NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release          For More Information Contact:

June 15, 2016                    Brent Hoskins

          Executive Director

          (816) 303-4040

KYOCERA Document Solutions America Earns Business Technology Association’s Top 2016 Channel’s Choice Award

Four vendors were among this year’s award winners  

Kansas City, Mo. ¾ On Friday, June 10, during the BTA at 90: A Celebration event at Kansas City Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, KYOCERA Document Solutions America Inc. was presented with the 2016 BTA Channel’s Choice Superior Performance Award by the Business Technology Association (BTA; www.bta.org). Mark O’Hara, vice president of business planning, and Chuck Gonzalez, senior business solution consultant, accepted the coveted award on behalf of Kyocera from 2015-16 BTA President Dave Quint. In addition, Kyocera received Channel’s Choice awards in the Corporate Support, Distribution, Product Line and Inventory performance categories.

“On behalf of our president, Mr. Yukio Ikeda, and the Kyocera executive management team, we are extremely proud, honored and humbled to be recognized by BTA and the dealer community as the 2016 recipient of the Channel’s Choice Superior Performance — Primary Vendor award,” O’Hara said as he accepted the award. “To be receiving this award in BTA's 90th milestone year is especially gratifying. This award is positive validation and serves as tangible evidence that our ‘customer-centric’ efforts are being accepted and embraced by our channel partners. Once again, we are extremely humbled by this award and offer our full commitment toward achieving ‘best-in-class’ status to serve as a true competitive edge and differentiator in our effort to earn the trust of and business from our channel partners.”

Three other vendors were also presented with 2016 Channel’s Choice awards. Muratec America Inc. received the award for its Outstanding Performance as a Secondary Product Line Provider. Jim D’Emidio, president, accepted the award. Clover Imaging Group received the award in the Cartridge Remanufacturer category. Ron Petrucci, senior vice president of business development, accepted the award. GreatAmerica Financial Services received the award in the Third-Party Leasing category. Jennie Fisher, senior vice president and general manager of the Office Equipment Group at GreatAmerica, accepted the award.

Earlier this year, BTA emailed a link to the online ballot to all of its dealer members and a number of dealers outside of its membership. The association also encouraged industry vendors to provide the ballot link to dealers. The ballot asked dealers to rate their primary- and secondary-line hardware vendors in key performance categories, as well as to rate vendors in the two additional award categories — cartridge remanufacturer and third-party leasing. The balloting results determined the Channel’s Choice award winners. BTA received 269 completed ballots.

“Since 1989, BTA has been recognizing vendors deemed to the most supportive of the dealer channel based on voting ballots cast by both BTA member and non-member dealers,” said 2015-16 BTA National President Dave Quint. “We congratulate KYOCERA, Muratec, GreatAmerica and Clover for distinguishing themselves among their competitors as the winners of the 2016 BTA Channel’s Choice awards.”

A summary of the balloting results will be made available to BTA members. The summary, currently being prepared by Survey Advantage, based in Jamestown, Rhode Island, will provide a view of how dealers rate their vendor partners. When completed, the summary will be available for download to BTA members at www.bta.org/ChannelsChoice (a username and password is required to download the summary).

Founded in 1926, the Business Technology Association serves office technology dealerships, resellers, manufacturers, distributors and service companies. Its core members — office technology dealerships — consult, sell and service hardware, software and supplies with the primary goal of helping businesses optimize business document and information workflows. Through the association's various educational programs, information, research, legal services, publications and guidance, BTA member dealerships are positioned to be the premier source of the office technology used by businesses throughout the United States every day. For more information on BTA, see its Web site at www.bta.org or call (800) 505-2821. The fax number is (816) 941-4838. You may also write to: BTA, 12411 Wornall Road, Kansas City, MO 64145.