LIMA, Ohio (WLIO) — In 1965, Lima entrepreneur Rex Perry started his business, Perry Corporation, selling IBM typewriters.
As technology changed, the company began selling copy machines and eventually evolved beyond photocopying and printing.
Today, Perry proTech is a full IT company specializing in print technologies and services, as well as IT technologies and services.
The company serves a wide range of industries, including health care, education and manufacturing. It has offices across Ohio, Indiana and Michigan, all growing from its roots in Lima.
Perry proTech is also 100% employee-owned.
Patrick Summers, president and CEO of Perry proTech, said having an owner's mentality is one of the company's core values.
"Our customers are on the top of our organizational chart, and as an employee owner, we think about what is the best way to serve our customer every single day," Summers said. "And when you're an owner and you share in the profits of this company, we just come at you a little bit differently."
Owner mentality is one of four core values that guide the company and its employees. The others are challenging the norm, respect and exceeding expectations.
"Everyone in the whole company carries a badge around that talks to challenging the norm, owner mentality, respect and exceeding expectations," Summers said. "So every single thing that we do revolves around those four key areas for our company."
Summers said those values, along with the company's focus on its customers, have helped Perry proTech build lasting relationships throughout the region.
"We are all about customer service," Summers said. "So if you think about 280 employee owners of a company really, really making sure and concentrating on the customer experience, we talk a lot about here that Perry proTech is a great place to work, and it's a great place to be a customer."
Greater Lima Region President and CEO Dave Stratton said the company's focus on its employees, customers and community makes it a valuable part of the organization.
"They're employee-owned, they're customer-focused, and they're community-minded," Stratton said. "And because of that, they fit right into the model of what we're trying to accomplish at the GLR."
