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QP: Tell us a little about your company, the segment of the market it serves, and what you consider to be your "core" users. TV: I work for Ricoh Americas Corporation, which ser- vices a broad range of B2B customers who seek proven and effective office imaging equipment, production print solutions, document management systems, and IT services. The specific area for which I'm responsible is the production print solutions group that provides hard- ware, software, and solutions to core users in in-plants, data centers, transactional, and commercial (print for pay) environments. QP: How did you get involved with the company? What is your background before that? TV: I joined the Ricoh team via their acquisition of Lanier in 2001. At the time, I was the COO and president of Lanier's EMEA group based in Brussels, Belgium, and I was responsible for all areas of the business for ultimately all regions outside of the Americas. My background prior to that is likely not what you'd expect from a production print executive. In fact, I was pursuing oceanogra- phy at the University of Miami and eventually wound up in the US Air Force. Then, in 1978 I began work- ing with Lanier. About six years after Ricoh's acquisition of Lanier, I was asked to return to the US to incubate a new business initiative focused on production print. Ricoh had recently acquired Hita- chi's Printing Systems Division and wanted to create a business unit to serve the production digital print market. QP: What do you consider your greatest achievement in this market to be? TV: From a Ricoh perspective, our growth in the digital pro- duction print business has been undeniably successful. When we began in 2006 we had no presence in this space: zero. And today, we're ranked among the leaders across the board by industry analysts like Gartner, IDC, Forrester, InfoTrends, and others. Our accolades range from digital cut-sheet solutions up to continuous-feed solutions. It's something I know Ricoh as a whole is incredibly honored by. We attribute these successes to dedication, hard work, and determination, and especially being true partners to our cus- tomers. Our production print business has grown by internal expansion, acquisitions like IKON and IBM's InfoPrint, and true product and services innovation. We took our time to cre- ate the production print business and launched our first digital product, the RICOH Pro C900 in 2008 and have been consis- tently innovating across the board ever since. I believe our dedicated focus on digital color and mono- chrome technology is an example of Ricoh's unwavering commit- ment to the commercial print and production industry. We set out to become a major force as quickly as possible, and I think the feedback from our customers and industry influencers prove we've been successful. QP: If there was anything you could change, either about your career in regards to the print industry, your company, or the market as a whole, what would it be and why? TV: I wouldn't change anything; it's all been fun. QP: What do you consider the greatest challenge to be for the industry right now? Why? TV: The industry is evolving. What I'm seeing is a lot of cus- tomers looking for guidance on "looking beyond the box." Just like Ricoh has become partners with them, they are seeking to become partners to their customers, and that involves a fresh approach. Together, we must solve pain points, help grow busi- nesses and ultimately innovate. We've seen great success in this by deploying the right combination of hardware, software, and Vellek is Vice President of Ricoh America's Production Printing Business Group. By Mark Vruno Executive Q & A: Tim Vellek M a y 2 0 1 4 / Q U I C K P R I N T I N G 19 w w w. M y P R I N T R e s o u r c e . c o m 4/15/14 4:57 PM