When the University of Minnesota Athletic Department’s copier/print contracts came up for renewal from a previous vendor, they felt it was time to review their needs and simplify their copying/printing process. The Athletic Department’s drivers for making a change was to streamline their product lines and work with just one vendor and one timeline for their contracts.

Through the bid process, John Borchert, Director of Technology & Athletics for the University of Minnesota, evaluated several vendors and chose Marco as their partner of choice. John said, “Not only did Marco come in with the lowest bid, they also offered us many other benefits. We had dealt with Marco in the past and had a good relationship with them. Our Marco printers were problem-free. It was a win-win situation all across the board.”

Eric Casteel, Marco sales manager, reviewed and assessed the Athletic Department’s copy/print needs and recommended a mix of Sharp and HP color and black and white multifunction units. The Athletic Department liked the Sharp units because of the integrated tracking software that allows them to track copy and print usage.

In 2006 Marco implemented the Athletic Department’s new Sharp and HP multifunction copiers and printers and helped them reorganize some of their current units based on the needs of each of their departments.

This past year, a user coding system was developed so they can now track their copy/print usage by units, individuals, and teams. They charge back color copy usage by unit and department. John feels that one of their best strategies was to centralize their color printing. He explained, “We had a lot of desktop color printers which made it hard to hold people accountable for color printing. The Athletic Department’s users now have an estimated fixed cost for their prints and can budget accordingly and track their prints.”

“It’s nice to have all of our copiers/printers with one company,” said John. “Marco was willing to replace some of our units so that we have one common product line. We were able to roll all of our expired contracts into the same timeline. We appreciate the ability to add printers as needed and keep it all under one umbrella and under the same terms as we grow.”

Nate Wagenaar, Information Technology Specialist for the U of M’s Athletic Department, is responsible for networking their printers. He worked with Marco on the switchover and configuration of the new devices. “Having uniform hardware is very beneficial,” said Nate. “Marco’s technicians were very knowledgeable and helpful to me in answering my questions. It went quite flawlessly.”

The U of M Athletic Department uses Marco’s online system to place their service calls. “Marco’s technicians get here within a day or less,” said Nate. “I don’t feel like I ever have to make a second request for service – it has been very good.”

When the Athletic Department holds special events, Marco provides a service technician on-site before, during, and after the event to support their printing needs. The technician assists them with large print jobs such as news reports and stat sheets for the coaches. John said, “They’ve been very polite in working with us. They have always given us the help we needed.”

Marco also conducts an annual review with the Athletic Department to assess their document productivity needs so that units can be reconfigured and features can be added based on their workload requirements.

When asked if they’d recommend Marco to other organizations, John replied, “Certainly – they’re our guys. Marco provided us with a good solution and they grew with us. We have confidence in Marco that they can solve any issue that comes up and it’s solved forever. They make things happen so we don’t have to worry about copying/printing issues – Marco just takes care of it for us.

Nate added, “From a service standpoint, Marco has been extremely good compared to other companies I have worked with.”

Home of the Golden Gophers, the University Of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics supports 11 women's and 11 men's varsity sports teams in Big Ten competition—at Williams Arena, the Sports Pavilion, Mariucci Hockey Arena, Ridder Arena, the Aquatic Center, and sports fields at many locations. As the state’s only Division I institution, the U of M Athletic Department generates a high level of public interest and media coverage. Golden Gopher student athletes are featured on television, radio, Web sites, and in magazines and newspapers nationwide.