Rick Wesley

Six distributors share the secrets and strategies that put them on top. Workflow What makes the same distributor retain the No. 1 spot on the BFL&S Top 100 Distributors list for four consecutive years? According to Rick Wesley, president of Workflow (formerly SFI), a Norfolk, Virginia-based distributor, the formula for success lies in managing customer supply chains effectively. "Our strategy for the past three years has been to do an analysis of potential customers' supply chain needs, propose a better solution than what they have, and then begin managing their products on the iGetSmart e-commerce platform," said Wesley. The iGetSmart system is the

Shaky times did not disturb these top distributors. Lead by CEO Tom D'Agostino, Jr. and President Rick Wesley, Norfolk, Virginia-based SFI has captured the coveted No. 1 spot in BFL&S' Top 100 Distributors ranking for the third year in a row. Proactive thinking and hands-on involvement by SFI management has been at the heart of its success, for as D'Agostino observed, "When the decisions are made by an organizations' bankers or people in ivory towers it loses it competitiveness and esprit de corps." And the rate of obsolescence of printing needs has inspired SFI to move its market share forward to provide supply

Which model to choose, however, is the question. It's not quite daybreak when the buyer of one of TopForm Software's clients sits down at a computer to get an updated report on the status of the company's print product orders. Without a single phone call or fax, the buyer retrieves the information and is free to start the day. That is just one of the great benefits of online forms management, said Julie Pritchard, president, TopForm Software, Norcross, Ga. "Customers can check a real-time status of their orders whenever, and from wherever, they want." This no fuss, no muss solution explains much of on-line