A COMPANY BUILT ON SERVICE

Associated Business Systems supplies and services document imaging systems including printers, copiers, fax machines, archival and retrieval devices and scanners.

Associated Business Systems President Craig Knouf is considered by his peers to have an unprecedented vision and passion for excellence that has enabled him to create one of Oregon’s and the nation’s fastest growing companies.

While the industry as a whole has grappled with mass consolidations and an economic slump, ABS has strived to provide responsive, capable, fervent customer service. As a result, ABS has become a market leader. Revenues have increased 247 percent since its inception in 1997, catapulting from $880,000 to $17 million, and ABS has grown from 8 to 101 employees.

Inc. Magazine named ABS to its list of the fastest growing 500 private companies in America in 2002, and for the last four years, ABS has been ranked one of the fastest growing private companies in Oregon by The Portland Business Journal.

Knouf would be quick, however, to attribute ABS’s meteoric growth and success to the expertise of those he has handpicked to manage ABS’s key “assets:” its customers.

Knouf built his team with veteran staff who can provide the critical elements needed to grow his business: expertise and an unwavering commitment to customer service. “The better people you have, the better decisions you make. You cannot succeed with mediocrity. We strive to attract and keep the brightest and best in our industry,” an etched-in-stone Knouf philosophy.

There are two notable differences in ABS’s perspective that distinguish that company from all others, according to Knouf.

“First, clarity of vision and focus. The company knows what it wants to be, what it wants to do and where it wants to go. I do not get caught up in the ‘strategy du jour,’” said Knouf. “Our efforts remain focused towards the clearly defined goal of how can we deliver an unparalleled level of service to our customers.” Every employee from administration to service to sales is empowered to make a decision for the customer as long as the decision is good for the customer, the employee and the company.

“Second, we are aggressive and active. We seek to initiate streamlined programs for our customers that will help them make their businesses more efficient, profitable and competitive. Service technicians receive more training, carry more diagnostic equipment, supplies and parts to perform repairs on-site and minimize downtime. It is this hands-on relationship that allows us to exceed the needs of our customers and, ultimately, positively impacts ABS’s bottom line.”

ABS has raised the bar, and the marketplace has embraced Knouf’s approach and recognizes the unique niche that ABS has defined as its own.

Portland, Ore.-based Associated Business Systems supplies and services document imaging systems including printers, copiers, fax machines, archival and retrieval devices and scanners. ABS has offices in Portland, Salem, Eugene and Bend, Ore., and in Spokane, Wash.