Little Rock technician Bob Haley is an absolute rock star. No, really.

Years before he donned a technician’s cap, Bob wielded a bass guitar in a rock and roll band that at one time opened for the mammoth band Aerosmith. (You almost have to see the photos to believe it). A workout machine (being buff was part of the gig with the Kai Haley Band), Bob balanced his tool belt with body-building weights and even served in the US military for four years; he later embraced every technological shift the industry has thrown at him. From analog to digital, hard copies to cloud solutions, his strength — both physical and professional — has kept him thriving in a constantly evolving world.

This tech-savvy strongman, as he eclipses his 30-year anniversary with Datamax, plans to retire this month. With that in mind, his story is certainly one that needs to be shared in this space.  After all, this guy is a rock star in more ways than one.

Thriving on Stage.

Bob grew up in Newport, Arkansas, the son of a high school band director. He played clarinet in the band there and, after school, would trade out the woodwind for the electric bass.

“Back in the day I was in a rock band with my brother, and basically, we all did steroids (and worked out every day) to look different than a normal rock band,” Bob said. “One of our biggest gigs, we were in Jonesboro which is close to Memphis. It was a huge outdoor concert and we actually opened for Aerosmith,” he said.

The band played their own songs, continued to pump weights, (his brother owned a gym), traveled across the state, and had a heck of a time doing so.

“We had fun, I’m glad I survived! (laughs),” Bob recalled. “My brother was running a gym in Houston, so we did that for a while, but then he went into the military and I did, too.”

Thriving in Uniform.

In 1987, Bob joined the Army. Originally stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana, he performed in the Military Band before he received transfer orders to Germany as a Combat Engineer (communications).

“It was a great experience. I was actually in Germany when the wall came down, and still have a piece of the wall there. To serve my country and have the ability to go to all these countries  (Spain, Yugoslavia, Switzerland, Amsterdam), was incredible,” Bob said. “While there I specialized in military occupation skills, essentially manning the radios. While I was stationed there during Desert Storm, I never had to go to where the war was going on.”

Thriving With His Company.

After he left the military, Bob attended the Arkansas School of Technology to get a two-year degree in electronics. To help pay for his school, he worked as a trainer at a Little Rock Gym, which is where he met his wife, Alicia. It was she who actually dropped off his resume at Datamax to then-service manager Greg Kirtman.

Bob speaks candidly about the ever-changing nature of the office equipment industry. All the while, he’s consistent in explaining the reasons he never considered leaving. In many ways, it was the elements that had little to do with copiers – great culture, solid leadership, camaraderie in the workplace – that helped him remember that “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.”

“Sure, the changes over time have been crazy. When I started we had pagers, and if we needed to use the phone we used quarters we kept in our pocket to use a pay phone,” Bob said. “A lot of the techs today, they already know a lot of the technology because they knew it growing up. Heck, when I started, some of the machines had a chain (like a bicycle chain) inside of them. Now, you pop up your phone and connect with the Canon website, and you get a lot quicker answer then when you had to open up a book.”

Bob likens his experience working for Datamax to a conversation he had with his son recently.

"My son had a flat tire the other day and I was talking to him about it last night. He took it to a family-owned tire place and they told him they’d accommodate his schedule…. They’d just leave the keys in a lock box and he could come pick it up after they closed,” Bob said. “When he told him he wouldn’t be able to pay them that day if they were closed, their response was, ‘Hey don’t worry about it.’ That was good for him to see, a company that does whatever it takes to take care of its clients. That’s how you earn repeat business. In a lot of ways, Datamax is just like that. It’s felt good to be a part of that sort of organization for 30 years. I guess you could say I became a Raving Fan.”

Thriving in Retirement.

More than anything, in his upcoming retirement, Bob looks forward to the time. The time to watch his son finish his senior year playing baseball at Henderson State University. The time to spend with his two daughters, and two grandchildren (with another one on the way at the end of the month). The time to travel with his wife, to not be in a hurry, and to get back in the gym to optimize his fitness.

Bob’s strengths, of course, extend well beyond the weight-lifting bench and they’ll continue to shine after he walks out of the office for the final time this month.

“30 years, it’s hard to put into perspective. I’ve spent almost half my life here at this company,” Bob said. “When I started my wife and I just got married, my kids were born and so were my two grandchildren, and all they’ve ever known was me working at Datamax. It’s amazing to me that I had the opportunity to stay in one place this whole time.”

Rockstar, veteran, family man, and Raving Fan to boot.