“Green office products” dealer RDS Team nearly tripled in size in three years, a feat that earned the Miami-based company placement in the top 30 percent of the 2018 Inc. 5000, a national rating of the fastest-growing companies in America.
RDS Team CEO Gustavo Hermida attributes the success of the eco-friendly office equipment, software solutions and information technology company to dedication, great service and smart business moves.
“We like to compete with larger companies, but we’re more accessible and friendly, and our customer reviews reflect that,” he said, pointing to RDS Team’s perfect Google and Yelp scores, a 4.6 out of five score from more than 150 Facebook users and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
RDS Team’s exponential three-year growth includes several significant milestones, beginning in 2015 with the acquisition and rebranding of another company, A1 Printers Plus, through which RDS Team provides service repairs and sells products through sites like Ebay an Amazon.
“It allowed us to expand our product offering and puts us on a strong footing for growth,” he said.
That same year, RDS Team participated in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, which provides independent entrepreneurs with assistance ranging from business management education and mentoring to access to capital and business support services.
In 2016, RDS Team became an authorized Ricoh Savin dealer and began selling new equipment and software solutions from top office product brand.
The deal marked a significant shift for the company. In expanding its product offerings, RDS Team could meet every client need in office environments ranging in scale from small to enterprise.
By offering new and reconditioned business machines, RDS Team gives companies eco-friendly alternatives at a fraction of the price, complete with an unbeatable guarantee.
“If we can’t fix it, we replace it,” he said. “And our motto has always been, ‘When banks say no, we say yes.’ We have financial solutions for any type of customer.”
Last year, RDS Team overhauled the services and equipment of Community Healthcare of South Florida, which operates seven facilities, 27 school-based health centers and two urgent care centers in the region.
And just a year since becoming an authorized dealer for the company, Ricoh recognized RDS Team as one of the fastest-growing businesses in their network, naming it one of North America’s “Fastest Revenue Growth” companies.
This year, RDS Team expanded its footprint from Miami and Ft. Lauderdale to a location in Orlando.
For Hermida and RDS Team President Mike Martin, who have a combined 30 years of office equipment industry experience, the recent acclaim is hardly an overnight success.
Hermida and Martin founded RDS Team in 2010. At the time, their customer base was nonexistent. They were entering a market with larger, more established competitors. To succeed, they needed to focus on areas where they knew they could win.
“We’re not part of a big conglomerate. The local customer is always one call away from ownership,” Hermida said. “With a big company, it’s very hard for customers to get the right service because they’re just a number. That’s not the case with us.”
Though RDS Team has expanded in presence, impact and notoriety since its humble onset, the company’s guiding principle—affordably providing modestly sized businesses with great solutions and services—remains the same.
Such local investments extend beyond the business world. RDS Team has donated equipment to several charitable causes, including Susan G. Komen, Neat Stuff Inc. and Ronald W. Shane’s Miami Beach Water Sports Center.
Growth is good, Hermida said, but the best growth is shared.
“We can invest and grow with you, and that builds nice, long-term relationships we’re very proud of having,” he said. “And we’re looking for more companies to experience our service difference.”
For information, visit RDSTeam.com, A1PrintersPlus.com, call 888-242-4242 or, locally, 305-468-9965.
