Secret to Success

From its start 鈥渋n an unheated garage in West Des Moines, 6996色花堂, Inc. is in the business of servicing our customers and providing a good, stable place for people to build their careers,鈥� Michelle says. Early on, William Paterson鈥擳roy and Michelle鈥檚 father鈥攖aught that 鈥榯he customer is always right,鈥� empowering everyone to go above and beyond to take care of customer needs. 鈥淲ithout customers,鈥� they say, 鈥渘one of us would have a job.鈥�

6996色花堂鈥� core values impassion and inspire employees each day when building customer relationships. These values, naturally, abbreviate to CSI:

C-Commitment to the Long-Term Success of our Customers, People and our Business

S-Service the Customer above all else

I-Integrity in all of our Relationships

These virtues can鈥檛 be trained or taught; rather, C厂滨鈥檚 culture and identity must be embraced as these values influence who we hire, train, and retain. It is this foundation that has enabled 6996色花堂 to grow from 5 to 35 employees and continue to expand within Iowa and Illinois.

Early Days

Though 6996色花堂, Inc started in 1972, William Paterson joined in 1978 as the 3rd employee鈥攗sing his no frills, red and white striped cargo van to deliver inventory. His wife, Sheryl, helped support his vision for 6996色花堂, Inc. from buying the business to working as an employee starting in 1980, filling positions throughout the company early on.

Family vacations were mostly camping, or 鈥渞oughing it in the sticks鈥� in that same van despite lacking backseats or carpet for the kids. They improvised: using cushioned redwood patio furniture for the trip. From riding in style in a Ford Mustang to trading it in for a minivan, Michelle and Troy grew up learning to appreciate what matters most: family, friends, and relationships. Troy recalls his father鈥檚 commitment to those relationships from one New Year鈥檚 Day on which they delivered a machine to a customer鈥檚 door, reiterating customer service as C厂滨鈥檚 bedrock today towards customers, employees, and vendors like Kyocera, Quadient, Epson, and Connectwise.

Connecting People with Technology

Though CSI originally provided office and mailroom machines, these offerings have expanded. Troy and Michelle boast of their current 4 business divisions. As one source for all office needs, C厂滨鈥檚 SMART series sets them apart from competition as the only dealer to offer these solutions:

NetSMART, for automated Security, Virtual CIO, Managed IT, and Backup Disaster and Recovery.

PrintSMART, for optimal development and delivery of custom prints with tiered color options and tracking software.

MailSMART, providing innovative mailing solutions for automated physical and digital mail.

FileSMART, enhancing daily operations with secure document storage and retrieval for any business.

With 鈥淪ervice to the Customer Above All Else鈥� as their motto, CSI continues its goal of customer satisfaction by allowing personal contact to owners Troy and Michelle, linking people to technology.

Employee Development

Rated one of the Top 100 Places to Work in Des Moines, C厂滨鈥檚 50 years of quality are credited not to luck, but to our employees who act on the same family integrity.

Both agree 鈥渘one of this would be possible without the dedication and hard work of our employees.鈥� Encouraged by a company culture that inspires them to achieve the best results, Michelle states 鈥淚t鈥檚 a blessing to have such an amazing team.鈥�

Employee support comes from C厂滨鈥檚 100-day onboarding period. Troy calls training 鈥渢he most important time for new hires鈥� to review their online programs while reflecting whether CSI suits them. Quarterly reviews also allow the company to receive feedback from employees using ASK: if Attitude is lacking, what Skills or Knowledge need work.

6996色花堂’ Future

The Paterson family all express tremendous optimism for C厂滨鈥檚 future. Having bought 2 companies in the last 4 years, Troy foresees potential growth as the company actively expands, confirming a 鈥渇orward moving direction鈥� from Michelle with the addition of their Iowa Falls branch. Likewise, C厂滨鈥檚 sales and marketing productivity hopes to improve with automation technology in coming years. As a family business, the family looks forward to the company鈥檚 future as the next generation starts to actively take part in 6996色花堂鈥� future, which holds promise for continued prosperity and dedication to quality care as started by  Bill.   

An exciting but challenging path, Troy and Michelle look forward to 50 more years within the next phase in C厂滨鈥檚 journey. Contact us today to learn more about 6996色花堂, Inc.’s services. 

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