Associated Business Systems Fact Sheet


FOUNDED: July 1997

CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS: Portland, Ore.

COMPANY PROFILE:
Associated Business Systems (ABS) supplies and services document imaging systems including printers, copiers, fax machines, archival and retrieval devices and scanners.

When ABS was founded in 1997, its industry as a whole was in decline. Companies were consolidating to retain economies and market share and customer needs were overlooked in the process. ABS recognized an opportunity and its primary objective was to become the pre-eminent provider of customer service in the industry.

ABS partners with leading brands, such as Ricoh, Hewlett Packard and Kyocera Mita and has offices in Portland, Salem, Eugene and Bend, Ore.

COMPANY GROWTH:
Since its inception in 1997, and during an industry slump, ABS revenues have grown from $880,000 to $17 million. In 2002, ABS grew 20 percent and added 18 employees for a total of 101; and although Oregon’s unemployment rate continues to rank among the highest in the nation (8.5%), ABS continues to grow and plans to add 20 employees in the fourth quarter of 2003.

ABS was named to Inc. Magazine’s list of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies (2002).

For the last four years, ABS has been one of the fastest growing private companies in Oregon (Portland Business Journal).

PRESIDENT: CRAIG KNOUF
As the President of ABS, Craig Knouf has more than 20 years experience in the office equipment industry. Knouf serves on the following national advisory boards:

Ricoh’s Executive Steering Committee: a consortium of Ricoh’s top 10 dealers in the nation that advise the president of Ricoh on customer and dealer relationships.

Hewlett Packard VIP Partner: VIP partners are selected based on their company’s commitment to customer service, financial stability and fiscal performance. Only one percent of dealers in the United States have earned this status.

Kyocera Mita Total Solutions Provider: ABS is one of only a handful of dealers in the United States and the only Oregon dealer who has earned the designation of a “Total Solutions Provider.” Total Solutions Providers are trained on all Kyocera Mita hardware and software applications and maintain outstanding levels of service and sales.

CUSTOMERS:
Columbia Sportswear
Mentor Graphics
Windermere
Familian NW
Mortgage Market
City of Portland
Metro One Telecommunications

(An abbreviated list)

MEDIA CONTACT:
Ashton Burridge
Phone: 503.997.9158
ashtonburridge@comcast.net