This is the first in our series of profiles of the 2014 Chamber of Commerce Award winners. The awards will be presented at a dinner at the Clarion Hotel on Saturday.
Applied Business Systems (ABS), owned and operated by Jim and Connie DiSalvo, took the dreary task of stuffing envelopes to new heights when they began their own business three decades ago. They saw a need for businesses to outsource "forms distribution" and it started from there.
Stuffing, addressing, and mailing thousands of letters is an onerous task, often requiring more staff time than many businesses can afford. So developing cost-effective means to reduce the burden of mailing seemed like a worthy enterprise in which to invest.
Today, ABS mails more than four million letters a year for local businesses and others across the country. It is the recipient of the 2014 Entrepreneurial Business of the Year Award from the Chamber of Commerce.
Located in the Harvester Avenue complex, it's another well-hidden success story here in Genesee County, said Paul Saskowski of Genesee County ARC.
ARC has worked with ABS for more than 20 years, and knows firsthand that ABS works hard to cut customer costs and deliver outstanding work on-time, Saskowski said, explaining why he nominated them.
“Mailing individual pieces to thousands of different customers seems like a daunting task,” Saskowski wrote in his nomination letter. “It used to be a secretary typing the paper, folding the paper, stuffing the envelope, addressing the envelope, sealing the envelope, applying postage and taking it to the post office. It hurts just to read the process…ABS decided to take on these tasks and provide that service to customers in the most cost-effective ways possible.”
Their innovation has made a tedious process less "hurtful."
“We’ve taken our knowledge of the forms and printing industry and applied that to our customer’s needs and paying points, and truly, with that type of relationship and partnership, we’ve been able to consistently provide our clients with a great finished piece based on what their business needs were,” said Vice President of Production Steve Samis.
Despite the huge volume forms they handle, ABS has built a great reputation. Saskowski attributes that in part to their emphasis on proper preparation and labeling, as well as their ability to effectively collaborate with clients.
“If the lowest cost comes out of sorting 60,000 pieces to 35 individual zip codes in that county, ABS gets it done,” Saskowski says. “When ARC needed to change their billing procedures for their trash and recycling business, the professionals at ABS helped smooth out the task of billing thousands of new customers."
Whether it's designing forms or logos, or making the database fit, ABS finds ways to meet their customers' needs.
An entrepreneurial spirit helps make that possible. The Disalvos have always had that, but they are probably better known to the community at large for having a lot of holiday spirit.
Each year, around the holidays, the couple treats more than 1,000 visitors to a spectacular light display, known community-wide as “The Lights on Fargo.”
At work or at home, the DiSalvos find ways to shine.
