Executive Corner
Interview with Christian Pepper, Printersdirect LLC
- By Laura Kittner
- 01/01/2011
Christian Pepper is the U.S. company vice president at Printersdirect LLC.
What is your current state of mind?
Energized: 2011 is going to be a pivotal year for the product category I work in—remanufactured printer hardware. This sector of the industry is going to "tip" into the mainstream. Some of the largest MPS infrastructure providers, distributors and dealers have committed to it and Printersdirect is working hard to be front and center of the direction this blossoming niche will take.
What would you consider your greatest achievement?
If you've met my wife, it is clearly that "I married up." Other than her, it has to be that despite all the challenges and personal sacrifices, we stayed the course and followed our dream to emigrate to the USA from the UK… right at the beginning of the worst economic downturn since the 1930s.
What is the greatest challenge you face today?
Working with my executive colleagues to manage rapid growth within the limits of the company's cash flow and profit requirements.
What do you see as your biggest opportunity?
Following the trail blazed by the remanufactured toner industry and creating a credible, mainstream alternative to new business printer hardware.
What is the quality you like most in a sales manager?
Leadership that inspires and motivates the sales team to achieve the company sales budget.
If your customers were to describe your company in three words, what would they be?
Well, one of our key customers actually did this not so long ago and he said: quality, expert, confident. (OK, he used a slightly more ambitious word than confident, but I like to think I know what he meant.)
Managed print services or managed services?
If you are on the LinkedIn groups, you'll know this has been debated to death already, however, most of the dealers we work with seem to actually be going more with just "managed print."
Where are you investing the most within your company this year?
New premises—Printersdirect is tripling its square footage in Atlanta to ensure we meet our customers' future needs. Training—we expect to create 20 new production line jobs in 2011. New quality assurance software—to automate post testing of remanufactured printer hardware and deliver even higher quality products to our customers.
What is your greatest concern for this industry?
That MPS providers compete away the profit. MPS can deliver so much value for business end-users in terms of process efficiencies and productivity gains. These benefits leave ample room for fair prices and solid margins.
How would your employees and co-workers describe you?
They'd probably just say "he's got a great accent." However, I'd hope that if they thought hard they would say I have some of the qualities I find inspiring in other business professionals: passionate, hard work ethic, customer focused, a good listener and keeps his commitments.
Who are your favorite writers?
Michael Pollen, Malcolm Gladwell, Robert Ludlum, Frederic Forsyth, Harlan Coben, Michael Crichton.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
When I get excited, I tend to overuse profanity. Think Gordon Ramsay from "Hell's Kitchen"…
Why do you hold your current business position today?
Because I have a drive and determination to succeed in our category that the competition doesn't.
Do trends exist in this industry?
Yes, and if you didn't hear it before, 2011 is the year the remanufactured printer proposition reaches critical mass.
Who is your next hire?
A talented purchaser. One of the key challenges in our business is securing and managing the logistics of the supply of "cores"—raw, used printers.
What is your favorite quote?
"Never, never, never give up."—Winston Churchill
This article originally appeared in the January 2011 issue of The Imaging Channel.
About the Author
As the Editorial Director of The Imaging Channel, Laura has 10 years experience with the print and imaging industry. Prior to launching The Imaging Channel, Laura was a founding member and the Vice President of Marketing and Global Business Development at PrintFleet Inc. She has also held various executive level marketing and communications positions, and is a Professor in the School of Business, at St. Lawrence College. Laura holds diplomas in Advertising and Public Relations and Integrated Marketing Communications.