The only nationally certified women- and minority-owned filing manufacturing company in the United States turned to another diverse business to expand its office product lines.
Selco Industries, the manufacturer of SJ Paper products, is the only nationally certified women- and minority-owned filing manufacturing company in the United States. Based in Holland, Ohio, the company also has a 35,000 square foot production facility in New Jersey. As a manufacturing company in which different perspectives, viewpoints, professional experience, education, and individual qualities combine to produce earth-friendly, quality and competitively priced products, Selco Industries has become a major proponent of diversity.
CEO Ruby Hill is extremely proud of the success of Selco Industries and the fact that diversity has become such an integral factor in everything that is done by her company. Workforce diversity is often a part of being a minority- or women-owned business enterprise (M/WBE), and Selco Industries takes great pride in its diverse workforce. Additionally, Selco has a long history of supporting other M/WBEs as often as possible.
This commitment to diversity has helped Selco Industries succeed by receiving increased exposure from major national office product companies. These companies have provided Selco the opportunity to showcase products through company-organized sales lunch-andlearn sessions, online promotions, and other product awareness methods. The growing demands for M/WBEs purchases by government agencies, large corporations and educational institutions increase the necessities of providers like Selco Industries, Inc. One longtime supporter of Selco Industries is OfficeMax. Over the past 20 years, OfficeMax has offered to their customers an increasing numbers of stocking units of the SJ Paper line of products; they currently stock over 120 SKUs.
Years of success prompted Selco Industries to consider an expansion of its SJ Paper product line. Incorporating diversity into the move was a top priority among other traditional considerations during a business acquisition; asking not just if acquiring specific products made sense for the business, but would this bring value to the diverse communities in which they operate and increase prosperity to its customers and other stakeholders?
Selco Industries determined that the best fit for its needs would be to acquire complementary product lines from another diverse business. Selco concluded that Simon Marketing, Inc. had a complimentary line of products that matched its needs at the time. Founded in 1993, Simon Marketing, Inc. was a certified MBE based in Elgin, Illinois. The Simon product line
included insertable index tabs, laser printer labels, copier labels, PlazStyx™ labels and the popular Stor-a-File™ storage boxes. These products helped elevate the company from a
regional supplier to an international supplier that provided its products to a number of large corporate customers. Like Selco Industries, Simon Marketing, Inc. also had a strong business relationship with OfficeMax for many years.
“Simon Marketing had been a long-time MBE vendor to OfficeMax that had provided filing labels, index dividers, mailing labels, and storage boxes. Over the past few years, Simon has been challenged by several of our larger label vendors who have been competing hard in the category,” noted Anthony Billinger, Director of Corporate Supplier Diversity at OfficeMax.
The product line offered by Simon Marketing seemed like a natural fit to complement the existing SJ Paper product line of filing and custom filing products. Therefore, the acquisition of the three lines – index tabs, labels and storage boxes – became official in February of 2011.
Selco carefully analyzed this opportunity for vendors like OfficeMax to insure that the product base remained solid, while offering a broader array of products by a single vendor. Even though the acquisition meant that OfficeMax lost a diverse supplier in Simon Marketing, the number of products produced by M/WBE’s did not decrease. In addition, customers purchasing the former Simon brand, now receive diversity recognition for both WBE and MBE categories. OfficeMax is also pleased with the results of the acquisition of the product lines.
“We are proud to have Selco as one of our strategic business partners and equally elated to be able to continue our relationship with Simon through the Selco acquisition of the three
product lines formerly supplied by Simon. Diverse suppliers teaming with other diverse suppliers is a powerful model for stronger collaboration and ultimately stronger profits,” says Anthony Billinger.
SJ Paper has been an established and trusted brand for OfficeMax for decades. Bringing the Simon Marketing line of products under the SJ Paper brand extends Selco’s high quality guarantee to a new line of products. The resulting Simon by SJ Paper line has been a great success after just a few months. In August 2011, Selco Industries redesigned the popular Stor-A-File™ boxes originally manufactured by Simon.
The “New and Improved” boxes are designed for easier assembly and improved aesthetic appeal without losing any of their famous functionality or stacking ability. OfficeMax customers and other supporters of Selco Industries are enjoying a better product line that complements the original SJ Paper product line. “Selco’s acquisition decision has been a game-changer. Selco (known for its innovation) was able to make some improvements and supply chain efficiencies to the Simon product offering that is proving to be a win-win for all parties, most importantly OfficeMax customers,” says Anthony Billinger.
There are now 47 different types of filing products under the SJ Paper line; including new labels, index tabs, and storage boxes. In 2012, Selco Industries will continue to enhance its marketing and training efforts as to help the costumer find the products that best suit their needs. The new products also come with Selco’s outstanding customer service, high-quality and competitive prices.
