Company Overview
Established in 1986, GP Companies is the world leader in plunger pump products for high pressure cleaning, car washes, reverse osmosis/desalination, and industrial process applications. They offer the widest range of pumps available along with a full array of accessories and North America's favorite spray tip for high pressure washers.
GP Companies has 70 employees at their 54,000 sq. ft. headquarters in Mendota Heights, which includes their office, warehouse, and distribution center.
The Challenge
GP Companies depends on technology every day to keep their business running smoothly. But as the company grew, the demands on their single IT resource grew with it — faster than one person could reasonably manage.
They had tried hiring an in-house support person in the past, but struggled to find someone with the right mix of expertise for their Novell network and infrastructure. After selling part of the company, a full-time help desk hire was no longer justifiable.
What they needed was access to a deeper knowledge base — without the overhead of another full-time employee.
Joe Igo, IT Manager at GP Companies, decided it was time to take a different approach.
He explains, "It seemed like an easy transition to go with Marco's Managed Services Program because they were already familiar with our network. I looked to Marco for their Novell network support."
The Solution: Fully Managed IT
Igo worked with his Marco Technology Advisor to determine the right level of support for GP Companies' needs. The result was a fully managed IT services arrangement that gave their 70 computer users unlimited support desk access Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Freeing Up IT Leadership
For Igo — who manages three departments in addition to IT — the impact was immediate. With Marco handling day-to-day issues, he could focus on higher-value work.
He states, "Everyone has the ability to go through Marco's support desk for their computer issues so they do not need to go through me. As Marco addresses our day-to-day routine maintenance issues, it frees up more time for me to focus on more project-oriented activities. Our users are also getting a quicker response to their issues. The response we receive from Marco is faster and more efficient."
Access to a Deeper Bench
One of the biggest advantages was the breadth of expertise now available to GP Companies — something no single hire could have replicated.
"A Marco support desk representative is always available when I call," Igo says. "They have helped with a wide range of problems and always seem to have an answer for my specific issue. If they need to research an issue, they usually get back to me with an answer by the next day or sooner. In addition, the knowledge base we're tapping into is much better than what we've had before. Now I know why it was so hard to find one person to fill the help desk role at GP Companies. If the people from Marco's support desk don't have the answer, they have access to other knowledgeable IT staff within Marco that can help resolve the issue."
On-site Support and Ongoing Visibility
Beyond the support desk, Marco provides GP Companies with an on-site technician every two weeks to handle tasks like setting up new desktops, network maintenance, and other network-related responsibilities.
Igo coordinates directly with his Marco Networking Engineer to stay ahead of issues as they arise.
GP Companies also receives monthly status reports covering support desk utilization and network health checks, along with an annual review to analyze server and call data.
Igo adds, "My Marco Technology Advisor keeps me informed of what's new in the industry. He's my window to information about what other companies are doing and the new technologies available that can enhance our business."
The Results: Smooth Sailing
For Igo, the clearest measure of success is the absence of noise. When IT is working the way it should, nobody complains — and that's exactly what happened.
Managed IT gave GP Companies a more cost-effective, more responsive IT operation — without adding headcount. And Igo was confident enough in the model to recommend it to others.
"I don't get much feedback from our users which means there are no problems," Igo says. "The bottom line is if you're not getting calls, the system is working. If your IT situation is similar to ours, you should give it a try. I've already talked to a couple of companies and told them the same."
What GP Companies' Experience Shows
For mid-sized companies with lean IT teams, the question isn't whether to get more support — it's how to structure it.
A full-time hire can't cover every specialty. A managed IT partner with a deep bench can.
For GP Companies, the right model meant:
- Their IT manager could stop being the bottleneck and start being a strategic contributor
- Users got faster responses
- Leadership got better visibility
- The business got an IT operation that scaled with it
