent prior to 2015, then became a Sharp dealer. What prompted the switch and how has the move been for Copier Headquarters thus far?

Strull: We discovered 10 years prior that it wasn’t a sustainable business model. We had no value on paper, no control of our destiny. Our long-term plan was to be a full dealer, supplement the lines and grow our geography. So we rebranded ourselves in 2008 and again in 2012. We took the vendor out of our name, took the logo off everything we could and tried to brand ourselves as Copier Headquarters. We created a mission statement and changed the way we went to market with our own service and our own leasing. This gave us a revenue stream that was recurring and provided instant value on paper. We were able to get credit and do a lot of things we weren’t able to do in the past. It gave us a future that is very bright.

Fratkin: When we made the switch, there was a lot of trepidation about moving forward. There were some challenges that Paul and I needed to overcome. First of all, [what vendor] were we going to go with next? We felt it was important that we represented our customers and company properly. We truly believe that our partnership with Sharp, first and foremost, was an excellent step in the right direction in our rebranding of Copier Headquarters.

Earlier this year, Copier Headquarters was recognized by Sharp with the Hyakuman Kai Award for $1 million in annual sales. What variables have factored into your success?

Strull: It starts with our leadership of Paul and Stuart. They vetted all the products and made the decision to go with Sharp. We were definitely brainwashed into thinking that the Sharp product was inferior. What we found out was the exact opposite, it’s a superior product. The biggest test was what our customers would think. We learned that our customers were buying from us and they didn’t care what the brand was. Then we did product demonstrations. We would bring customers in here and take the risk of putting the product on site to see if they would like it to give them an out. We’ve had incredible success from that. We’ve spent so much time training and have gotten really good at selling the product. The Sharp partnership was also instrumental. Our technical and admin teams were able to wrap their arms around the product. Success has come quickly. When we won the Hyakuman Kai Award, it was no surprise to us, but the Sharp people were thrilled with how quickly we got there.

What was your dealership’s most significant accomplishment or biggest win last year?

Strull: We’ve had more new business than ever before. In the process, we brought a new level of professionalism. We manage ourselves now, where in the past we felt were betrothed to the vendor. We became our own company.

Cooper: Previously, a number of wins, such as hospitality, aerospace, the national law firms, would have been reserved to our previous vendor, either directly or through another channel, and we would not have been allowed to participate, present or offer our products. So when those restrictions were removed, both by account and geographically, it was a tremendous advantage for us.

What do you look for in your employees? How do you recruit and retain good ones?

Strull: We’ve been really fortunate in that we haven’t had to do much recruiting. What we do differently is top-down interviewing. I start the process by phone or even a quick on-site interview. I look for a fit before I look for skills. Will that candidate’s personality, sense of humor and core values fit with us? Then I turn it over to Paul and Stuart to make a decision. We really push our culture and our core values. We spend a lot of time discussing our quality of life and want to find out from the individual what’s important to them. We want to make sure that they know we believe family comes first because being with their kids and not missing life’s great moments is important. We pride our flexibility in that. It really helps sell us and retain people for a long time. They’re not treated as a number; they’re treated as a person.

Fratkin: The culture that Dan has created at Copier Headquarters tends to blend into all our sales cycles. Once we have that conversation with our customers and they see what kind of company we’ve created internally, they want to partner with us and feel more comfortable doing so.

What is the secret behind the new business acquisition?

Cooper: We developed a specific structure in the way we present ourselves. The first impression is critical when you’re meeting somebody. We’re all equipped with iPads and are feverishly writing down information and finding out from the customer what makes them work, their organization and workflow, what’s important to them, what they like or don’t like about their current vendor. We also never disparage the current vendor, no matter what the client says about them. Then we present a solution to them that is very professionally done, in a format that most people won’t take the time to do. A lot of sales reps put their quote on one sheet of paper and throw in a brochure. Our method is comprehensive and follows a structure all the way through the post-sale process. We’ve had customers repeatedly tell us that we are by far the most organized, knowledgeable and professional.

What was your biggest challenge in the past year?

Strull: Previously, I didn’t always feel like the CEO; it seemed like the vendor was the CEO. It’s been an adjustment, but it’s been wonderful in opening doors. We’ve grown, become better people and a better company. There’s just so much that we can do and there isn’t enough time in the day to accomplish everything we want to do. For me, I wish we could work seven days a week, but can’t do that because you’ll burn out people. Slowing things down a bit is my biggest challenge.

Who do you see as your biggest competition, and how do you differentiate your company from them?

Fratkin: I equate our philosophy to that of a lot of big league baseball managers who tell their teams that as long as they take care of their own business – which is understanding what our customers’ needs are and what kind of value we can bring to their company – the rest will take care of itself. One quote I preach to my sales team is to not blow out the candles of our competition just to keep ours lit. I think it’s ingrained in their DNA by now.

Last year, Copier Headquarters held its inaugural food and toy drive. Can you talk about the importance of philanthropy, for both the community and your workforce?

Strull: We feel very fortunate for what we’ve got, and we have a responsibility to give back. We do a big project every year, and the current one is Operation Gratitude, which focuses on the military. We have these things called battalion buddies, which are stuffed bears that are delivered to the children of recently deployed members. We have a party where we stuff the bears personally, and with every order we get, we give a bear in that customer’s name. We give time for causes such as Alzheimer’s, the Michael J. Fox Foundation (Parkinson’s disease) and Niemann-Pick disease. All of them have touched the lives of the employees’ family members at Copier Headquarters. We’re focused on being a beacon in the community, and it’s a big part of our culture.

What are your goals for this year?

Strull: We’re focused on growth and revenue profit. We’ve been fortunate to have growth nearly every year. Business process optimization is big; we’re simplifying our offering and are focused on new customers. Our revenue goal of $6 million is a big target.

How do you view the industry changing in the future and what are you doing to adapt?

Strull: It’s very important for us to diversify. We follow the lead of our vendors and keep up with the industry. I belong to Pro Dealer Group, which is a group of dealers that get together a couple times a year and discusses what the industry’s doing and what can make our businesses better. We’re constantly looking within, sharing best practices and finding better ways of doing things. We’re utilizing empirical data to make decisions, and we’re adding new types of IT services all the time. We offer social media services as a diversification; we’re looking to growing that as well.

What is your most and least favorite aspect of your job?

Strull: Lease favorite is easy: it’s the L.A. traffic. On the positive side, making our customers’ lives better is very rewarding. We don’t fish for it, but we get a lot of compliments, and it really makes my day. When I walk into the office in the morning, everyone seems pleased to be there. Our office is beautiful; our people are fun. Between the growth and getting the Hyakuman Kai Award, it’s been a rewarding experience.

Fratkin: We also do a lot of sponsored events in our office, like retreats for each one of our departments. Pitch and putt golf and lunch is popular with the sales staff. We’ve done cooking classes, bowling, wine tours and ice cream function. During the fourth quarter, we hold Fun Fridays that can range from food to massages, which gives the employees something to look forward to. It makes for a really great place to work.

 

This article was originally posted October 2017 on ENX Magazine.

Request A Quote

[ninja_form id=17]

Brent Portera

Director of Managed Services

Brent has been in the Managed Services field for 12+ years focusing on strategic client alignment. He began his career in the document imaging space as an Account Executive and consistently overachieved expectations with a primary focus on Managed Print Services. He has served at numerous roles in the past ranging from MPS Specialist to Vice President of Sales & MPS. Brent has a degree in Computer Science which has continually aided in his ability to deliver custom tailored solutions for his clients. Brent is currently leading the charge for GoodSuite as the Director of Managed Services focusing on Managed IT, Managed Print, and Managed Phone systems for our clients enabling each customer to leverage technology to reach their organizational goals. Brent also focuses on devoting time to coaching his children in numerous sports and loves to unwind at Dodger Stadium with his family.

John McMillan

IT Analyst

Originally from Tennessee, John McMillan joined GoodSuite’s IT team in 2017. He has over 8 years of experience and brings to the table a background in cyber-security. As an IT Specialist, John works closely with all GoodSuite’s clients as a trusted advisor. He also graduated from Full Sail University in 2011 and is glad to spend much of his free time volunteering at his local church. John is an avid Star Wars fan.

Jorge Alvarez

IT Analyst

Jorge Alvarez joined GoodSuite at the start of 2018. Since then, he has become our lead Analyst for installations for our various types of technology solutions. Before taking the leap into Information Technology, he attended CSUN to pursue education in law enforcement. Jorge is an avid backpacker and most weekends, you can find him in the Angeles forest doing some exploring. Jorge currently holds a brown belt in Judo and a black belt in Shotokan Karate.

Clint Noji

Manager of Fufillment Operations

Clint has 20 years of Warehousing experience and is certified for Loan Servicing. He is responsible for expediting customer orders and quality control through effective leadership and directing. Known to spread positive vibes among people with great customer service and sharing industry knowledge, Clint is always working hard with a smile on his face. Clint was a lead singer in a band and had played all over Los Angeles, including the Troubadour. Clint also has a twin whom he works with at GoodSuite.

Saleh Shirafkan

Technician

Saleh brings 16 years of industry knowledge to the team and is copier certified on Sharp, Xerox, HP, Samsung, Brother, and Oki. His attention to detail, need for efficiency, and superior customer service skills earns him constant praise from customers and colleagues alike. As a great leader and a fast learner, Saleh is always eager to learn more. When he’s not troubleshooting, Saleh enjoys playing soccer, poker, or solving jigsaw puzzles in his spare time.

Sergio Ruiz

Technician

Sergio has experience in various environments within the electronics industries for 28 years. He has a degree in Applied Science Electronics. He has copier certifications for Xerox, Sharp, and Konica. Sergio possesses strong knowledge of manufactured products sold by GoodSuite and delivers great customer service skills. When not working on machines, Sergio likes to work on personal vehicles in his spare time.

Musa Ra Men

Technician

Musa has been in the copier industry for 30 years. He has a degree from Oxnard Community College. He has copier certifications for Xerox and Sharp and possesses excellent customer communications skills. Musa is a proud father of two daughters who graduated with degrees in chemistry and biology. He will be celebrating 30 years of marriage in 2019. Outside of work he enjoys long walks on the beach and is interested in history and human nutrition.

Garry Dominiak

Technician

Garry has a 30 year history in the industry and carries a degree in electronics technology. He has completed courses with network administration and is also certified for Xerox, HP, Sharp, Samsung, Oki, and Brother copiers. Garry is a demonstrated hard worker who is willing to go above and beyond to complete job tasks. Garry’s interests include education, street bikes, recreational activities, camping, travel, and family time.

Eddie Olmos

Director of IT

Eddie has been with GoodSuite since February 2016. He brings to GoodSuite over 15 year’s experience working in the Information Technology field, a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, and a wide range of knowledge. Eddie oversees the IT Departments operations, monitoring, and IT projects at GoodSuite. He is also a U.S. Navy Veteran who served during Operation Enduring Freedom on board the USS John C. Stennis. Outside of the office he’s a father to two kids and two dogs and never stops rewatching The Office.

Tanya Nakamura

Accounting Clerk

Tanya brings 8 years of accounting experience to GoodSuite. She gratuated from the University of Hawaii Maui. Tanya brings exceptional work ethic to the team. Along with her knowledge of accounting, she’s a team player and is always available to help our team any way she can. Don’t be mistaken by her quiet demeanor, she’s a strong competitor with integrity first in mind and always works at the speed of business to serve our internal and external customers. In her free time,Tanya likes to challenge herself through playing all type of games, such as board games, puzzles, and computer games.

Colby Noji

Vice President of Service

Colby has been in the copier industry for 27 years. With a degree in electronics and various network certifications, he brings a lot of industry knowledge to GoodSuite. Colby is certified on the following brands: Sharp, Xerox, HP, Samsung, Brother, Oki, Kyocera, Konica Minolta, Canon, and Risograph. He has great customer communications skills and is a strong leader, team player, and self-starter. Outside of the office, Colby likes to bowl, exercise, watch sports, and make trips to Vegas when he gets the chance.

Colby Noji

Vice President of Service

Colby has been in the copier industry for 27 years. With a degree in electronics and various network certifications, he brings a lot of industry knowledge to GoodSuite. Colby is certified on the following brands: Sharp, Xerox, HP, Samsung, Brother, Oki, Kyocera, Konica Minolta, Canon, and Risograph. He has great customer communications skills and is a strong leader, team player, and self-starter. Outside of the office, Colby likes to bowl, exercise, watch sports, and make trips to Vegas when he gets the chance.

Thomas Chacko

Controller

Thomas Chacko holds a master’s degree in Accounting and brings more than 15 years of industry experience to GoodSuite. He has held a variety of roles, which enable him to identify areas of opportunity and solutions quickly. His honest, humble yet determined personality makes him an invaluable resource. Thomas has always enjoyed sports. Highlights of his high school baseball career include pitching two no-hitters. In his free time, he plays both basketball and softball in recreational leagues. He also loves cooking, experimenting with new recipes all the time. If he is not playing sports or cooking, you can find him exploring nature with his family.

Stuart Fratkin

Executive Vice President

You may recognize Stuart from his previous career as a professional actor in which he amassed over 20 years’ experience in entertainment. Most notably, guest starring on Friends, N.Y.P.D and Judging Amy several times. He co-starred in the films Teen Wolf Too as “Stiles” and the cult classic Ski School as “Fitz”. He starred in his own TV series in 1989-1990 called They Came From Outer Space.

In 2002, wanting to transition to a career that could provide steadier income for his family, he started as a Xerox Account Manager. He worked his way up to Training Manager and began his role as Sales Operation Manager with Copier Headquarters in 2006. He was promoted to Vice President of Agency Operations in 2010 and to his current position as Executive Vice President in 2015. Stuart’s main focus is training his sales staff to bring levity to every situation you are in, people always remember who made them laugh. He is focused on being the anti-salesman; creating relationships and reasons to make the office easier to work in, which are always more beneficial than a quick sale.

Dan Strull

Founder / CEO

After graduating from the Marshall School of Business from USC, Dan worked in various roles at Xerox Corporation for 11 years learning the industry before starting Copier Headquarters, now GoodSuite in 1998.

Dan’s focus from day 1 has been to provide the best level of customer service at the speed of business. Dan’s ambition to be the number one vendor in the area is by trying to find a way to improve the level of service by thinking of creative ways and using dynamic consumer tools to stay ahead of the market.

Dan is proud of what he has built and has used the company success to be a beacon in the community and give back. The company feels that giving time and effort is more important and the company provides two days a year for Volunteer Time Off to serve the community. After all, if you are not giving, you are not living.

Christianne Strull

CFO

Christianne Strull graduated from the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. She has been GoodSuite since its infancy, and her role has expanded along with the company. She is excited to see the growth and transformation of GoodSuite has managed over the years. Christianne enjoys spending time with her family, their dogs and attending USC football games, among other pursuits.

Dan Strull

Founder / CEO

After graduating from the Marshall School of Business from USC, Dan worked in various roles at Xerox Corporation for 11 years learning the industry before starting Copier Headquarters, now GoodSuite in 1998.

Dan’s focus from day 1 has been to provide the best level of customer service at the speed of business. Dan’s ambition to be the number one vendor in the area is by trying to find a way to improve the level of service by thinking of creative ways and using dynamic consumer tools to stay ahead of the market.

Dan is proud of what he has built and has used the company success to be a beacon in the community and give back. The company feels that giving time and effort is more important and the company provides two days a year for Volunteer Time Off to serve the community. After all, if you are not giving, you are not living.

Nasim Attaripour

Marketing Coordinator

Nasim brings 5 years of Graphic Design experience to GoodSuite and has been with the company for a year now. She minored in Psychology and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Graphic Design from California State University, Fullerton. Nasim is extremely detail oriented, creative, and loves building relationships. Nasim is a big asset to company and her strive to constantly learn more has allowed her to grow from her original position as an Administrative Assistant to her new position as Marketing Coordinator. Nasim is a big Foodie and is constantly searching for new places to dine and has a passion for traveling to new places and learning about new cultures when given the chance.

Michael Shoop

Field Service Supervisor

Field Service Supervisor Michael is a Sharp Master Technician. If you aren’t familiar with that term, it’s a bit like winning Iron Chef – the best of the best. There aren’t a lot of them around. He is a veteran and was with AOA for 30 years. His main service area will be Ventura County. He is also very committed to his customers, and always seeks to provide world class service.

Get Your Free Cyber Threat Assessment

Sarah Steiger

Admin Manager

Sarah was with AOA for over 30 years. As the admin manager, she wore many hats. She handled contract billing, bids, accounts receivable and supply ordering, among many other things. She has a good relationship with her customers and makes taking caring of them her top priority. You won’t believe it to look at her, but she has 10 grand-kids.

Hector Sevilla

Managed Services Consultant

Hector brings a proven track record of dedicated customer service and value-driven results for his clients. He studied Marketing and Business Administration while on an athletic scholarship for wrestling at the University of Colorado. Hector has over ten years consultative sales experience with a strategic focus throughout the Greater Los Angeles area. Hector has leveraged the ability to satisfy the most rigorous customer interactions, which led him to the Technology Industry, where he has gained knowledge and continues to learn, making him an invaluable resource to business owners he engages with.

Lerik Thongham

Managed Services Consultant

Bio will go here

Mark Marmorstein

Account Manager

Mark has been in Sales and Sales Management for 38 years and 11 years in the Office Solutions Industry. He graduated from Fullerton College and is trained on Xerox, Ricoh, Kyocera, and all Corporate Direct. Mark brings a wealth of experience in Professional Sales and Management, customer service, and is a leading sales professional in follow up and customer satisfaction. Mark also has an adventurous side, and has walked on 10 feet of hot coals at an Anthony Robbin’s seminar.

Gary Dergazarian

Vice President

Gary brings 15 years of experience in the technology, office software, and equipment world. He is a business development professional and a workflow solution solver with proven success as a sales leader in services and technology organizations. Gary has been one of our Top selling producers and strategists year after year. He possesses major strengths such as excellent communication skills and business acumen. Gary is passionate, dedicated, and creative. He thrives when working with other business leaders to find innovative ways to create better efficiency and productivity in their offices, and he is comfortable providing solutions for many different types of industries. He is an avid fisherman and outdoors man. When he is not problem solving, Gary loves to hike, golf, and enjoys cycling.

Jeff Wagner

Account Manager

Jeff Wagner joins GoodSuite from Advanced Office Automation (AOA) and brings great sales momentum.

Ken Sikes

Technician

Ken is our San Luis Obispo technician. He has quite the varied experience and interests, not the least of which is botany, and has taught university level classes.

Dan Strull

Founder / CEO

After graduating from the Marshall School of Business from USC, Dan worked in various roles at Xerox Corporation for 11 years learning the industry before starting Copier Headquarters, now GoodSuite in 1998.

Dan’s focus from day 1 has been to provide the best level of customer service at the speed of business. Dan’s ambition to be the number one vendor in the area is by trying to find a way to improve the level of service by thinking of creative ways and using dynamic consumer tools to stay ahead of the market.

Dan is proud of what he has built and has used the company success to be a beacon in the community and give back. The company feels that giving time and effort is more important and the company provides two days a year for Volunteer Time Off to serve the community. After all, if you are not giving, you are not living.