The story behind Bann Business Solutions is anything but boring. Originally a manufacturer of business forms, the Minnesota-based company, then known as Bann Printing, launched in 1939 under the leadership of William J. Bann. He later handed over the keys to his son Richard (Dick), who created new staff positions and built a spacious production plant in Eagan.
Things took a different turn in the ʼ70s. The company fell victim to internal thefts during the height of national labor strife. For Bann, that meant a lithographers’ strike. Fast-forward to the late ʼ90s. By then, Bann had been operating as a division of Stuart Hooper Company, a forms manufacturer based in Chicago. Dick was retired and his son Bill was in charge. When Bill learned that Stuart Hooper Company was sold to Minneapolis-headquartered Holden Company, he approached his brother Michael, who worked as a salesperson for Bann at the time. After meeting with Holden’s principal officer, the two brothers settled on a fresh start.
Together they launched Bann Forms Technology, an independent sales distributorship in St. Paul, Minn. In 2008, the company changed its name to Bann Business Solutions to better reflect its growing product line and services.
It’s an interesting story, no doubt. More importantly, it’s Bann’s story and Michael wouldn’t have it any other way. “Besides my role as ‘Dad,’ I have never had another job—as of yet,” he teased. Read on as Michael shares his thoughts on the industry.
Print+Promo (P+P): How do you set goals for yourself? For your business?
Michael C. Bann (MCB): I sit down at the end of every year and make both personal and business goals. I hang them up on my office wall as a reminder. My goals tend to change throughout the year, but I’m not as good as I should be about writing those down. Maybe that can be a new goal for next year.
P+P: How does the economy continue to affect the industry?
MCB: As much as our current administration continues to tell us how perfect everything is, we all know it is far from that. That said, there are sectors that are doing better and spending some money. The smart distributors will continue to try and focus their efforts on those sectors that have money to spend.
P+P: What do you expect to be some of the biggest changes and challenges the industry will face?
MCB: We all need to be focused on those that would try to further commoditize our business. We need to be laser-focused not on price, but on value. We also must be willing to change and look for new markets and new products and services to sell to those markets. Finally, the challenge of trying to remain independent or selling out to a larger concern. There is another wave of consolidation going on and I’m not sure it is for the better. Time will tell.
P+P: What keeps you up at night?
MCB: I have had some incredible highs in this industry and some incredible lows. So after all of that not much keeps me up anymore. If there were anything, it would be the amount of deceit—that there is so much money to be made by doing the wrong thing and the “me first” focus.
P+P: What do you think is the most exciting, cutting-edge thing your company is doing right now? Why?
MCB: We have been fortunate enough to find a few unique patented products to have some exclusive rights to resell, be they the Paper Webkey or the brand new digital direct mail (not email) product not many people know about yet. Our digital direct mail product has opened more doors than anything in years.
P+P: What would people be
surprised to learn about you—hobbies, special interests, etc.?
MCB: Maybe that I was a highly competitive amateur golfer for 25 years who has now turned more to road biking up mountains in the summers and climbing to some extreme areas to ski down them in the winter. However, my main interests remain my faith, family and friends.
Elise Hacking Carr is senior production editor for Print & Promo Marketing magazine, and managing editor for PRINTING United Journal.