The End of One Chapter, the Beginning of Another: a Fond Farewell to Kearns Business Solutions.

Much like your favorite chapter in a well-read book, I could not have imagined a better story to have lived than the past seven years of my life.

You see, I left the United States Marine Corps in February, 2001 – during what many remember as the “Dot-Com Bust”. I, my wife, and 2 dogs traveled cross-country – over 3000 miles – to move closer to home. We had no jobs, no home, and only 2 months of living expenses to get us by.

Through hard-work, and a lot of time on e-mail and working the phones, I landed several interviews. I managed to land a job as an IT Manager at a local manufacturing company. It was in this position that I looked around and saw the making of what was to become an epic journey…

I saw a disarray of printing devices, in 2001 mind you, and knew there was a better way to manage the chaos. I called several vendors, and of all of them, only Kearns Business Solutions was able to talk about a comprehensive strategy…

I worked through months of red tape, and finally brought together my managed print, copying, and even scanning strategy. The rollout was difficult because of challenges in the platforms, but Kearns devoted tireless hours and nearly countless resources to overcome the problems and deliver a solution unmatched.

I was hooked.

As time progressed, I learned of an opportunity to apply for a position at Kearns – leading a forming group of connectivity specialists. In 2003, a little over 5 years ago, I became the Director of Technology at Kearns Business Solutions.

It was a ride that would take Team Kearns to unprecedented heights of success in our industry. With some of the largest fleet deployments, JD Power award-winning customer service, and unparalleled overall account management, Kearns Business Solutions operated as an elite, independent, full-service solutions provider.

The Next Chapter:

With success, many took notice; We were financially sound, operationally efficient, and extremely well positioned to continue growth. As many in our industry know, those paying the closest attention was that of the MFP and printer manufacturers.

Global was recently acquired by Xerox, Ricoh moved to acquire IKON, and Konica-Minolta scrambled to acquire Danka. And a little known division of Sharp Electronics Corporation, called Sharp Business Systems had begun a steady acquisition strategy a little more than 2 years ago – watching the success and mistakes of rivals in our space.

Sharp Business Systems began by adopting a strategy of enforcing local management structures. This helped maintain the entrepreneurial spirits of the dealers it acquired. Combined with the massive R&D budgets and superior employee benefit programs, Sharp Business System has been steadily growing its market share by acquiring smartly – and not at the cost of success.

And so it is that Kearns Business Solutions becomes Sharp Business Systems on November 11, 2008.

This acquisition is bittersweet. However, it validates all that we have worked so hard for – not just the investments of ownership, but of management and team members alike.

This has been the most challenging and ultimately the most rewarding company I have ever worked with and for. And I will be honest, I took the position for a new building block to my resume and increased salary. Little did I know that 5 years later I would have learned that the most important aspect of any job is the team with which you work.

This, indeed, proved to be true. I have never – NEVER – worked with a finer team of high-integrity, goal-focused, and selfless people in my life. It has been an honor serving with each of them, and I look forward to serving with each of them in the months to come as we settle in with our new family.

Ken Stewart’s blog, ChangeForge.com, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology. To learn more about Ken, visit his about page. You may also find Ken on FriendFeed, Twitter, and LinkedIn.