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Publication:Utah Business; Issue:Oct 2006;
ABC Office Celebrates 10 Years on the WebIn 1996, ABC Office president Calvin Barlow saw the potential of the Internet and decided to take a chance by offering his office equipment product line in a new, untried medium. Ten years later, ABC Office skipped the dot-com crash, expanded its product line and turned this mom-and-pop shop into a global distributor of office supplies. Established in 1980 as American Binding Company, Barlow’s father, William Barlow, sold binding equipment to local print shops and copy centers out of his Bountiful home. By the mid 80s, the business had moved from the Barlow home into a 4800-square-foot office and warehouse. William retired in 1991, turning American Binding Company over to his sons. In the late 90s, the new economy on the Internet was seeing phenomenal success. Dot-com companies were popping up everywhere, stocks were rising, and fortunes were being made over night. In 1996, ABC Office formally launched www.ABCOffice.com. The company saw an immediate increase in sales and was reaching markets previously inaccessible. The decision was made to transition from a brick-and-mortar store to an e-commerce format. In 2000, the dot-bomb exploded. The growth-over-profits approach that led companies to invest millions of dollars in Web sites and cyber-ventures was losing ground. Humiliated high-profile Internet-based companies like Kozmo.com, Etoys and Pets.com declared bankruptcy, and existing corporations suffering heavy losses cut back their Internet marketing. While other companies were surveying the damage, the Barlow family pushed its online-company forward. Avoiding the wild speculation that eventually doomed other dot-coms, ABC Office applied brick-and-mortar strategies to their virtual business. ABC Office expanded its binding equipment product line to include office equipment and supplies, office furniture, security systems and ID equipment. The move paid off. Growth, fueled by significant Web market sales, necessitated the need for expansion. The company relocated to Kaysville and built a 27,000-square-foot facility. Today, ABC Office remains at its core a family business and has developed into a worldwide distributor of office equipment, serving customers in Utah, Mexico, Nicaragua, Canada, Japan, Afghanistan, Great Britain and other global markets. |