Phil Schmidt's right index finger moves from the steering wheel toward a black button on the dashboard. He presses it four times, skipping CDs by Jimmy Buffett, Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Marley and Fleetwood Mac. This morning, he says, is a "perfect time for some Stones."
Mick Jagger jams, a few minutes pass, then Schmidt's index finger points upward. "One thing I know for sure," he says as he drives, "is that my wife is some kind of saint." He touches his brown-gray moustache and adjusts his glasses. His wife, Sue, is a public-school teacher who helps first-graders recover from reading difficulties. Her 53rd birthday is tomorrow, and he's planning to treat her to steak, carrot cake and wine. They celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary in June.
"I'm extremely blessed," Schmidt says, "because it must be next to impossible to deal with someone like me for 30 years." This affectionate line sets up his punch line: "Especially because I'm only 25." He snickers, then continues. "Sue and I were married five years before I was born," he deadpans. "You know, I really don't recall much of the ceremony."
When Schmidt is at home in his music-listening lair, sitting on his burgundy recliner and playing air guitar to one of his 14 boxed sets, his blaring Bose speakers tend to drown out a significant portion of North America. But today, in his silver Lexus ES-300, the music volume is low. The next few miles are a cacophony of well-timed jokes, high-pitched hoots and the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want."
Schmidt wants a lot--continued happiness for Sue and their three daughters, more idea sharing among DMIA members, straighter golf shots with his long irons--but at the moment, he'll settle for several audio books. This might be a problem, he mentions while entering the parking lot of Talking Book World, because the franchise allows customers to rent only two selections per visit. The morning after next, Schmidt must drive five hours south to Athens, Ohio, to help his youngest daughter, Alisha, move into an apartment near the campus of Ohio University, where she's a senior. "It's more than a 2-tape trip," he says, opening the door to Talking Book World.
Schmidt spots the store's owner behind the checkout counter. "Lorraine!" he says, waving. "I've missed you!"
Lorraine smiles. "Well, look who it is," she says. "You came back."
"I'd never leave you," Schmidt says, singing the last word. "This place is too cool."
Lorraine turns her palms upward and shrugs her shoulders. "Flattery will get you everywhere," she says. "You know that, don't you?"
Yes, he does. Kick in some humor, humility and honesty, and you have the foundation for Schmidt's reputation among document industry peers as a jester-slash-gentleman. Schmidt can be more conversational than cerebral, but most people who know him say his sincerity is refreshingly genuine, and that his depth exceeds his droll. "Sometimes, the perception is he's a happy-go-lucky guy and that's it," says 26-year-old Kendra Schmidt, his oldest daughter. "He has a level of caring that some people might not suspect, and he's one of the most well-read people I know." Schmidt's bookshelves at home are stacked with hardbacks.
But driving and reading simultaneously isn't a wise thing to do on I-75 South, so Lorraine walks Schmidt to a section of Talking Book World that's stocked with audio tapes of legal thrillers and murder mysteries. He picks up One False Move by mystery writer Harlan Coben, The Judgment by legal-thriller author Dudley W. Buffa and The Wandering Hill by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Larry McMurtry. Schmidt says he particularly enjoys Coben's character Myron Bolitar, a crime solver who owns a sports agency, makes wisecracks and holds his family in high regard.
Schmidt explains the Ohio trip to Lorraine and says, "Do you think I could sweet-talk you into letting me have a few more tapes than--"
"Heavens, sure," Lorraine says. Then she nearly echoes a line from the Rolling Stones song Schmidt had sung on the way here: "Just get what you need."
Schmidt leaves the store with a stack of audio books and places them in his car's back seat. He leaves the parking lot and slides his right hand across a small, black mat affixed to the dashboard. The top has a special adhesive that prevents cell phones or other items from sliding off the dashboard. It also features the purple, black and red logo of Advanced Systems & Forms Inc., the Livonia, Mich.-based distributorship he founded as a 23-year-old in 1971.
Phil Schmidt, president of Livonia, Mich.-based distributorship Advanced Systems & Forms Inc., and DMIA's incoming president, relaxes in his music-listening lair, where he keeps hundreds of CDs and books.
Schmidt promotes a casual instead of corporate atmosphere at Advanced Systems & Forms. He works closely with Dave Carapellotti, a sales service professional who joined the company in 1994 and oversees more than 250 accounts.
Schmidt sits in his office at Advanced Systems & Forms,
leaning back in his chair and clasping both hands behind his head. He says he's
eager to become DMIA's 2003-04 president, a 1-year term that begins Oct. 23 at
the association's Print Solutions 2003 Conference & Expo in Las Vegas. A
long-time DMIA supporter, Schmidt has served on the association's Board of
Directors since 2000 as well as on numerous committees.
As Schmidt speaks, six dusty beer cans dangle from his office ceiling on wire and string. The cans were cut and crushed into the shape of a model airplane, and the word "Schmidt's" appears on each one. His wife gave him the whimsical gift 20 years ago.
Other signs of Advanced Systems & Forms' laid-back atmosphere abound. On the wall behind Schmidt is a poster of The Three Stooges in golf attire. A few magazines, including Inc. and Bon Appetit, appear on the desk in front of him. To the right of his PC sits a small stereo and two stacks of CDs from several genres, including classic rock (Derek & The Dominoes), folk (Harry Chapin), alternative (Phish) and country (George Jones). Down the hall from his office, a pennant commemorating Ohio State University's national football championship victory in 2003 adorns the desk of Mark Schmidt, Phil's younger brother who has been a sales representative at the company since 1981. A sign taped to the inside of the men's restroom in one of the company's two warehouses reads: "Farting Prohibited." The three I's on the sign are dotted with little puffs of smoke.
Advanced Systems & Forms' interior is far more casual than corporate. Six of the distributorship's 10 employees have worked here for a decade or longer. It seems fitting that the firm is located on Joy Road. "We have a small-company feel, but it's also professional when it needs to be," says Dave Carapellotti, a sales service professional at the distributorship and Schmidt's right-hand man. He joined the company in 1994 and oversees more than 250 accounts. "Phil's one of the most understanding people I've met," he says. "He doesn't take himself seriously, and the rest of us are free to be ourselves. We do take our customers seriously, though, especially when they can benefit from new ideas."
Plenty of companies can put ink on paper and deliver printed items quickly, Phil Schmidt often reminds himself, so Advanced Systems & Forms can distinguish itself through customer service. "Phil's a big believer that business is about creating lasting relationships, and he's right," says Thom Mellen, a salesperson who will celebrate his 20th anniversary at the company in November.
"An interesting thing about Phil is that he's cheesy, but not under a false pretense," Carapellotti says. "He'll call a client and say, 'I haven't talked to you in a while, and you might need some business cards soon. So I guess it's time to kiss your butt a little and take you to a Pistons game, huh?' The customer will laugh, maybe talk about sports--and then reorder."
Schmidt says he's a sucker for "witty sarcasm, stupid slapstick and sophomoric pranks." Two of his favorite movies are Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary. "Phil is more gregarious and positive than almost anyone I know," Mellen says. "He can walk up to a crowd of 10 people he's never met, and a half hour later, he has 10 new buddies."
Schmidt's employees say his ability to communicate (and joke) with customers contributes to Advanced Systems & Forms' success. Six of the distributorship's 10 employees have worked at the company for a decade or longer.
Berendsen Fluid Power is one of North
America's largest distributors of hydraulic and pneumatic products, including
pumps, valves and gauges. The firm, based in Tulsa, Okla., employs more than 400
people in 50 locations throughout the United States and Canada. Advanced Systems
& Forms began selling business forms and stationery to the firm more than 15
years ago, when it was a small, family-run business in Detroit. Since then, Schmidt's company has kept the account despite the client's three ownership changes.
A few years ago, Berendsen Fluid Power asked Schmidt if Advanced Systems & Forms could warehouse and distribute instruction and human-resource manuals, and price and parts lists provided by Berendsen's 100+ vendors. "We said sure, then tried to learn as much as we could about that kind of operation," Schmidt says. He called several pick-and-pack experts, including Roger P. Jefferson, chief operator of business at Roanoke, Va.-based distributorship Source4 and DMIA's 1998-99 president. They offered advice, including tips on charging for the service, Schmidt says. (See "Striking Chords with Industry Peers" below.)
Today, Advanced Systems & Forms has two warehouses with 6,000 square feet of combined space. It distributes 100 percent of Berendsen Fluid Power's literature, and still provides forms and business cards to the client. "We no longer have 50 offices trying to find room for several hundred brochures and other materials," says John Palovik, vice president of operations at Berendsen Fluid Power. "Phil's company provides responsive service and reliability. And I would consider Phil a friend--we know about each other's family and businesses."
Advanced Systems & Forms offers customers a breadth of products, including commercial printing, presentation folders, envelopes, bar coded items, filing systems, roll products and plastic cards. The company markets itself as a corporate communications provider. In 1995, commercial printing accounted for approximately 45 percent of the distributorship's sales; today, it accounts for approximately 70 percent. Last year, the firm's annual sales were approximately $4 million.
Jim Beebe, Advanced Systems & Forms' vice president and a partner at the company, deserves credit for developing the distributorship's sales strategies, Schmidt says. Beebe is a rows-and-columns guy, he says, which complements Schmidt's spontaneity. "We would have a difficult time surviving without him," Schmidt says. "We like to bounce ideas back and forth."
Advanced Systems & Forms' employees often walk back and forth to Color Reproductions, a print shop next door that runs a high-speed digital copier, a 2-color press, a Ricoh printer the distributorship uses primarily for black-and-white jobs, a thermography machine and other equipment. Veteran sales rep Mellen might as well own the Ricoh, which prints approximately 6,000 instruction sheets daily for his largest automotive account.
Schmidt says the distributorship's biggest challenges during the next few years will be increasing its online presence and attaining new customers. "If you're not afraid of change, this is a great time to be in our industry," he says.
