Indiana office supply companies merge

December 22, 2017

[caption id="attachment_64473" align="aligncenter" width="200"] (Copyright: See Inside Portage)[/caption] Des Plaines Office Equipment has announced the merger of “key firms”, McShane’s and Kramer & Leonard. Two office equipment, supply and office furniture companies in Northern Indiana have merged to form McShane's, Kramer & Leonard. Chip Miceli, Chairman of McShane’s, and a shareholder in both companies, made the announcement this week. The new company is the result of the recently-completed merger of McShane’s Business Products and Services, and Kramer & Leonard. McShane’s Business Products and Services is a 48-person firm, which opened in 1921 as a printing and stationery company in Hammond, Indiana. Over the years, McShane’s evolved into a large, independent office products dealer. McShane’s added Canon copiers in 1978, Konica Minolta copiers in 1984, and colour copiers in 1993; and the company also carries Kip (wide format) and Muratec, Lenovo computers and servers. One area of growth for McShane’s has been the offering of Managed IT services, and Microsoft certifications. McShane’s has been voted best “Office Equipment and Supply” company 12 years in a row in the “Northwest Indiana Business Quarterly” magazine. Kramer & Leonard is a 22-person company serving the region since 1983, having been held by the same family for the last 31 years. The firm offers office products, break room, contract furniture, and is an authorised dealer of National Office, HON and Herman Miller. Kramer & Leonard also has a team of office designers on staff to assist with design of office space. Greg Fox, who serves as President of Kramer & Leonard, said that his father-in-law started the company in 1983. The new firm will maintain both of its locations – in Munster and Chesteron. Brian McShane, who has served as CEO of McShane’s, will serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the new entity. Greg Fox will serve as the new organization’s President. McShane said, “The combination of these two companies brings us to the point where we can offer workplace solutions that no one else in the market can do. Our greater inventory of office furniture, plus the design component, makes us a strong player in that market.” He continued, “And the IT services that McShane’s has offered will be a tremendous asset to the Kramer & Leonard customer base, just as their in-house design team will be to ours.” Fox added, “The merger is a natural fit. Our combined strength provides the critical mass necessary to offer more comprehensive services across a number of areas in the market.”