Local Spotlight
The choices we make as business owners contribute to the state of our local economy. We can either buy from people in our community and build each other up, or we can send our money out of the community and continue the downward economic spiral.
I’m a big fan of local support, with the understanding that it has to make business sense. So while I don’t advocate paying substantially more for goods and services, I do think we should give local businesses a fair shot at the money we spend.
At Office Express, we deliberately seek to spend our money in the Detroit area. To help you learn about local companies, we will spotlight one of customers in each issue of our newsletter. Would you like your moment in the spotlight? Just let me know!
Suburban Sports Group http://www.suburbansportsgroup.com/
I suppose it’s virtually impossible to live in Detroit and not know about the Red Wings. I’ll admit it – we’re a little hockey-crazed around here. But did you know that ice sports are fun for the whole family and for all age groups? 
Suburban Sports Center in Farmington Hills has been managing ice facilities and providing ice-sports-related programming for over 30 years. They also manage several large ice complexes in and around Detroit. More than 10,000 players/skaters participate annually in Suburban-run hockey and figure skating programs, which offer instruction for all age and ability levels.
Ice skating – whether for sport or for fun – is a great way to get some exercise. It’s especially fun in the winter, when many people in Michigan are unable to do the activities they normally enjoy during the summer months. Skating offers aerobic exercise, and – let’s face it – the chance to laugh at ourselves occasionally!
I encourage you to investigate the services of and the facilities managed by Suburban Sports Group. You’ll find a whole new way to beat those winter blues, and be supporting a great local organization in the meantime. Who needs Winter Park skiing anyway!
Local Spotlight: Trendway
We all know it’s been tough to be in the automotive industry during the last several years. But it has been equally tough to be an office furniture manufacturer. Office furniture took a nose dive after 9/11, with the market dropping over 40% in one year!
Our new showroom features a substantial collection of Trendway furniture for private offices, reception areas, workstations and conference rooms. Trendway has made a major commitment to us in terms of showroom product and support. We are committed to promoting their products and services in a way that will honor the commitment they have made to us. I invite you to browse, explore, and let us help you create the right solution for your office.
The industry has gradually clawed its way out of the downturn, with a lot of belt-tightening and a new focus on what’s important to customers. I guess you could say they’ve “made lemonade out of lemons” and in the process, the customers benefit the most.
Trendway is a privately-held office furniture manufacturer located in Holland, MI. It’s actually owned by the employees, which is kind of neat. In fact, I think they might be the only major office furniture manufacturer who can say that.
Trendway makes smart, stylish furniture for just about every need. What you’ll really love, in addition to the quality and competitive pricing of the product, is Trendway’s on-time guarantee. Yes, guarantee: “On time or free!” That’s a pretty powerful testament to the confidence they have in their manufacturing processes. And it sure helps customers who have tight schedules and need to know that things will come together as planned.
I know I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating: We have to help each other in this challenging economy. Trendway is our neighbor on the west side of the state, and I hope you’ll allow us to show you what they can do for you!
Lee & Associates of Michigan
It seems like the internet is rapidly making dinosaurs of so many industries. You can now shop for anything imaginable, talk on the phone, buy a house, manage investments and even find a date on the Web! So why, in this day of technology-driven commerce, would you want to use a realtor when you’re buying or leasing a building?
Jeff Buckler of Lee & Associates is the perfect answer to that question. He helped us find our new building and I 
have to say that I couldn’t have done it without him. He worked with us to define our needs, quickly sorted through the available options, helped us negotiate the contract and made the whole process much smoother and faster than anything I could have done by myself.
Jeff has focused on the industrial and high-tech markets in the I-75 corridor of Oakland County, serving for several years with other national firms before joining Lee & Associates of Michigan as a Principal in 2006. Drawing upon over 10 years of experience in acquisition, disposition and leasing of facilities and land in the southeast Michigan market, Jeff has received several awards and recognition for his outstanding performance in the field. Those awards include the Rookie of the Year, Industrial Broker of the Year and most recently earning the prestigious SIOR (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors) designation.
Jeff’s dedication to customer service has resulted in lasting relationships with clients such as Grammer Industries, Ashley Capital, Baker College, National Amusements, Kwang Jin America, ILJIN U.S.A., Hyundai Mobis and Connektiv Companies.
In addition to managing the Michigan Lee & Associates National Logistic Supply Chain Group, Jeff is also active in the community, assisting with the Boy Scouts of America, Pack 601 in Oakland Township, Michigan. You can also find him on the side lines of many soccer fields watching his talented daughters playing select soccer at a high level.
If you are looking to buy or sell real estate, look him up. In many cases you are never going to find a much better deal than now.
You can learn more about Lee & Associates by visiting their website at http://www.lee-mi.com/. I encourage you to take advantage of the professional services offered by this firm.
Diversified Computer Supply
I’m sure you’ve noticed that you spend a lot of money on your technology. Between computers, printers, copiers, faxes, toner, paper, ink cartridges…that’s a lot of dollars out the door.
So I’m really pleased to tell you about a local company than can save you a lot of money on at least one of those items: ink cartridges.
Office Express belongs to a buying group which encompasses over 500 independent dealers across the country with a combined purchasing volume of over $12 billion dollars. I was pleased to find a new vendor that had joined the buying group earlier in the year.
Diversified Computer Supply (DCS) of Ann Arbor is a wonderful supplier. They manufacture a line of laser and ink jet cartridges called Trend that are compatible with most leading laser printers, faxes and ink jet printers. I visited their facility, and was very impressed by their quality and testing procedures.
Together we designed a program that can save virtually every customer at least 20% on their ink cartridge purchases. See our Supply Specials for details. The cartridges come with a money-back satisfaction guarantee. The guarantee even pays for machine damage if the cartridge is at fault. (Although the owner tells me that in three years they have never had to pay a claim on this promise!)
I am proud to support another successful Michigan business like DCS. Please help us both and consider using their Trend brand of compatibles. Doing so will help your company save at least 20% and can net you some free school supplies as well.
Check it out on our website at Supply Specials. Or you can simply call us and we’ll be happy to share the details on this money-saving opportunity with you.
Eagle Office Solutions
At Office Express, we know our limits. While we are very comfortable selling small tabletop copiers, we’ve always felt that the more complicated machines should be sold by servicing dealers. After all - we don’t want to sell things that we can’t stand behind.
So when Dawn-Marie Coles ventured out on her own to start Eagle Office Solutions, I was excited for her as well as for our customers. I had formed a relationship with Dawn while she was the Sales Manager for a large copier firm. I liked the way she kept her promises and motivated her salespeople. I also liked the way she treated all her customers as important - regardless of how much they spent. Dawn-Marie has always provided fast, reliable service.
Eagle Office Solutions has earned the trust of manufacturers, too. They were recently named a Full-Line Authorized Servicing Dealership for Kyocera-Mita, one of only five in Michigan. Kyocera Mita and Eagle sell a wide variety of copiers, faxes, multi function and wide format engineering products http://usa.kyoceramita.com/KMAGlobalpub/jsp/Kyocera/products.jsp
Eagle’s main focus is to “sincerely care for their customers.” They don’t just plug in a copier and present the bill. Instead, Eagle seeks to help customers’ productivity “soar” while decreasing their costs. Eagle inspects the way customers are handling paper distribution as a whole. They then present summarized, cost-effective solutions that encompass elements such as:
Current Clients Expenses
Queuing Time
Soft Dollars Spent
Current Service and Supply Costs
Leasing and Rental Costs
Residuals
Current Software Spending and Applications
IT Expenses
Contact one of the Eagle specialists (or Dawn herself!) today at 248.434.4699 or visit www.eagleofficesolutions.com. You’ll be talking to people who care.
Many of our customers received a delicious cake in celebration of our 20th anniversary. And many of those same customers wanted to know where the cakes came from!
They were all baked from scratch by Pronto!, an independent business located in Royal Oak. We were actually neighbors with Pronto! in Royal Oak back in the 90s. They started with a 40-seat deli and now have expanded to a whole city block. They also operate a 15,000 square foot catering facility.
If you need catering services or want to send gift baskets, look no further than Pronto! Pronto! also feels, as we do, that they must "give back to the community that gives to us." Over the past ten years they have participated in many events and donated hundreds of hours and tens of thousands of dollars to many local fundraising organizations. You can find their story on the web at
http://www.prontos.topcities.com/Pronto/ProntoHistory.htm
