One of the great things about Thanksgiving is the coming together of the dinner table’s best – roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, the list goes on… For most, it is the perfect excuse to indulge, and try a little (or a lot) of everything. You’ve heard us say before that Advance provides “best of breed” products to our customers, but what does that really mean? Equipping an office is not a one size fits all type of business. But the big name manufacturers would like you to think that it is…

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 Historically, the office equipment industry was dominated by what I like to call the ‘megadealers’—the Ikons and Globals of the world, all of which had a broad portfolio of product offerings spanning a variety of brands.

Today, the marketplace has changed. The megadealers have been bought out by the manufacturers, essentially consolidating your options as a buyer to just their brand. Think of it as your Aunt Bea serving you a dish of her famous sweet potato casserole, and nothing else. Wouldn’t you like a little more variety on your plate? The opportunity to have a little bit of everything only comes around once a year (or three to five if we’re talking office equipment).

Now people are being called on by the single line manufacturers like HP, Xerox and Konica Minolta as opposed to a dealer that carries more than one manufacturer’s product. Strong independents like Advance still have an advantage. We are strong enough to carry the big names such as Canon and Ricoh, but also independent enough that we can hand pick the best type of product from a multitude of brands to give our customers the total package.

For example, we have long supported Savin and Ricoh mulitifunctional copiers and printers because of their dependability in the everyday office space. Whereas in a graphic intensive printing environment, we typically recommend upgraded Fiery print controllers with one of our Canon imagerunners.

Call us picky, but if there is one thing that we have learned by being in this industry for 47 years, it’s that every manufacturer has their niche. So much so that in our wide format line, we offer two completely different manufacturers—KIP because they are known for their speed and versatility, and Canon inkjet plotters for their superior, and detailed color performance. This kind of diversified offering is just not as available anymore.

Combine that with our in-house leasing arm, strategically placed supply warehouses and technicians among our service territories, and our award-winning technical support crew from our Network Services team (both remotely and in the field) and you’ve got a well-balanced meal.

So be thankful–you can have it all, the best of everything from Advance, that’s just our approach. If you’re tired of the same old thing, give us a call. Now hurry up and finish your plate so you can go watch the Harbaugh brothers duke it out on the field. Even though I was born in San Francisco, my money’s on John.