(Business Process Consultant - Lufkin Office) - In a sense, Bryan Bearden has always been a salesperson.

In elementary school, he went door to door selling flower seeds around the neighborhood. Just a few years later, he sold magazines for 50 cents apiece. He turned both products around quickly and made a little money on the side. He was a natural.

Yet, after graduating from college in the late 1980s, Bryan didn’t even think about sales. It wasn’t until landing at a local copier company and handling computers that he saw the potential — HIS potential — in the business of selling.

What led me to Datamax?

As the child of a preacher, Bryan moved around a lot in his early years, from Frankston, TX to Florida to Palestine and to Lufkin. Lufkin is where his parents have been since 1979, and where he’s happy to call his home base today.

After graduating with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Information Systems from DeVry in 1988, Bryan knew a guy who knew the business. He came on with HCBM copiers in Palestine, TX with the task of managing the organization’s computers. It wasn’t long, though, before he got an itch for sales.

“Having that extra money beyond my salary, hey, that was enticing to me,” Bryan says. “Also the freedom to be out and about, visiting with people instead of sitting in an office all day.

In the early 2000s, the company was purchased by then-East Texas Copy Systems, where he remained as an account representative serving Lufkin, Palestine, Corsicana, and Lufkin again. Of course, in 2018, East Texas Copy Systems was acquired by Datamax.

My experiences at Datamax:

As someone who has been through two acquisitions, Bryan admits it can be a little scary.

“You don’t’ know what’s going to happen. When ETCS took over, I didn’t have a clue, but it worked out well. When Datamax took over, it’s much of the same… Having a bigger organization helps with turnaround times and having inventory in stock for people. (With Datamax), I appreciate the fact that I can offer better value to customers.”

Bryan enjoys having the ability to serve businesses in the place he calls home – Lufkin. He’s made extraordinary inroads in the small East Texas town, and over time has developed lasting relationships that keep the pipeline plum full. He also credits Datamax leadership, and his sales manager, Josh Sims, for his continued success.

“Josh is really great. I appreciate everything he does for me – he routinely goes above and beyond in helping out, and being there for what we need. It’s all been a great experience for me at Datamax.”

What makes me want to stay at Datamax?

“I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’m comfortable doing it. I’m treated well by everyone from the top down… I guess I’ve never really been given a reason to look elsewhere, never felt like I needed to.”