Zone 3 - 10th Anniversary

Photo by Riverwood Photography.

A CONVERSATION WITH THE ZONE 3 TEAM

by Rennay Craats

Z

one 3 Business Solutions Inc. (Zone 3) has been a trusted independent office equipment dealer for the past 10 years. Its diverse product offerings range from printers to plotters, postage equipment to photocopiers, 3D printers to production machines. President Darryl Graham created Zone 3 to be a different kind of company, one that focused on service and team. The meteoric growth and success of Zone 3 is proof that different is good. Business in Calgary sat down with the dynamic Zone 3 team to find out more about what makes this company tick.

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President Darryl Graham.

Photo by Courtney Lovgren.

BIC: How has the company grown since the early days?

OF THE

WORKPLACE

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Darryl: We started with four sales reps working out of my basement and our service manager, Shannon, set up the copiers in his garage. We started with zero base, so every customer we got was net new. Two years in we moved into our current facility and due to our rapid growth, we are bursting at the seams. In 2014, we expanded into Red Deer for a strong presence in central Alberta.

BIC: What did you hope to do differently with Zone 3?

Darryl: I always said we’d never be like the corporate world. I liked the smaller company with an atmosphere where you’re a team that works together for the common good and has a lot of fun. We have an actual receptionist who answers the phone. Our customers receive the best service in the industry and we have the quickest response time. As an independent dealer, we go above and beyond for our clients.

EXPLORE WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU konicaminolta.ca

BIC: How does being an independent local dealer help Zone 3 go above and beyond?

Clive: Not only does a local dealer know your business environment far better than a head

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office that’s based in, say, Mississauga, we know the climate, we know the conditions, we know the economy and as an independent dealer we can partner with a variety of manufacturers to provide the best solutions.

Olivier: Being a dealer we have the benefit of carrying more than one brand where the manufacturers only have their brand. While we’re the largest Konica Minolta dealer in Calgary and the only one in central Alberta, we carry other complementary brands like Lexmark, Samsung and HP. Terry: Every business needs equipment like what we offer, whether it’s a little HP printer or a big printing press. We sell models from $200 to $200,000. We can usually source anything a client is looking for on the printing side.

Clive Lawrence, Olivier Garaham & Terry Coleman.

Photo by Riverwood Photography.

Congratulations!

“We look forward to a successful partnership with you for many years to come.”

Congratulations to Zone 3 Business Solutions on 10 Years of Success.

High Performance at a Lower Cost.

Z3 NETWORKS 403.570.0241 support@z3networks.ca

Group Benefits • Group Savings • Individual Insurance Our primary goal is to become your trusted partner in identifying the most cost-effective and suitable benefit arrangements available. We work to ensure your ongoing peace of mind through designing benefit plans that provide clear, certain and comprehensive protection for your most valuable resource — your people.

Congratulations Zone 3 Business Solutions Inc on 10 successful years!

(403) 245-2506 www.lexmark.com info@fairfieldwatson.com • 403.262.7278 • www.fairfieldwatson.com Zone 3 Business Solutions Inc. • 10th Anniversary • 3

short-term agreements for projects. And we make in-house decisions on the spot. Customer satisfaction is number one so flexibility enables us to do it.

BIC: So customer satisfaction is the goal here?

Shannon: Absolutely. We built this company with the customer in mind. We carry a large inventory. Ninety per cent of what you need on a day-to-day basis is here, on site, and we deliver toner next day to clients for free. We work on an average four-hour service response time to have someone on site or remotely on the phone or remote desktop applications.

Patrick: When you call with a problem, we send a technician and he fixes it, whether it’s an equipment or operator issue. If you call us we will be the last person you need to call. Our technicians stick around for a long time so our customers can really build a relationship with them.

Shannon Girodat & Patrick Clarke.

Photo by Riverwood Photography.

BIC: Seems like you have it all for customers?

Clive: We do. We’re a diverse company. We offer everything from hardware to software solutions to IT support and infrastructure. Anything print related we can handle and as an independent dealer we can offer a level of flexibility others can’t.

BIC: Flexible how?

Terry: We don’t dance to anybody else’s tune. If something needs to change on a personal client basis we’re able to do that at the drop of a hat.

We have leasing alternatives, rental options and

BIC: The talented staff seem to set Zone 3 apart.

Mitchell: Yes, it’s our expertise. We’ve got one of the most talented service managers in the city. We focus on hiring some of the top sales, technical and administrative support available. Within a few years of starting up, we expanded all of our departments and we’ve been growing ever since.

Marti: And when Darryl looks to expand, he looks for a company that has the same kind of dynamic and vision. He has a great team behind him and the goal is finding out what the customer needs and doing everything we can to deliver it – supporting them the best way that works, even if it means stepping outside and doing something a little different than what we’re used to.

On Behalf of Francotyp-Postalia Canada, Congratulations Zone 3 on 10 Great Years in the Business!

82 Corstate Avenue Concord ON L4K 4X2 Ph: 905 761 6554 ext - 246 | Fax: 905 761 7345 www.francotyp.ca|www.canadapost.com

1135-17 Avenue S.W., Calgary, Alberta T2T 0B6 Phone: 403-245-1177 www.toolepeet.com

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company in Alberta and in these tough economic times that means a lot. I think our clients appreciate that. We set out to have long-term relationships with our clients, not to just make a quick buck. Our vision is for continued growth, maintaining our integrity and presence, and going to that next level of growth.

THE ZONE 3 TEAM Darryl Graham, President Clive Lawrence, Sales Manager Olivier Graham, Sales Manager Terry Coleman, General Manager, Red Deer Mitchell Graham & Marti Martz. Photo by Courtney Lovgren.

Shannon Girodat, Operations Manager Patrick Clarke, Service Manager, Red Deer Mitchell Graham, Controller

BIC: Is Zone 3 stepping into different areas?

Darryl: Yes. We are trying to grow in different areas.

We opened an IT company called Z3 Network Solutions Inc., which recently expanded. I’d like to buy one or two more small companies to grow that department as well. Artificial intelligence is definitely a direction we’re going to go in. It’s how you can make your office more efficient and productive. We’re really trying to be cutting edge.

Artificial intelligence is taking off and we’re excited to be involved.

BIC: What do you see in the future for Zone 3?

Olivier: Offices are evolving and so is technology, and businesses like ours that support businesses have to evolve too. We’re a local family-owned

Proud to be your long term cleaning partner.

Congrats on 10 years!

403.319.0070 | www.jan-pro.ca

Marti Martz, HR Business Administrator Tammy Yablonski, Office Manager, Red Deer

Bay 18, 4550 112 Ave SE Calgary, Alberta T2C 2K2 Phone: 403-454-0119 • Fax: 403-271-7127 sales@zone-3.ca www.zone-3.ca

Congratulations on 10 years in business.

OLM Leasing Inc. p: 403-570-0246 e: admin@olmleasing.com

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