A Conversation with Nick Lioce of The Lioce Group

Sit Down With Success is a feature of the Huntsville Business Journal on entrepreneurs and their keys to success. To read the full story, please visit the Huntsville Business Journal website.

The Lioce Group is a Huntsville staple, providing office equipment and introducing streamlined solutions to the Huntsville business community for nearly 60 years. Founded in Huntsville in 1967, it is family-owned and operated, with three generations in the business. The son of founders Nick and Louise, Nick Lioce, joined the business in 1989 and found his niche in document management and automation. Today, the business has nearly 100 employees, including Nick’s children, Anthony and Bonnie.

Nick recently sat down with the Huntsville Business Journal to talk about where the company has been, where it’s going, and how it has influenced the Huntsville business community.

What do you like best about being a business owner?

I love Huntsville, and I like being part of the business community, networking and trying to help keep our community great. I like to see our employees’ families flourish. My decisions affect every one of their families, so it's good to see that they're growing. We've given raises every year we've been in business, even through the pandemic.

How do you balance life outside of work?

My mom and dad put the emphasis on family. Family always comes first. We tell all of our employees that too. We don't want The Lioce Group to be in the top three on your list. You need to put your God, your family, your friends, and your sanity before work.

What are your company values, and how does that influence your business?

The motto is “Do the right thing.” Generally nine times out of ten you always know what the right thing to do is. It's not one thing, it's a thousand things, and my parents have been doing that for 55 years. That's why the business keeps flourishing.

What advice would you give to someone starting a business?

Most people start a business because they have a good idea, and you have to do a lot of planning and market research and you have to think, what's going to happen with that idea three, five, 10 years down the road.

Would you consider yourself an entrepreneur?

Yes, my father was well known for introducing new technologies and being entrepreneurial, and it turns out I do that too. For example, recently we brought on the EV (electric vehicle) chargers, and I was the first in our entire industry to do that. We're always exploring the needs of the customer and keeping an open mind.

How does your business stay relevant in modern and changing times?

It is an important challenge because of e-commerce and everything going on with the Internet. You can't know everything, so I'm a member of best practices groups with dealers. I'm a member of CEO groups locally and do a lot of reading and research.

Where do you envision the business going in the future?

I'm very comfortable with the future of the business now that I have my children in it and a great group of young professionals to be able to carry it forward. You have to invest in your people. You've got to make it worth their while if they're going to work for you for 20 or 30 years, and we do a lot of things at the company to keep our employees engaged. w

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