ROCKETING TO THE TOP: Second Fastest - eCopy Inc.

Business NH Magazine, Sep 2007 by Mowry, Matthew J

Let's face it, with all the talk of a paperless society most offices are still swamped with actual paperwork. And with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, businesses must be able to quickly produce documents for regulatory requests, sending companies to find ways to better manage their paper documents. That reality and the push to go digital are helping to drive the success of eCopy.

Its software allows companies to use scanners or multifunction printers (MFPs), such as an office copier, to convert paper documents into digital ones that can be integrated into all business applications. "Our target was to have products anyone in the office could use," says President and CEO Edward Schmid. "We've continued to execute on that initial vision."

The eCopy ShareScan connects a copier to a business's email, desktop and other networked enterprise applications to distribute and manage paper-based documents. It also offers eCopy Desktop, a PDF creation and image editing software. The company owes its early success to a partnership with Canon, which has approximately 25 percent of the copier business. "In North America, we grew the business with Canon to the point where 20 percent of their devices shipped with eCopy's software," Schmid says. Two years ago, the company expanded its offerings to any MFP and has signed distribution agreements with most of the major MFP providers, including HP, Konica Minolta, Lanier, Ricoh, Savin, Sharp, and Toshiba.

That move has helped the company ram; up its international markets. eCopy initially penetrated the European market through Canon in 1999. It then started working with Ricoh and Toshiba in Europe and using their distribution channels. By the end of 2007, Europe will account for 30 percent of eCopy's sales while 4 percent of its business comes from other global markets, Schmid says. "We've had a lot of success in Scandinavia and the U.K.," he says.

In addition to its corporate headquarters in Nashua, eCopy has offices in England Australia and Japan. The company is hiring personnel in Hong Kong to open a direct sales office there. It recently opened manufacturing and warehouse facilities in Hudson. To date, eCopy has issued more than two million software licenses. In May, the company launched an MFP document imaging solution for the US. Department of Defense that allows DoD employees to use access cards to securely identify themselves, log into the MFP and convert paper documents into digital ones. The software complies with Homeland Security requirements.

eCopy now generates $62.4 million in annual sales and has more than 250 employees. Since it was founded in 1992, the company has experienced 15 years of consecutive year-overyear growth. "Our future direction is to create eCopy as a platform that any software company can write to. We're pushing to become the standard [for MFP interfaces]'" Schmid says.

Three-Year Growth Rate: 44%

Product/Service: Software that enables companies to incorpoate information on paper documents into business software applications

President and CEO: Edward Schmid

Founded: 1992

Headquarters: One Oracle Drive, Nashua, NH 03062

Number of Employees: 250

Web Site: www.ecopy.com