Podcasts by OPI TALK

Mike Gentile, Independent Suppliers Group (ISG) from 2023-12-13T09:27:38

OPI catches up with Mike Gentile shortly before he steps down as CEO of leading US dealer group ISG.

Earlier this year, Mike Gentile announced he would be leaving ISG after almost 20 year...

Discussing sustainability with Mondi UFP from 2023-12-08T10:44:11

If you are an OPI subscriber, you should have seen or even received the latest issue of OPI magazine, which is our annual Green Thinking issue.

In keeping with that sustainability theme, ...

James Rodgers, Independent Suppliers Group (ISG) from 2023-11-17T11:03:43

OPI’s first chance to speak with incoming ISG CEO James Rodgers.

It’s all change at the top of ISG, the biggest business products dealer group in the US, with long-time CEO Mike Gentile s...

Ken Sweder, CEO BradyIFS + Envoy Solutions from 2023-11-17T11:00:47

OPI Talk speaks to Ken Sweder following the closing of the transaction that has brought together leading US facilities and jan/san distributors BradyIFS and Envoy Solutions.

The biggest d...

All you need to know about the OPI Global Forum 2023 from 2023-09-29T08:43:04

Andy Braithwaite is joined by OPI Director Janet Bell to look at the upcoming OPI Global Forum taking place in Chicago.

It promises to be another excellent OPI Global Forum, with a packed...

Boris Elisman’s final OPI Talk podcast as CEO of ACCO Brands. from 2023-08-18T11:59:16

On 9 August, ACCO Brands CEO Boris Elisman announced he would be retiring as CEO of the company effective 1 October, with COO Tom Tedford stepping up to succeed him.

Elisman has been with...

The heat is on from 2023-08-04T14:39:16

As the US state of Arizona sweltered in temperatures exceeding 110°F (43°C), OPI Talk spoke to Ian Wist, General Manager of leading independent dealer Wist Business Products and Equipment – whic...

Half-year update from Acme’s Walter Johnsen from 2023-07-28T12:23:23

OPI Talk catches up with Acme United CEO Walter Johnsen following the release of the company’s Q2 earnings.

Johnsen gives his take on a number of market areas and trends, including this y...

Interaction’s sustainable journey from 2023-06-23T15:46:36

Jan Van Belleghem on why sustainability is core to the development of Interaction’s Q-Connect brand.

European distributor alliance Interaction recently announced an initiative called Q-Co...

Sam Moncada of COPA, the Canadian Office Products Association from 2023-05-12T14:56:56

This episode of OPI Talk takes us to Canada, where we catch up with COPA President Sam Moncada.

Sam tells OPI about a recent training initiative launched by the association and then goes ...

Free previews from keynote speakers at OPI’s European Forum 2023 from 2023-04-28T11:26:27

The OPI European Forum is taking place in Amsterdam from 22-24 May 2023, but you can listen now to three of its keynote presenters.

In this episode of OPI Talk, OPI Director Janet Bell go...

The potential of data-driven cleaning with Tork’s Nancy Farrell from 2023-04-14T11:03:59

With cleaning and hygiene taking on even greater importance since the COVID pandemic, one way of driving productivity and efficiency gains is through a better understanding of data.

In th...

Podcast: Walter Johnsen, Acme United from 2023-03-06T11:41:05

OPI Talk spoke to Acme United CEO Walter Johnsen shortly after the supplier’s FY2022 earnings conference call.

Johnsen gives his frank assessment of Acme’s performance in 2022, provides m...

Podcast: ACCO Brands CEO Boris Elisman from 2023-02-28T12:49:44

OPI Talk spoke with Boris Elisman straight after ACCO’s FY2022 earnings conference call.

Last Thursday, 24 February, ACCO Brands published its Q4 and FY2022 earnings. In what was a year o...

Podcast: Beth Wright of Fellowes from 2023-02-21T09:33:44

The March 2023 issue of OPI magazine will feature the inaugural Influential Women in the Business Products World list.

To mark the occasion, the issue also includes a Big Interview with B...

Kim Leazer&Beth Freeman, FSI Office from 2023-01-27T14:54:04

OPI Talk speaks to mother and daughter duo Kim Leazer and Beth Freeman, part of the leadership team at family-owned US independent dealer FSI Office.

The two ladies represent the second a...

OPI Talk meets NAOPA 2022 winner Charlie Kennedy from 2022-12-22T07:57:43

In the final OPI Talk podcast of 2022, Andy Braithwaite catches up with Charlie Kennedy, winner of the Professional of the Year prize at the 2022 North American Office Products Awards.

Ch...

OPI’s 2022 round-up and 2023 predictions from 2022-12-16T11:29

OPI CEO Steve Hilleard and News Editor Andy Braithwaite take a look back at the main business products stories from 2022 and make some predictions on what to look out for in 2023.

Langstane - still evolving after 75 years from 2022-11-18T11:29:05

Leading Scottish independent dealer Langstane has been celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2022.

To mark that occasion, and to find out how Langstane has been dealing with recent market c...

A look at the latest US school and office supplies trends with NPD from 2022-10-07T14:07:04

In this episode of OPI Talk, NPD’s Leen Nsouli discusses the back-to-school (BTS) season and year-to-date performance of the office supplies sector in the US.

Nsouli looks at some of the ...

The frictionless online customer experience from 2022-09-01T16:48

This week’s OPI Talk features Paddy Donnelly and Dave Bent, Group CEO and President North America respectively at ES Tech Group.

OPI’s Heike Dieckmann caught up with both for the...

Market share opportunities in Australia from 2022-08-26T08:00

The board of Australian dealer group Office Choice recently approved a new strategic plan. Therefore, it seemed like an opportune moment for a catch-up with the organisation’s CEO Brad O’Brien.<...

Q2 catch-up with ACCO’s Boris Elisman from 2022-08-12T13:37:46

A closer look at ACCO Brands’ Q2 2022 performance with the company’s CEO Boris Elisman.

ACCO Brands reported its second quarter 2022 earnings on 9 August. Shortly after the manufacturer’s...

The breakroom goes high-tech from 2022-07-29T11:10:36

Vending firm Selecta now refers to itself as a ‘food tech company’ after repositioning itself in the workplace food and beverage space.

In this episode of OPI Talk, Toby Venus, Commercial...

The 135-year-old start-up from 2022-07-13T17:41:32

Writing instruments vendor uniball recently announced a rebrand of its operations in North America to uni.

As the company’s President Mike Parker says in this episode of OPI Talk, it’s mo...

Brushing off a “dusty” industry from 2022-06-24T10:47:56

Lyreco Germany’s Falko Köhler is making something of a name for himself in the business products industry.

Following an impressive appearance at last year’s OPI European Forum Online and ...

Tackling dealer challenges in Italy from 2022-06-17T12:19:56

The guest on this episode of OPI Talk is Adriano Alessio, Managing Director of the country’s last remaining B2B independent dealer group, In Ufficio.

Adriano Alessio has been a key figure...

Reinvigorating South Africa’s office products trade association from 2022-06-10T04:33:13

OPI Talk speaks with South African industry veteran Hans Servas as he prepares to retire as Chairman of the country’s shop-sa stationery and office products trade association.

As Listen

Update on the European aftermarket imaging supplies channel from 2022-06-01T12:50:14

There have been a couple of big stories in the European aftermarket print supplies channel in the past few weeks.

First, it was announced that the European Commission had rejected a Volun...

Broadening horizons from 2022-05-27T14:41:56

Our guest in this episode of OPI Talk is Jeanette Bresitz, Managing Director of UK dealer group Office Friendly. 

OPI’s Heike Dieckmann spoke to Bresitz for the Big Interview in the June ...

Update from RAJA Office from 2022-05-20T08:04:19

OPI Talk speaks with Alain Josse, Managing Director of RAJA Office.

On 19 May 2022, European packaging, industrial equipment and business products reseller RAJA held a press conference in...

OPI’s increasing coverage of sustainability and CSR from 2022-04-29T13:58:21

OPI Deputy Editor Michelle Sturman reveals more about OPI’s CSR mission and why this is a crucial topic for the business products industry.

The environment has been an important part of O...

Discussing remanufacturing on Global Reman Day from 2022-04-14T12:24:48

OPI Talk speaks with Tricia Judge, a leading authority on remanufacturing in the imaging supplies industry.

14 April 2022 is Global Reman Day, a worldwide initiative to promote and raise ...

The importance of keeping it local from 2022-04-08T11:26:14

Alan Calder, Marketing Manager at Nemo Office Club, talks about his group’s Keep It Local campaign.

The COVID-19 pandemic put a renewed focus on buying from local businesses and supportin...

EOPA 2022 Industry Achievement winner Geoff Betts from 2022-04-01T11:25:13

Stewart Superior Managing Director Geoff Betts was recognised for his outstanding contribution to the European business products sector at the recent eye-c...

“The challenges seemed to be every day” from 2022-03-11T15:20:47

OPI Talk’s Andy Braithwaite spoke to Acme United CEO Walter Johnsen on 2 March, shortly after the company’s latest earnings release that showed another record year for the supplier.

Walte...

The workplace of the future with Bisley from 2022-03-04T15:01:52

Our guest in this episode of OPI Talk is Jeanine Goddard, Creative Director at office furniture manufacturer Bisley. Starting out, in office products terms, with steel waste paper bins, Bisley h...

FY earnings follow-up with ACCO’s Boris Elisman from 2022-02-18T14:55:33

2021 was a record year for ACCO as its PowerA acquisition at the end of 2020 drove annual sales over the $2 billion mark for the first time.

But it wasn’t just about PowerA. ACCO posted h...

Talking dealers and technology with ECI from 2022-02-08T14:38:06

OPI Talk speaks with Ben Jarvis, Product Manager at ECI Software Solutions.

The stakes have never been higher for independent resellers to have robust technology tools for both customer-f...

The Supply Room’s Source acquisition from 2022-01-24T14:19:41

Recently on the opi.net news service, we reported on the acquisition of leading US dealer...

Selling business furniture during a pandemic from 2022-01-07T14:47:17

In the first OPI Talk podcast of 2022, we speak with Marcelo Podesta, President of US-based National Business Furniture.

Prior to Listen

From the show floor at Industry Week (part 1) from 2021-11-18T16:00:56

Welcome to the first of three episodes of OPI Talk featuring interviews conducted by OPI CEO Steve Hilleard at Industry Week ’21, powered by ISG.

Steve managed to get on the first flight ...

Getting to know Sylvamo from 2021-11-15T08:59:42

Effective 1 October 2021, the Printing Papers division of International Paper became a standalone publicly traded company called Sylvamo. With a manufacturing presence on three continents, Sylva...

OPI Talk’s 50th episode with Robert Baldrey from 2021-11-05T15:04:54

Robert Baldrey featured in the pilot episode of OPI Talk that was recorded in July 2...

A look back at Neocon 2021 from 2021-10-29T14:31:48

Commercial furniture mega show NeoCon was back as a live event at Chicago’s theMART at the beginning of October.

One person who was there was George Ansier, Director of Sales for the US d...

Combating global counterfeiters with HP’s Glenn Jones from 2021-10-22T11:34:13

Counterfeiting is big business and fake inkjet and toner cartridges – especially the latter – have long been lucrative products for criminals. At HP Inc, Glenn Jones heads the investigations tea...

Generation change at COS from 2021-10-15T11:00

OPI Talk heads to Sydney, Australia, to speak with Amie and Belinda Lyone, the new co-CEOs of leading independent dealer COS.

Since 1 September 2021, Australia’s number one independent wo...

30 years of change with Cezary Monko from 2021-10-08T09:39:29

Cezary Monko, President of ACCO Brands EMEA, looks back at some of the key moments in his almost 30-year career and gives his take on the state of the industry today.

One of Cezary Monko’...

Navigating South Africa’s choppy waters from 2021-10-01T14:33:47

Economic problems, social unrest, spiralling unemployment, corruption scandals, and then COVID. You might be forgiven for thinking that running a business supplies dealer group in South Africa w...

Office coffee and hybrid working from 2021-09-24T12:58:37

OPI Talk speaks with Beth Langley, Out-of-Home Director for Nespresso Professional in the UK & Ireland.

Beth Langley joined Nespresso Professional at the beginning of 2021 – certainly an ...

Collaboration and change with Mike Gentile from 2021-09-17T12:39:42

The Big Interview in the special 30th anniversary issue of OPI – which will be published shortly – is none other than Mike Gentile, CEO of Independent Suppliers Group (ISG), the US’s – and the w...

AOPD members focusing on growth from 2021-09-10T08:57:31

With 68 independent dealer members throughout the US, AOPD is an important player in the business products national accounts arena, both for the public and private sectors.

In this episod...

Chewing the fat with Bill Cardone from 2021-09-03T15:04:13

The Business Solutions Association in the US recently named TOPS Products’ Bill Cardone as this year’s reci...

Back-to-school 2021 – how’s it shaping up? from 2021-08-27T10:31

With 2020’s important back-to-school (BTS) season hit by COVID restrictions and school closures, there are hopes that 2021 will see something of a return to normal. Whether that will now be the ...

Messe Frankfurt gearing up for in-person trade shows from 2021-08-20T14:15:54

With Paperworld set to return as a physical event in January 2022, OPI catches up with Messe Frankfurt’s Julia Uherek.

You don’t need us to tell you that the business products events cale...

S.P. Richards – 12 months on (part 2) from 2021-08-13T12:26:11

Tune in to this episode of OPI Talk to hear the second part of our interview with Yancey Jones and Mike Maggio of US wholesaler S.P. Richards (SPR).

Following on from North American Office Products Awards are back!

After a break in 2020, OPI...

Data: the currency of the future from 2021-06-11T11:54:42

Discussing the importance of data with Lars Faustmann from HP Inc.

In this episode of OPI Talk, OPI CEO Steve Hilleard speaks with Lars Faustmann, Digital Transformation Manager at HP Inc...

Discussing UK office products wholesaling and the independent reseller channel from 2021-06-04T13:50:39

When UK wholesaler Spicers folded last year, it dramatically changed the balance of what had essentially been a duopoly in the market between Spicers and VOW.

One consequence is that it h...

Sustaining hope in a challenging year from 2021-05-28T13:30:39

This week’s episode of OPI Talk features two guests: Greg Gibson, VP and General Manager, North American Papers at International Paper, and Matt Dodd, Senior Executive Director of Corporate Phil...

What’s wrong with the office supplies channel? from 2021-05-21T12:54:35

Acme United had another record quarter at the start of 2021 as its revenue surged by more than 20% year on ...

Dealer opportunities in air treatment – Act now from 2021-05-14T14:12:29

In this episode of OPI Talk, OPI CEO Steve Hilleard speaks to Mike Booth, Global Market Director for Air Treatment at Fellowes Brands.

The conversation couldn’t be timelier as companies s...

Dealer challenges and opportunities down under from 2021-05-07T11:20:48

Our guest in this episode of OPI Talk is Darren Hayes, CEO of Quick Corporate Australia. Quick Corporate is the third largest B2B business supplies operator in the Australian market; it’s also t...

A milestone of independence from 2021-05-04T09:55:45

On 4 May 2021, US-based independent dealer Guernsey celebrates its 50th year in business.

To help mark the occasion, OPI CEO Steve Hilleard talks to Guernsey founder and CEO David Guernse...

The evolving world of retail with Staples Connect from 2021-04-30T13:21:37

In this episode of OPI Talk, OPI News Editor Andy Braithwaite catches up with two executives from Staples’ US Retail operations: Amy Lang, SVP Strategy & Insights, and Brian Coupland, SVP Retail...

Embracing the future at the OPI Global Forum Online from 2021-04-23T12:17:11

On 5-6 May, OPI will be holding its annual Global Forum, an interactive forum for key industry leaders in Europe, North America and beyond to debate and define the future of the OP sector.

Mike Gentile, ISG: ‘It’s going to be a love fest!’ from 2021-04-16T14:25:13

Independent Suppliers Group (ISG) CEO Mike Gentile looks ahead to Industry Week in November 2021.

With the physical events calendar having been pretty much obliterated by COVID restrictio...

Talking sales with Superstat’s Alex Dunn from 2021-04-09T13:54:40

The guest on this episode of OPI Talk is Alex Dunn, Managing Director of UK dealer group Superstat.

Superstat has just introduced an initiative called the Sales Academy, which aims to hel...

Office products opportunities with NPD’s Leen Nsouli from 2021-03-26T11:46:52

How did the pandemic impact the US office supplies retail channel in 2020, and what are the opportunities for resellers in 2021?

In this episode of OPI Talk, Leen Nsouli, the Industry Ana...

EOPA 2021 award winner, Richard Scharmann, CEO of PBS Holding from 2021-03-19T13:20:05

OPI speaks to Richard Scharmann, this year’s recipient of the Industry Achievement award at the 2021 European Off...

Circular economy and sustainability with Lyreco's Isabelle Daubney from 2021-03-03T13:50:53

For procurement departments, sustainability and corporate social responsibility criteria are increasingly playing an important role in supplier selection. Global business products reseller Lyrec...

Part 3 – A deep dive into the new way of working with Fellowes Brands’ Louise Shipley from 2021-02-16T13:10:36

At the end of January, Fellowes Brands launched its New Way of Working survey to understand how employees cope with working from home.

The survey questioned 7,000 employees across Europe ...

Part 2 – Fellowes Brands' Louise Shipley on hybrid working and sales opportunities from 2021-02-10T11:44:14

In the second episode of OPI Talk with Fellowes Brands’ Head of European Marketing for Workplace Health Solutions Louise Shipley, the discussion revolves around hybrid working.

The term ‘...

Part 1 – Fellowes Brands’ Louise Shipley discusses how to support businesses with employees working from home from 2021-02-05T10:34:59

Early 2020 saw the unprecedented mass migration to homeworking due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As many offices and businesses remain closed, just what are the implications for those remote workers...

CEO Greg Liénard discusses challenges and change at Lyreco from 2021-01-28T16:07:51

Our guest in this episode of OPI Talk is Greg Liénard, CEO of Lyreco. Greg – a long-standing company executive – has been at the helm of the global business supplies reseller since July 2019. Du...

Mike Tucker discusses the IOPFDA (NOPA) merger with ISSA from 2021-01-25T13:04:37

OPI speaks to Mike Tucker about IOPFDA’s new relationship with cleaning association ISSA.

Towards to the end of last year, it was confirmed that the Independent Office Products and Furnit...

Why did Paragon Group acquire Spicers-OfficeTeam last year? Interview with Sean Shine and Steve Horne from 2021-01-15T14:55:13

In this OPI Talk podcast, we feature part of an interview that OPI CEO Steve Hilleard and News Editor Andy Braithwaite conducted with Sean Shine, CEO of Ireland-based Paragon, and Steve Horne, C...

OPI editorial team: 2020 round-up and 2021 predictions from 2020-12-21T16:28:44

OPI's editorial team, along with CEO Steve Hilleard, take a look at the biggest stories and developments in the business products industry in 2020, and make their predictions for 2021.

 <...

ACCO Brands' Boris Elisman on the office products channel from 2020-12-16T14:00:21

The guest in this episode of OPI Talk is Boris Elisman, CEO of ACCO Brands.

ACCO has recently announced a significant acquisition, buying video games accessories manufacturer PowerA in a ...

Podcast: Jonathan Withey talks about business and sustainability from 2020-12-04T13:57:14

This week’s episode of OPI’s podcast, OPI Talk, is all about sustainability and how to improve a company’s environmental credentials.

OPI Deputy Editor Michelle Sturman speaks with The Pl...

ECI CEO Ron Books talk about latest private equity transaction, the independent dealer channel and business life during COVID from 2020-11-27T14:44:02

Software provider ECI – a key partner for many business products dealers –recently announced it is to be acquired ...

Podcast: One-to-ones from the Amazon Business ABX conference from 2020-11-20T11:15:32

What are the priorities for Amazon Business UK? Why did a large public sector customer turn to Amazon Business during the COVID-19 crisis?

Listen to this OPI Talk podcast as Dave Brittain...

OPI CEO Steve Hilleard on why business supplies executives should participate in the OPI European Forum Online from 2020-11-04T11:31:42

OPI CEO Steve Hilleard talks about industry disruption and why business supplies executives should participate in the OPI European Forum Online on 17-18 November.

One of the key themes of...

The future of the workplace with Martin Evetts from 2020-10-15T16:39:25

One of the crucial issues at the moment for the business supplies industry is what the workplace, in particular the office, will look like post-COVID 19.

While we don’t know all the answe...

Talking print with Ray Stasieczko from 2020-09-29T15:37:26

This week’s episode of the OPI Talk podcast features well-know document imaging channel commentator Ray Stasieczko.

Ray has been making a name for himself over the past couple of years wi...

Podcast: ISSA’s Dianna Steinbach talks about the importance of and opportunities in cleaning in COVID-19 times from 2020-09-16T16:15:49

This week’s episode of OPI’s podcast, OPI Talk, is all about health and hygiene in the workplace, a topic that has never been more important. How can independent dealers in the business supplies...

Technology and the independent office products dealer from 2020-09-10T15:16:15

One of the impacts of COVID-19 has been an acceleration of the shift to e-commerce and all things digital.

What does this mean for the independent business products dealer?

In this...

Changes and challenges in the office products wholesaling channel from 2020-09-01T10:15:20

In this episode, OPI News Editor Andy Braithwaite is joined by well-known office products industry leader Robert Baldrey.

Robert provides some great insight into recent developments in th...

Trailer - Welcome to OPI TALK from 2020-08-06T12:59:28

Welcome to OPI TALK a new podcast for the business supplies industry launched by Office Products International (OPI).

In this episode Andy Braithwaite and S...