Letter on the Third — March 2021
Dear Datamax Family,
When unprecedented events happen like the winter storm we witnessed last month, you really have to focus on the things that matter most – to our customers, to our employees, and to our families.
We received 20 inches of snow in Little Rock during the week-long storm, while Dallas and East Texas similarly got hit with historically low temperatures, heavy snow and ice. As the weekend before approached and we knew that this was likely coming, I met with David Rhodes and other executives, and we collectively had to sit back and ask ourselves “what if?” and “what’s our game plan?” as an organization.
I knew we had to focus on safety.
This was the first time and hopefully the only time when we have had all offices closed at the same time. Often, the decisions I make affect everybody differently. For example, we may be shutting down today. That could be good, but there could be clients that are going to need us. Ultimately, knowing the severity of the storm, we made a decision based on the best interest and safety of our employees.
I knew we had to focus on our customers.
When and where it was possible, we made sure customers were taken care of. On Friday of that week, David Holzhauer and I drove from Little Rock to Arkadelphia to deliver toner to an accounting firm who was down and desperately needed their copier to keep pace with their tax work. In Texarkana, Lee Norris got a ride from the local police force so he could repair their copier. Good on him – he had the right part on hand. And I know in East Texas, a hospital needed toner and service, and Datamax delivered.
So what do we focus on now?
The winter storm has passed. Spring is just ahead. And I know that the best days at Datamax are ahead of us … if we focus.
Focus on your health. Always stay focused on staying healthy. Don’t think that this pandemic is over and stop doing the things that have kept us safe the past year. Stay cognizant of the recommended guidelines. If you aren’t healthy, it’s not good for yourself or your company.
Focus on setting goals. We should always be sitting down and writing down established goals. Then we should revisit them. If we didn’t meet that goal, ask ourselves what we need to do to meet it the next time. You should be doing so every week, every moth, and every quarter.
Focus on what lies ahead. I would first mention, on that note, that we will have our Annual Meetings in Texas and Arkansas via Zoom. It may be a little bit later than normal, but I want to ensure that we do it right. It’s so important that we share everything we accomplished last year, as well as what we’ve got in store looking ahead.
Our focus continues to be on growth. We are excited to announce the acquisition of Bull’s Office Systems in Fort Smith, ARK. This is a reason to celebrate on all fronts, as we continue to extend our reach in Northwestern Arkansas. Stay tuned for more details on this in the coming weeks.
In short, let’s not get hung up on what happened. Let’s focus on what happens next. Because the greatest days at Datamax lie ahead. The Best is Yet to Be.
