About Us...
A Mail Operations And Equipment Sales Company
Hampton Roads Business Machines is in business to sell mailing equipment and other office machines to area businesses. This
however is not what has kept us in business since 1974. Far more important than fine product lines is outstanding product
support. We understand this and have spent years developing solid relationships with our clients.
Our Mission Statement
Hampton Roads Business Machines exists to provide for the common interests of all those associated with our company,
whether they are our Employees, Customers, Suppliers or Owners.
We at HRBM purpose to provide the highest possible customer service whether in the sales of the best
machines, timely response to service requests or maintaining customer equipment to perform as it was designed.
Integrity and honesty will be at the core of all HRBM's decisions and actions toward
our Employees, Customers and Vendors.
Our goal is to earn the reputation as the company of choice in Hampton Roads known for VALUE, QUALITY, SERVICE and
EXPERIENCE in new office equipment.
History
Hampton Roads Business Machines is perhaps one of the original, if not the original local company to have Hampton Roads
as part of their name. The two men who started the company in 1974, John Hardee and William "Bill" Carter, joined their
respective sales efforts, John selling what was known then as "Singer Mailing Equipment" selling Mailing Machines, and Bill
Carter selling Canon Typewriters and Calculators. Bill was going through the new "Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel" and thought
using "Hampton Roads" in this joint venture with Mr. Hardee, would be a great idea. So Hampton Roads Business Machines was
formed as the major alternative to Pitney Bowes and a local company that would serve customers needs beyond the mailroom.
While Canon has remained Canon, although they have gotten out of the typewriter business, Singer has had a few changes in
keeping up with the times and being pitted against the often presumed almost monopoly of Pitney Bowes. Singer was merged
with Friden Corporation.
Carl Friden developed the first electronic calculator, and the Friden Corporation beat the giant Pitney Bowes with the first
electronic scale for the mailroom. This innovation saved companies thousands of dollars in the overposting of mailed items
and tremendous time savings calculating the costs of pieces being mailed. A few years later, Friden then introduced the
first electronic meter that would be automatically set when something was placed on the scale.
Soon the major European telecommunications giant, Alcatel, purchased Friden and now the small mailing machine company had
access to millions of dollars for research and development. Some years later, Neopost, who had been around from the early
1930's acquired the mailroom products division of Alcatel all the while keeping consistent the operations of various branch
and dealer organizations running fairly smoothly.
The next major event that took place was Neopost's acquisition of the #3 (out of 4) company manufacturing and selling mailing
equipment around the world, Ascom Hasler, or now known as Hasler, Inc. When this took place, Hasler basically became another
channel for which Neopost had to distribute their products. Hasler locations in Canada were rolled into Neopost offices.
Here in the United States, we are starting to see some of this taking place as well that enables companies to utilize the
ideas of economies of scale to service their customer base more efficiently and provide an even greater alternative to
Pitney Bowes' customers as well as new customers looking to modernize their mailing operations.
Contact us for more info
|
