June 7, 2023
Best Practices for Managing Your Personal Workflow
In a world where we are constantly bombarded with information, your mind may feel like an internet browser with 600 tabs open at once. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by personal task management.
47 years ago this month, Pacific Office Automation, originally called Pacific Photocopy Inc., opened its doors. The address has changed over the years—from a humble office park on Nimbus Drive, to a location on Science Park Drive, and on to our newest headquarters on Greenbrier Parkway, but our home base remains right here in Beaverton, Oregon. With 1300 employees across 40 branches and 11 states, we’re now the largest independent office equipment dealer in the country.
31 years ago this week, Clyde Drexler and the Portland Trail Blazers fought all the way to the 1992 NBA Finals, taking on Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. While Portland couldn’t quite get over the hump that year, Pacific Office Automation was proud to be in its second year as part of the Blazer’s supporting cast as an official team partner.
From the beginning, sports and community building have been foundational to our growth and to our company culture. During our earliest days, founder Terry Newsom coached youth football at Sunset High School, and continues to support that, and other youth programs today. As Pacific Office Automation grew, so did our partnerships with organizations that share our values of teamwork, sportsmanship, and giving back to the community. Today, we count the Portland Timbers, Portland Thorns, Oregon State, Cal Bears, Seattle Seahawks, Mariners, L.A. Rams, Phoenix Suns, San Jose Sharks, and a few dozen other youth, college, and professional sports programs as our partners.
Just last week, we were honored to host NASCAR’s second annual Pacific Office Automation 147. It allowed us to bring together almost 900 friends and clients to Portland’s International Raceway to watch Cole Custer and the Stewart-Haas racing team win in a dramatic overtime finish. It’s a privilege to create opportunities for our customers to network not just with POA staff, but with one another.
Creating an environment for hospitality and relationship building is core to our business. Whenever we enter a new market—either by acquisition or from the ground up—we start with previously established relationships with customers in the region and grow from there. We root for entrepreneurs like we do our local sports teams, we look to add value to our governmental and institutional clients, and we count on our reputation to precede us.
While our industry has teetered between a direct model to a manufacturer model, Pacific Office Automation has remained a local dealer. Whether it’s Bellingham, Tempe, Salt Lake City, Henderson, Austin, or Idaho Falls, we rely on local industry networks to build our business and service our clients. What better way to build those networks, we figure, than through the local sports teams and their loyal fanbases?
Our business and our clients’ businesses have evolved dramatically over the past 47 years. We expect those changes to continue. But by investing in the communities in which we do business, and by continuing to build authentic relationships, we expect to be vital team players for the next 47 years and beyond.
Cheers to 47 years!