SOI Forms: A Passing 
Grade

"As a family-owned company, how much we can change will be driven by how much the economy will change which remains unknown. Because the manufacturing segment of the industry is so capital intensive with respect to re-tooling for change, this uncertainty has led to caps on re-investing by financial institutions which, in my opinion, continues to hinder an economic rebound and will be an impediment for those who want to evolve their companies into something different," he explained. "Quickly as we look at the options for changing or adapting our product line, our decisions are now based on which one may bring a quick return on investment. Where in the past, we would have been willing to extend that term a little longer."

But it's not all negative. Russell feels the recession was a bit of a wake-up call to help Americans re-think their bad habits. "Our country, our company and in our personal lives, we became complacent and were living, spending and developing business habits that were not conducive to long-term prosperity," he mentioned.

Russell went on to say that this has been a very educational period for his company and—while difficult at times—Major Business Systems has adjusted its policies to survive now and when the country begins to see more prosperous times. If 
suppliers stay determined, the payoff will be huge.

"I still have confidence in our industry and its necessity for efficiency in the business community. Although the proverbial slice of pie may be somewhat smaller, it still is a substantial market," Russell stated. "There is a need for paper-based solutions for business, but we all must dust off the best practice of systems selling versus order taking. If we can do this, I believe the future is still bright."

Mike Fleming, vice president of operations for Golden City, Missouri-based Golden Business Forms, already is seeing positive changes.