Erich Kretzinger

The history of Select Office Systems…

Select Office Systems began as a calculated risk for three local men on January 5, 1998. Two experienced technicians and one experienced business manager turned away from guarantees and comfort, staking their future on the belief that exceptional service was still the most valued commodity.

Operating out of a converted basement sewing room, Select Office Systems opened with no customers and no income. However, word soon spread that there was once again a local choice for office equipment.

As sales began to drive higher, space soon became a major issue - and the patient owner of that sewing room had projects waiting. In April, 1998, the first public location for Select Office Systems was established in downtown Boone, Iowa.

More customers were now enjoying prompt service response and fast personal delivery of supplies. The evidence for needing more space was all around such that in December, 1998, Select Office Systems moved to a much larger facility on West Lincoln Way, Ames. The location was, and remains, exceptional for assisting in the efficient coverage of a large geographic sales and service territory.

In the Spring of 1999, the opportunity came to purchase the office machine business of The Idea Press of Perry, Iowa. Acquiring many substantial customers, the addition of two seasoned professionals was of equally great benefit. Soon a branch facility was opened on the downtown square in Jefferson, Iowa, to improve service and sales support in the surrounding region.

Sharp digital copiers were consistently winning industry awards for reliability, performance and ease-of-use. As service issues reduced, sales requests increased. Multi-functional network printing and scanning encouraged customers to use their equipment in new ways. Having the skills available to support these new applications would require experienced computer system professionals. To this end, American Computer of Ames, Iowa, was acquired in July, 2004.

By the fall of 2005, success had been achieved in every measure. The most limiting factor was restriction to a now too small geographic territory. On November 1, 2005, the same day American Computer officially became known as Select Computer Systems, Barber Business Machines of Fort Dodge, Iowa, was acquired, providing this opportunity for continued growth in the coming years.

As Select Office Systems steams toward marking ten years in business, more exciting developments will come. However, the original commitment to providing exceptional service remains. Our customers will always agree: Our Service Can't Be Copied.