Blog Posts for Leadership

The ride of life is already a daunting and challenging task in itself; therefore, no one should have to endure it alone. The power of  a community formed by people willing to make a positive impact and lessening the burden on others cannot be properly valued. Life may be good at times and it may be bad at times, but because of people and organizations like The Jillian Fund, life is ultimately defined as beautiful. (more…)

I didn’t want to open a blog post with an Oprah Winfrey quote, but she seems to really know what she’s talking about: “To move forward, you have to give back.”

I think that we all have a responsibility as individuals, and as corporations, to give back. Giving back comes in many forms. For some, it’s donating their time. For others, it’s donating their money. For me, it’s a combination of volunteer work, supporting small businesses and collecting hotel toiletries when I travel to donate to homeless shelters. It’s from giving back that we really see the world in a different light, and, as Oprah says, we move forward. (more…)

When an award is won, there are always individuals who are not in the forefront but provide the necessary support for the win to occur. For example, in order for a Super Bowl MVP to be named, the entire team needs to be in sync with one another; if the quarterback wins the award (which is most often the case) the offensive line has to block and receivers have to catch the ball. A movie cannot win an Oscar for best picture without a team of talented actors, writers, directors, cinematographers and a marketing team. And, Konica Minolta Business Solutions could not have been awarded the recent Buyers Laboratory Inc (BLI) PaceSetter Award For The Legal Vertical without the support of many individuals. (more…)

Following #HPEDiscover a few weeks ago, the biggest technology event for Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and our partners, I wanted to share the following story regarding one of the best and most innovative OEM solutions and customers I have had the pleasure and opportunity to work with, Konica Minolta.

In 2015 the HPE OEM Global Business Unit, led by Phil Cutrone and supported by Allan Mugu, identified a potential net new OEM opportunity that proposed a solution which would be first to market and revolutionize the Multi-Function Printer (MFP) market. Transforming the use of the 1m x 1m space, currently used for just print services, into a Hybrid IT edge enabled device for the connected workplace of the future. (more…)

In 2016, I was selected as a finalist for the Ben Hogan Award. That was my junior year at the University of Texas. I won six college tournaments and only finished outside the top 10 once during the season. Needless to say, it was a breakout year. Looking back, it’s even more eye opening than when I first accomplished it. (more…)

I was recently given the honor of accepting the ACG NJ 2018 Corporate Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of Konica Minolta. I really couldn’t be more enthusiastic about this recognition because it truly reflects the drive we feel internally with our push towards innovation, corporate growth, and excellence within our own organizational best practices. (more…)

Change is in the Air: Transformation Underway

Konica Minolta has always been a brand with transformation and change as part of its DNA, ingrained in the company culture. From having a Minolta camera on the first American manned shuttle that went into space in 1962, to releasing the world’s first 35 mm camera with auto focus in 1977, we have had many world firsts. As our CEO Shoei Yamana mentioned in a recent interview with the Financial Times, innovation at Konica Minolta has historically been focused on ‘over engineering’ our products. In times of stability, such product innovations absolutely have their place. However, today our traditional market place has shrunk dramatically. For Konica Minolta to retain market relevancy, we have to shift our focus to customer value. It is definitely a very different focus to “how can we make our products better.” And so, over the last four years, Konica Minolta’s innovative journey has been accelerating like never before. With the establishment of our Business Innovation Centers, expansion of our R&D facilities globally, and our acquisitions, Konica Minolta is closer than ever to our clients. All this is supporting Konica Minolta’s transformation into a leading edge IT Services business. (more…)

Just 26 days into the New Year, Konica Minolta made an unprecedented announcement: For the eleventh consecutive year, we were named Number One in Customer Loyalty in the 2018 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index in the “MFP Copier” category. Eleven years in a row. What a way to begin a new year.

But what does this mean? And what are we doing so successfully to earn this amazing distinction? (more…)

Today marks the fifth annual #GivingTuesday, celebrated on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and on the heels of the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday. #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable giving season, encouraging social action, collaboration and generosity.

At Konica Minolta, we’re committed to making our world a better place. It’s engrained in our corporate culture and stems from our philosophy which aims to “create value for society.” As a global company, we work hard to use our wide-reaching resources and expertise to contribute to the greater good. We’re promoting environmental sustainability by continually developing and perfecting the greenest products and solutions on the market. This year we’ve even added the new goal of achieving “Carbon Minus” status to our long term environmental plan, Eco Vision 2050.

This year employees donated more than 3,000 books to students through our Books2BETTER initiative

Here in the U.S. our employees are changing our world for the better everyday. This year alone, we’ve put more than 3,000 books into the homes of young readers from low-income families, contributed $6,000 to breast cancer research and devoted hundreds of volunteer hours to harvesting vegetables for local food banks and rebuilding our communities. Konica Minolta has also contributed $40,000 in matched donations to nonprofit organizations important to our employees through our newly launched Matching Contributions Program. These are all achievements to be proud of and inspire us to continue to think of new and creative ways that we can pay it forward in the coming year.

Employees wore pink on October 19 to raise awareness for Breast Cancer on our annual Think Pink Day

That’s the beauty of giving, there are seemingly infinite ways that every person can make the world a better place, and as a company that values innovation and creativity, we are well equipped to come up with solutions to problems. This year, I read the brilliantly written book, “Half the Sky” by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. It was an eye-opening glimpse into one of the largest humanitarian issues facing our world today, the oppression of so many women and girls in developing countries. More girls have been killed in the last fifty years, just because of their gender, than men were killed in all the wars of the twentieth century. But the authors suggest that there is an attainable solution; by providing financial support and education to th

A team of Konica Minolta women teamed up for a Habitat for Humanity Women’s Build volunteer day during June

ese women and girls, oppression can be turned into opportunity.

I came away from the book wanting to help. The Lady Savant Foundation recently opened a school for 6th – 8th grade students in Cambodia and are actively seeking funds and educational materials to support the school and their “Girls Be Ambitious” program, an incentive program to keep girls safe, educated, and out of human trafficking circles. The Foundation teams up with the ArtWare organization, to run creative team building events to design tiles for charitable causes. During December, a group of Konica Minolta employees will have the opportunity to design educational “ABC” tiles that will be installed on the walls of the school in 2018. I’m excited to see what our employees create together and thrilled that we will be contributing directly to such an important cause.

This #GivingTuesday, take a moment to think about what you can do to give back. Whether the gesture is large or small, creative or simple, every act of kindness makes the world a better place. At Konica Minolta, we’re excited for what the New Year holds and look forward to continuing to provide innovative solutions of all kinds in 2018!

I love a well-kept yard and work very hard at hiring the right company to get my yard to look great. Admittedly, I don’t have the time or expertise to spend on my yard to keep it well-trimmed with beautiful beds, so I hire a service to do the job – better than I ever could. If I lived in a climate that got snow, I’d probably hire a plowing service to “shovel me out” – not because I can’t shovel or buy my own plow, but because someone else has the machinery to do it faster and better. (more…)