GFI would like to congratulate Kansas City’s 38 emerging leaders selected to be members of the Centurions Class of 2012, specifically our very own John Tebbe, Vice President, GFI Digital – Kansas City. Since 1976, the Centurions Leadership Program has earned its reputation as an unequaled training ground for future Kansas City leaders. Members of the program spend two years exploring the opportunities and issues facing the Kansas City metropolitan area with a mission shaping its future.

On Friday, February 12th, at the St. Louis Blues Hockey Game, GFI Digital along with several local companies came together in support of the horrific devastation in Haiti. 

Prior to the game, 75 volunteers reached out to a sold out crowd asking Blues fans to give in support of the earthquake-torn country.  

When the numbers were in, $20,000.00 was raised - largely in part due to the support of fifteen local area companies, their employees, friends and family members  - Custom Cuts, John Henry Foster, GFI Digital, Hollyberry Baking, Keane Charitable Group, Masterchem-Kilz, Missionary Oblates, RBO Print Logistix, St. Louis Blues, St. Louis Business Journal, St. Louis Scott Gallagher SC, St Patrick Center, Debbie Traubitz and Frank Hankin, The Type House, Vetta Sports Clubs, Gary Welker and Wells Fargo. 

All dollars raised will benefit the victims of the earthquake via the St Patrick Center, the Crudem Foundation and the Missionary Oblates.  For more information, please visit stpatrickcenter.org, crudem.org or oblatesusa.org.

For all of those whom volunteered or showed their support in one way or another, we truly appreciate your generosity.

by Trish Muyco-Tobin

GFI Digital, a local startup that’s propelled itself into a multi-million company in just 10 years, is changing the way people print, copy, fax and scan at work. Company president Bruce Gibbs and vice president Mark Kehoe left a powerhouse imaging technology firm to start GFI in 1999. Between the two of them, they have 50 years of industry experience.

The company, which provides multi-functional office machines, has a reputation for being an industry leader when it comes to emergency response time, client savings and employee loyalty. To date, it has sold more than 14,800 machines. It is headquartered in St. Louis and has five other locations in Missouri and Illinois.

“We already knew the business and what customers expected,” Gibbs says. “So when we had the opportunity to become a Sharp electronics dealer—selling a great name and a great product—it was enough to make us jump off the corporate bandwagon and do our own thing.” With the help of some seed money from his siblings (GFI stands for Gibbs Family Investment), Gibbs says the company hit the ground running. “Mark and I, along with an employee, John Hauck, had long histories in the business, and we just started pounding the pavement.”

GFI boasts a customer list with some of the biggest names in local business, including Coldwell Banker Gundaker, Schnucks, Peabody, St. Louis Blues and the Missouri National Guard, but its main clientele is comprised of smaller companies like law firms, accounting agencies and independent businesses. “Our bread and butter is helping a business with one product and showing them how to save on their output costs,” notes Gibbs. “They’re just not copying these days, they’re also trying to eliminate wasteful printing. So a total solution would be to help them figure out what they want to do with the documents before they print.”

Gibbs says GFI has been able to grow successfully by consistently delivering quality Sharp and Ricoh products and backing them up with great service. “We don’t worry about what the competition is doing,” he says. “We just focus on making great buys from the manufacturer, pricing them right, establishing a good relationship with our customers and training our salespeople and technicians to be better than anyone else.”

Before long, GFI expanded its employee base to keep up with the company’s growth. “During our second year, our top competitor laid off more than 200 workers,” Gibbs says. “That, in turn, allowed us to hire pros with more than 15 and 20 years of customer service experience.” He says as a rule, the company continues to recruit some of the most experienced and knowledgeable staff around. “We have industry benchmarks that we hit on a daily, monthly and yearly basis,” he explains. Among them is an emergency response time of 2.6 hours (versus the 4-hour industry standard).

The result, Gibbs says, is satisfied customers. “Our client retention is at 90 percent,” he says. “When you have great products and great people, you have happy customers.”  

St. Louis-based GFI Digital delivers and services multifunctional Sharp and Ricoh products, offering a five-step process to determine, implement and maintain a custom solution for each customer. Its six locations in Missouri and Illinois offer an experienced staff of technicians and customer service representatives. Pictured on the cover, clockwise from bottom right: vice president Mark Kehoe, president Bruce Gibbs, Matt Schuler, Kevin Simmons, Patti Crocker, John Hauck, Jeff Cook and Elliot Fritsche. For more information, call 997-6300 or visit www.gfidigital.com.

GFI Digital celebrated the holidays with their family and friends at the St. Charles Family Arena on Thursday, December 17, 2009 to the sounds of the Charlie Daniels Band.  The Charlie Daniels Band performed songs from their "Joy to the World" Christmas album to a crowd of almost 4000 fans.  Prior to the holiday concert, GFI hosted a pre-concert reception for their family and friends.  Proceeds from the holiday concert benefited the St. Louis Blues 14 Fund - the charitable trust of the St. Louis Blues.

Children from St. Louis Children's Hospital enjoyed a surprise visit from Santa Claus while attending the St. Louis Blues hockey game on Friday night courtesy of GFI Digital and the St. Louis Blues 14 Fund.

As part of their ongoing commitment to the community, GFI hosted a special tailgate party for children during the first intermission of the St. Louis Blues hockey game on Friday night, December 18th.  Several children and their families enjoyed time with Santa, as he handed out candy canes, teddy bears, and holiday cheer.

To learn more about helping St. Louis area children who are critically or chronically ill, please visit http://www.stlouischildrens.org/content/WaysToGive.htm.

Hi Bruce!

Last week I read an article on why color documents are more effective than black and white ones.   The article was supported with white paper from our friends at Ricoh.  The white paper provides trend information and analysis in regard to color output.   In the end, the information showcases that the power of color is undeniable and its power is particularly well-suited for the printed document.  Here's why -

• Color enhances communication.
• Color increases accuracy.
• Color improves your image.
• Color sells.

To learn more as to why the demand for color output is rising, download the white paper at http://blogs.zdnet.com/doc/?p=786.

Did you know that 90% of all companies do not know how many printers they have or if they are properly utilizing their print assets?  Consider that companies spend 1-3% of their annual revenues on imaging technology;  that 23% of all IT/help desk calls are printing or copy related; or that annual print volumes are increasing on average of 11%.  With that said, print is often overlooked and is just as important as facilities, telecommunications and IT networks. 

On Halloween, GFI Digital enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with children from the Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club at the St. Louis Blues hockey game.  Several of the children dressed up in costumes as they enjoyed Halloween cookies, cupcakes and "Trick or Treat" bags filled with candy.  The children also received gift bags filled with autographed Blues merchandise and memorabilia courtesy of the St. Louis Blues 14 Fund - the charitible trust of the Blues organization.

The Herbert Hoover Boys & Girls Club provides a safe place for children to learn and grow. Their mission is to inspire and enable youth ages 6 to 18 to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. For more information, please visit www.hhbgc.org.

On Monday, October 26, 2009, GFI Digital added five(5) new cargo vans to its existing fleet of service vehicles as part of their ongoing effort to live up to its commitment to service excellence. 

The new vehicles, Ford Transit Connects, were selected for their large cargo space and fuel efficiency.  With the added space, GFI service technicians will systematically maintain the necessary  customer parts and supplies in order to continue to service its 15,000 plus MFP's in the field. 

In an ongoing effort to support the St. Louis community, GFI Digital announced a partnership with the St. Louis Blues and the Blues 14 Fund – the charitable trust of the Blues organization.

Children from the community, 196 in total, are being invited to a Blues hockey game courtesy of GFI Digital and the new partnership.  They will be sitting in reserved seats in section 114, during 14 home games, in front of 14,000 plus fans witnessing their excitement, offering them hope and support. (See our ad that was placed in the St. Louis Business Journal Giving Guide on Page 14.)

“This is more than a night out at a hockey game. This is about bringing the community together to help support these children long after the excitement of the evening is over", said Bruce Gibbs, President - GFI Digital.

GFI Digital would like to personally invite other partners, local companies and organizations to help make an even greater difference within the lives of these children.  We believe that we can do more together.

For more information on how you can get involved, please contact Terry Hurley at 314-503-7314.

In an ongoing effort to live up to GFI Digital’s commitment to service excellence, GFI opened a state-of-the-art Service, Warehouse, and Distribution Center in January 2009. 

This 25,000 square-foot center hosts GFI Digitals technical service teams which systematically maintain nearly 15,000 MFP's in the field. This center also houses GFI’s parts & supply departments.

All of the distribution center employees are certified in 5-S training, which is a system of continual improvement. The Five S program focuses on visual order, organization, cleanliness, and standardization resulting in improved cost-savings, efficiency, service, and safety allowing GFI Digital to be more competitive in the field ultimately benefiting our customers.

Matt Schuler, Operation Manager for GFI Digital oversees the new Service and Distribution Center. With Matt’s support, GFI Digital is continually focusing on it’s commitment to service excellence.