Minneapolis, MN (February, 2015) – Innovative Office Solutions has acquired S&T Office Products, Inc., making the combined organization the largest independent office productivity supplier in the Upper Midwest and one of the largest in the country. The company will operate under the Innovative Office Solutions brand.
Jennifer Smith, the CEO and founder of Innovative Office Solutions, started her office supply company in 2001, and has watched it grow five times larger since 2008 by investing in staff, technology and new business categories at a time when most companies were downsizing due to the recession.
S&T Office Products was established in 1971 by Frank Tschida. The company has a long history of growth during challenging economic times, and has focused on office supplies and contract furniture as its foundation.
The addition of S&T Office Products to the Innovative brand brings with it the S&T Office Interiors Group, adding a highly respected contract furniture service with known expertise in the Twin Cities architecture and design communities.
The move bolsters the Innovative Office Solutions brand tremendously and is another huge step forward for one of Minnesota’s most dynamic and progressive companies. Innovative Office Solutions strives to be a single source, solution-based supplier with an emphasis on workplace productivity. S&T brings an additional wealth of creative experience resulting in a more robust menu of service offerings.
A Winning Culture
Throughout its growth, Innovative Office Solutions has made it a priority to maintain the culture that made it successful in the first place. A culture focused on relationships, bringing the best service to its customers, helping employees attain their goals, and being a good partner to suppliers.
“When we started Innovative, it was to fill a gap in the market where service was suffering in the industry. We brought service back through our Relationships Matter belief system, and combined that with the technology and partnerships necessary to compete in the marketplace,” Smith said. “We’ve created a growth culture, but kept it a fun and rewarding place to work and that attitude has resonated with our customers.”
Innovative Office Solutions has landed on the MN Business 100 Best Places to Work list for four consecutive years by offering a health friendly workplace with initiatives such as sit-stand desks, daily workouts and health-based incentives.
That winning culture has given Innovative a unique spot in the marketplace as a business that deftly combines their large-scale technology and supplier partnerships with the touch and feel of a small company.
Moving Forward
“This acquisition will combine the two strongest independent providers in the marketplace and will enable us to provide even more services and solutions to our customers, and new opportunities for our employees and supplier partners,” said Smith.
Frank Tschida, the President and CEO of S&T Office Products, weighed in, “As I planned my retirement, I only considered selling to a market leader that would keep a focus on being a local provider to our customers and providing growth opportunities to our employees. Innovative Office Solutions was the logical choice. We were incredibly aware of the company’s growth history and visionary leadership with Jennifer Smith, I was certain that Innovative would maintain the high level of service our customers expect.”
This is a collaborative acquisition that will bring both companies together under a single brand. Innovative Office Solutions will inherit the people and services of S&T Office Products, thus allowing customers to maintain continuity with their existing relationships, while adding expanded capabilities to the customers of both organizations.
The combined talents, technology and expertise of the two companies will bring more options to clients of both organizations and continue to deliver flexible solutions to their clients through a model of personalized local support.
“It’s exciting to offer potential and existing customers the ability to work with a progressive, woman-owned, local business with an amazing reputation. I couldn’t be happier than to work for this tremendous group,” said Debbie Lazcano-Stai, a Business Development Manager at S&T Office Products.
“We have long appreciated the quality, value and expertise both Innovative Office Solutions and S&T Office Products have independently brought to us at Summit Orthopedics. This move offers us, as well as the community, a comprehensive solution for our furniture, office and break room supply needs,” said Amy Zuber of Summit Orthopedics.
About Innovative Office Solutions
Founded in 2001 by CEO Jennifer Smith, Innovative Office Solutions is a progressive, independent provider of office productivity solutions with a focus on making the workplace more productive.
The products & services offered by Innovative include office supplies, furniture & design, cleaning supplies, breakroom products, promotional products, technology solutions, print & graphic design. This full portfolio is delivered in a personalized, relationship focused, approach designed to deliver the right solution to meet the unique needs of any organization.
Clients include US Bank Stadium and the Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins, Minnesota Wild, Minnesota Timberwolves, Minnesota Lynx, St. Paul Saints, and Minnesota United FC. Innovative partners with each of these professional sports teams to give back to the community through a variety of sports-themed initiatives. Additionally, Innovative operates its InSports Foundation with the goal of helping 10,000 kids experience the life lessons associated with sports.
* Minnesota Businesses 100 Best Places to Work Award for four straight years.
* 2014 Women’s Presidents’ Organization, 50 Fastest Growing Women-Owned/Led Companies for the fourth consecutive year.
* Ranked in the Inc. 5000 fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States for eight years.
* CEO Smith has been featured in Forbes magazine and was the cover story for Upsize Magazine in January, 2010.
* CEO Smith was a finalist for the 2014 EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Midwest.
* In 2010 Smith was recognized as WBE of the Year, presented by Women’s Business Development Center of Minnesota.
About North Country Business Products
NCBP is one of the largest POS solution providers in the United States, partnering with such leading technology companies as: Toshiba, LOC, HP, Datalogic, and Oracle Hospitality. NCBP specializes in the sale, deployment, training, hosting and 24×7 support of POS solutions. NCBP currently has 18 locations and does business in over 20 states. NCBP is a 100% Employee Owned Company. For more information, please visit ncbpinc.com.
Contacts:
For more information please contact:
Jason Player, Innovative Office Solutions at 952-698-9200, [email protected]
Ana Versaggi, North Country Business Products at 763-509-6025, [email protected]
