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From Humble Beginnings to DMIA's Helm
September 1998 Growing up on a tobacco farm in Gretna, Va., Roger Jefferson toiled at tasks normally assigned to farm boys by their families. His day started at 5 a.m., when the slap of his father's hand on the staircase roused him and his brother from bed. Jefferson's chores included milking the cows and feeding the hogs. But his calling for business was already budding. When he was 12, Jefferson started raising baby calves, "or anything else I could do to raise an extra buck or two," remembers Jefferson, president of Dominion Solutions Inc., a distributorship in Roanoke, Va. "That was my own little entrepreneurship." After graduating from high school, Jefferson followed some friends to Florida, where he enrolled in the business school at Fort Lauderdale University. To finance his education, Jefferson worked two part-time jobs while going to school, and his wife Linda juggled three jobs. Somehow, Jefferson maintained enough focus to earn an academic scholarship that paid for his final two years of college. "He always talks about understanding the value of a dollar," says Roger's son, Rodney, who came to work at Dominion Solutions three years ago and now heads up the Print & Marketing Communications Division. "His accomplishments are amazing when you consider his roots." Jefferson's accomplishments are amazing, but he considers his roots an integral thread woven into the fabric of his success. "Growing up like that had a major influence on me," he says. "You develop a work ethic that's second to none. You talk about vision-you develop a vision for yourself demanding that you'll be a success one day." Finding Focus In Forms Despite his current status as the head of a multimillion-dollar company and his well-earned reputation as a shrewd businessman, Jefferson says he began his career as something less than a visionary. He worked the night shift at a textile mill for a time after finishing high school and worked in the university bookstore while attending college. He was just as likely to have migrated into one of those industries, Jefferson says, but a friend told him about a job he had in Burroughs' machine (computer) division. Jefferson decided he'd give that a try, too, but the only available opening was in the company's forms division. Jefferson wasn't about to be particular, so he took the job. "I think it turned out for the best," he says with a smile. Jefferson started his career with Burroughs as a sales representative in Richmond in 1972. He was transferred to Roanoke (about 50 miles from his boyhood home) in 1974 and served as branch manager from 1975-78. In July 1978, he left Burroughs to start his own distributorship. Even then, he says, he didn't have a grand scheme for the future of his company. "My goals were just to work for myself and make a good living for my family," Jefferson says. "At that time, I didn't have the vision that this company would become what it is today. I probably wasn't that smart." Jefferson began Dominion Forms Service Inc. as a one-man operation, leaving home every morning at 5:30, returning home at 6 p.m. and writing orders until bedtime. The work was different, but the hours were similar to his boyhood on the farm. Linda, his wife, quit nursing school to keep the books for the fledgling company. Shortly after opening his distributorship, Jefferson hired his first sales rep, Stan Graber, who today serves as Dominion's secretary and treasurer and heads the company's Lynchburg, Va., office. Jefferson gradually added other employees, but the company remained strictly a forms distributorship until the early '80s, when Kevin Gannon, Dominion Solutions' vice president of sales, came on board to spearhead a computer supplies division. Cultivating a Company In 1985, Fitzgerald decided his distributorship should make a move into commercial printing by opening an in-house print shop. Attending a DMIA event that year, he saw plenty of raised eyebrows in reaction to his idea. "I had done all this planning, and everyone thought it was crazy," says Fitzgerald, a former DMIA board member. "But there was this one guy who was saying, 'No, it's not crazy. I've already done that.'" That guy was Jefferson. In fact, Jefferson points to the early '80s as a turning point for Dominion. In 1981, the company launched a commercial printing division, complete with an in-house print shop. "That's when I think we really put together a business plan and said, 'We want to take this to another level,'" Jefferson says. "That piece [commercial printing] has grown from about $120,000 the first year to more than $4 million today." Jefferson says Dominion opened an in-house print shop because clients were requesting commercial printing, and it was hard for the distributorship to get the desired delivery times from outside sources. Finding out exactly what customers need and then providing the solution remains the strategic fertilizer that feeds Dominion's continued growth today, according to Jefferson. "I think what we try to do is be good listeners to our customers and drive our business in that direction," he says, "not necessarily try to drive a product to them." That philosophy continually leads Dominion Solutions to transform itself. Through the years, the company has branched out into promotional products, bar code systems, and fulfillment and distribution services. In 1996, the distributorship began a network technology and integration services division that provides the design, implementation and support of high-end LAN and WAN installations. "One thing I've always admired about this company's leadership is its ability to look at what the customer demands and be ahead of the curve," says Gerald Via, who manages Dominion Solutions' Technology Services Division. "We're embracing technology, not fearing it." Another trend Jefferson is embracing is industry consolidation. In his view, consolidation is the next necessary step for some companies to take if they want to continue providing the best solutions to customers. That was part of the inspiration for forming Dominion Holdings. "I think ultimately, what you'll end up seeing is a lot more regional and national companies than you've seen before," Jefferson predicts. "Dominion Holdings gives each company a chance to expand beyond their geography by sharing products and services. It puts us at another level so we can go after larger accounts." At press time, Dominion Holdings included Dominion Solutions; Available Business Group; and Dominion Forms & Computer Supplies, a Richmond, Va., distributorship that recently merged with Dominion Solutions and adopted its name. Other deals are pending, according to Jefferson. Companies in the Dominion Holdings fold will operate independently, Jefferson says, but eventually will be connected via a network and use the same operations software. Follow the Leader Generally, Rodney Jefferson says, his father is a hands-off manager. He lets people do their jobs without constantly looking over their shoulders, Rodney says, giving them a sense of freedom and trust that obviously has paid dividends. "He's always believed in empowering people," Rodney says. "He allows people to make mistakes and to learn from those mistakes." He also believes in rewarding employees who have earned that trust, Gannon says. He points to the time Jefferson approached him and offered to let him buy into the business. "That told me, if you work hard, he's very fair, and he's going to give you an opportunity to succeed," Gannon says. The atmosphere forged by Jefferson at Dominion Solutions is "very tight-knit," Gannon says. "It's like a family. Maybe it's changing a little bit today with the size of the company, but people enjoy working here. There's a lot of enthusiasm." Dominion Solutions has grown to almost 90 employees, including its branches, but not including other Dominion Holdings companies. Gannon believes Dominion Solutions' success is a testament to Jefferson's business acumen and his personal investment in employees. He cites Jefferson's open door policy as evidence. "If you have a personal problem, he's right there with you at the table," Gannon says. "He's always ready to listen." Susan Lambui, CFC, a senior customer service rep, agrees. "Roger's very fair and very caring," she says. "I trust him almost more than anyone I know." Lambui was the third person Jefferson hired at Dominion (after Linda Jefferson and Stan Graber). She remembers when the distributorship began in "a little 3-room office that we shared with another company." The team atmosphere that was prevalent then is still prevalent today, she says, even as the company expands. "We have a wonderful rapport between all our people," she says. "Everyone really works together. It's been a wonderful ride." Jefferson agrees, but when asked what his biggest achievement in business is, he doesn't point to skyrocketing sales or landing high-profile accounts. "My biggest achievement is to have a company that's been in business for 20 years and that always meets the payroll," Jefferson says. "Obviously, we have well-qualified, hard-working people. The dedication of our employees influences how we run the business because they're the ones who have been capable of taking us to the next level each time." When asked what his strengths are, he hesitates, then gently deflects the question. If Jefferson won't brag, others are ready to step up to the plate for him. "I think he likes to compete," Gannon says. "It's a game to him, and he wants to come out on top. He loves a challenge and doesn't like failures. He approaches business like a big chess game." Gerald Via explains that Jefferson will make a solid leader for DMIA because of the knowledge he can provide. "He has a good grasp of our industry and an ability to look at it," Via says. "He doesn't have tunnel vision. He has the ability to step out and get above it. I think DMIA members will benefit from his years of experience and his knowledge of how to run a business. He certainly built his from the ground up." While Jefferson's business accomplishments most often take center stage, Fitzgerald has been equally impressed by Jefferson's personal qualities-his genuineness and his deep love for his family. "There's no plastic to Roger," Fitzgerald says. "What you see is what you get....As intensely as he talks about work, he can talk about his farm and his daughter and his son and his wife just as intensely." Doing What Comes Naturally Then there's Jefferson himself. While talking business on the telephone, he suddenly taps his knuckles on his desk and points eagerly to the window. On the other side is a small bird perched on the sill, taking only a moment to cock its head curiously before flitting away. The five-second encounter makes Jefferson smile. He loves the outdoors, he says, but these days, nature often takes a back seat to business. "My idea of deer hunting now is to park my pickup truck under the tree stand while I'm on the phone," he says. Business has likewise siphoned away much of the time he previously devoted to other hobbies. Jefferson likes to golf and used to coach youth basketball teams. He still rides around with a basketball in the trunk of his car, but admits he hasn't taken it out in a while. Jefferson lives "around the corner" from Dominion Solutions, but to truly escape, he returns to a backdrop reminiscent of his youth-a dairy farm about 50 miles away from his home and business. "That's where I spend my weekends," Roger says. "I just enjoy getting out on my tractors and not having the phone ring. Outside of work, I'm kind of quiet and introverted." Yes, even on his "days off" from Dominion Solutions, Jefferson can't escape his penchant for hard work. To relax, he makes the pilgrimage to a place that is the epitome of hard work to many people. "Farming is beyond a hobby," he says. Rodney admits he inherited his father's excitement for sales, but not necessarily his energy for farm life. "I go to the farm about once every three or four months," he says. "I'd probably go more often if Dad let me drive one of those air-conditioned tractors. But he hands me a shovel instead." DMIA's future president also has a hard time dodging his instincts for expansion. When Jefferson bought his dairy farm 12 years ago, it was 300 acres with 60 cows. Today, the farm's 1,200 acres are home to 750 animals, including 400 milk cows. Whether it's farming or the "forms industry," Jefferson obviously has his green thumb on the future. "Not bad for a country bumpkin, huh?" Jefferson says with a genuine small-town smile.
Discussing DMIA Of course, Jefferson has gone on to share a few innovative ideas of his own while serving on DMIA's Board of Directors and numerous FUTRENDS Groups and Mid-Year Planning Conference committees. But his most memorable experience was when DMIA asked him to conduct a seminar about starting an in-house print shop at the 10th International Business Forms Exposition-Informservices '83 in New Orleans. "That was a real experience for me," he says. "I was scared to death of the public speaking part of it and of not knowing what my audience's expectations were." He remembers a number of attendees commenting that they would never open a print shop in their distributorships. Jefferson gets some satisfaction seeing how many distributors are doing exactly that today. Jefferson hopes to continue influencing members to "get out of the box" and think of new solutions in his year as DMIA's president. He points to the impact that technology is having on the document management industry. In many cases, he says, traditional business is declining not from direct competition, but from the influence of new technologies. "The Computer Age is obviously having a major impact," he says. "And if we do not aggressively position ourselves with other products and services, it's going to be extremely hard to continue to grow." Because of that challenge, Jefferson hopes to broaden the education available about options outside of traditional products and services. For example, he points to the ever-increasing number of distributorships just beginning to explore commercial printing and advertising specialties. It is vital, he says, that these companies are given the information they need to compete in these newer fields. "I think the key to growth is to become a solution provider," Jefferson says. "Our industry has traditionally been a follower. I think we have to work on that." Another issue facing members is consolidation. "I think part of what is driving the consolidation of our industry is that our industry's customer base is going through the same thing," he says. As mergers and acquisitions continue to tighten the number of prospects in health care, banking and other markets, document management companies also are being forced to adjust. Members are facing tough decisions about whether or not they need to consolidate to survive and which companies they will select to partner with, he says. "I don't think consolidation is for everybody," Jefferson says. "You have some companies that are extremely well-niched. I don't know what benefit it would be to them. But some companies are looking for new partners that will give them opportunities and options for the future." What Industry Peers Say About Roger Jefferson
On what stands out about Jefferson as a businessman: "His energy. His drive. His
insistence on-I hate to use the word perfection-but excellence. His impatience with
anything short of that." Pat Fitzgerald
"Roger is extremely bright, very perceptive and has a passion for this business. I
think he's one of the most respected people in the industry. I always learn something from
talking to him." Frank Burgess On why Jefferson will make a good leader for DMIA: "What makes him a good choice for this role [as DMIA president] is that he really sees the future. He's quick to see where it's all heading and quick to match the strategy to the future." Kevin Gannon "Roger's an unbelievable businessman. He's got a real good sense of how to make things work. He's driven, very focused and loves hard work. If I were to go into business for myself, I'd hire him as a consultant. He's just got business sense." Gerald Via "He is a very astute businessperson. To me, he's one of the people you want to be around so you can learn from him. As a boss, he's very clear about the direction he wants you to go in, and then he gives you the latitude to get there." |
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