Reaching the 50 year mark as a family-run business is achievement enough. Doing so in a technology field where keeping pace with change means survival, is a milestone to be celebrated. Next week, American Micro Company will do just that.
From the American Micro building at 1933 Troost, CEO Mark Zecy reflects on the companys 50th anniversary serving the digital document needs of Kansas City. “There was a time when people thought all paper would become digital and our business wouldnt survive the transition,” said Zecy. “The reality is that all the effort to better manage documents, both digitally and on paper, has actually expanded our business.”
It is true that if American Micro were still performing only the services from its past, specifically document scanning and micro-film conversion, the business might not have survived. Instead, American Micro monitored technology trends and changed at the speed the market required. Today, American Micro still scans documents. But in addition to converting paper to digital files, American Micro now helps companies manage documents in any form.
Whether digital or on paper, businesses need to manage, track and protect all documents. From improved workflow processes, to online storage and retrieval of important customer transactions American Micro manages more than paper, they now manage business.
According to Zecy, 96 percent of all paper documents actually start in an electronic format. “Copying, printing and filing have a tremendous impact on employee productivity. Were now in the employee productivity business,” said Zecy.
One document affects a business in many more ways than it did just 10 years ago. In 2001 American Micro made a significant investment in their business and in Kansas City, purchasing their present location at 1933 Troost. “We wanted our business to be accessible to both our customers and our employees, and being in the heart of the city made that possible,” said Zecy.
Company President, Karen Zecy, is member of the board of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, serving as the Chair of the Small Business Council. Zecy has also served as a board member of the Kansas Womens Business Center and is an active supporter of a number of women mentoring programs in the city. Started as a paper conversion company in 1958, American Micros second generation realizes the importance of paper in our economy and the greater importance of managing that paper with contemporary technology. The company will celebrate its 50th Anniversary with a number of private and public events during the first week in May.