Technology services provider Marco has purchased BusinessWare Solutions, an IT services and managed print company headquartered in Hutchinson with locations also in Owatonna, Willmar and Chanhassen.
BusinessWare Solutions has been providing its clients with technology solutions since 1994. Its employees have joined the Marco team and will serve clients from each of the existing markets.
“This purchase complements the technical expertise and service offerings Marco currently provides throughout the state of Minnesota,” said Jeff Gau, Marco CEO. “We look forward to continuing BusinessWare’s commitment to satisfying its clients and providing opportunities for their valued employees.”
He said customers will be able to enjoy the added resources of Marco with the benefits the local operation built by BusinessWare.
“They have good talent that can augment our team,” Gau said. “What they were doing better than us in Hutchinson, we’ll do with them in Hutchinson. They also have a good presence in Willmar.”
Customers of BusinessWare will likely notice more outsourcing options with Marco, Gau said.
Marco has 1,140 employees and serves more than 32,500 customers from its 49 locations throughout the Midwest and nationally. There are 16 Marco locations in Minnesota.
Don Hoversten, co-owner of BusinessWare Solutions, said he is excited about the company joining the Marco team.
“They are a high performing company that is committed to excellence and outstanding customer service,” Hoversten said. “They are also consistently recognized as a great place to work.”
“I’ve known the owners of BusinessWare, the three of them, for probably 20 years,” Gau said. “We were actually friends, we were friendly competitors.”
He said his trust of BusinessWare’s ownership made the purchase not feel risky.
“We started out as friends, then I’d say good competitors, and now we’re together in the market,” Gau said.
Marco specializes in copiers/printers, business IT services, managed services and cloud services. The Hutchinson site has about 30 employees. Gau said a few had been laid off since Marco purchased BusinessWare, owing to duplication, but pointed out that the company currently had 50 to 60 openings.
“I am comfortable saying that there will be more people working there a year from now then there are today,” Gau said, adding that historically, the company tends to add jobs when it acquires businesses, though the jobs added may not be the exact same as were there before.