The Week in Imaging’s Elite Dealers

Impact Networking
Waukegan, IL

President/Owner:
Frank Cucco

Year founded:
1999

Number of employees:
170

Primary hardware vendors:
Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Muratec, KIP, Bowe Bell+Howell

Primary solutions and services offerings:
Docuware, Objectif Lune, Nuance, Smart Search, PaperCut, Darwin VDP Software, Planet Press Suite, PrintShop Mail

Approximate/Average yearly revenues:
$35-$40 million

Biggest sale/win of the past year: Impact’s largest win in the past year was with a large (more than 25,000 employees), publicly traded corporation for a contract worth close to $2 million. At initial takedown Impact secured a contract for 54 copy machines in seven nationwide locations. Ten months later, Impact has increased their contract by 298 percent with the client, now supplying and servicing 161 machines. Every quarter Impact has been signing, on average, an additional 30-50 devices that have leases expiring with the prior vendor. This rate of acquisition would put Impact around the $5-7 million mark in three years, which is the potential to be the biggest deal in Impact history.

Frank Cucco

Any discussion as to why we consider Impact Networking a 2013 Elite Dealer has to begin with its Creative Services Group (CSG). This is the business segment that differentiates them from so many other dealerships in our opinion. CSG supports other Impact departments with custom client solutions, in addition to offering direct services to Impact’s customers, including branding, marketing collateral creation, custom Website design and development as well as CRM and backend database development. Not many other dealers are treading in that territory.

One of the new projects CSG has developed that we find impressive is a Client Portal. The Portal simplifies and organizes client interactions with Impact; keeping track of client invoices, displaying their equipment information and allowing clients to order supplies with one click. The portal provides all contact information (for service, supplies and sales) and serves as a place for Impact to advertise additional Impact services that, giving the opportunity to cross-sell and increase the client’s contract with Impact.

Impact has made great strides in re-positioning itself as a total document solutions provider and we applaud them for that initiative. This includes investing in and expanding the services it offers clients, including document management software, managed print services, and of course, creative services.

We also admire the way that Impact re-invests profits back into the organization as a way to ensure its future. Nearly all profits from 2012 were reinvested into the Impact infrastructure. Major investments were made to upgrade its technology infrastructure within its offices, including fiber optic communications, upgrading the Enterprise Resource Management system and CRM system along with new laptops or tablets for all sales professionals.

Investing in manpower was another major investment as Impact hired a new corporate recruiter to improve its recruiting efforts and invested in sales incentives to attract and retain talent.

One can’t help but applaud Impact’s efforts in creating a culture that supports employee growth, empowerment, recognition, and rewards employees with great benefits and incentives. “We want our employees to build a career at Impact, which is why we invest heavily in providing continual internal trainings, encouraging employee certifications, and building a straightforward promotion path for sales professionals,” states Cucco.

This is a dealership that is also a solid community citizen and gives back to the community through several charitable organizations. Since Impact is now located in three states, it has made a conscious effort to make an impact in all of its local communities. In Illinois, it offers the ‘Letters to Santa’ program, Indiana is Project Endure, and in Wisconsin it has adopted Hometown Heroes.

These are all sure indicators of an Elite Dealer and we haven’t even discussed the numbers yet. High growth areas include document management (46% year-over-year growth rate in annual revenues over the past three years), production print (annual revenues have increased 26% year-over-year for the past three years), and MPS (200% year-over-year revenue growth the past three years).

Impact’s most significant accomplishment this past year has been its record-breaking revenue growth. By the end of the first quarter, the dealership set a new revenue record for the month of March at $2.2 million, and a record-breaking profit month in February. Three out of four consecutive months in its first quarter resulted in revenues higher than $2 million—the previous record. By the end of the second quarter, five out of the eight months were considered record-breaking. Much of this was due to the growth of several departments and record growth in maintenance billing.

Customers like doing business with Impact because it offers clients more than products. Its sales teams include expert consultants on document management, managed print services, production print, and digital office equipment, who can recommend an entire system of customized solutions. In addition to offering clients’ value-added consulting, Impact’s customer service is reportedly unmatched in the industry while its customer retention rate is an inspiring 93 percent.

Impact Networking is a prime example of a dealership that goes above and beyond what it takes to be successful and to ensure it can continue to compete in a highly competitive and changing industry. That’s what makes them a 2013 Elite Dealer.