Spring Break 2025 Educational Sessions
Main Stage Session One
Name, title, Company
Session description.
bio
Keynote Address Title
March 7, 11:30 to 12:30 p.m.Name, title, Company
Session description.
bio
Main Stage Session Two
Kate Kingston, founder & president, Kingston Training Group
Session description.
For the last 20 years, Kingston has been exclusively educating office technology sales executives on every type of prospect across 60-plus industries and how they proprietarily use technology. She is a recognized authority on lead generation, recruiting new hires from a prospecting skill-base perspective and new business development. Sales-driven, Kingston is an energized communicator who uses humor, audience participation, proven techniques, handouts and real-time phone calls in her training sessions.
Title
March 7, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.Kate Kingston, founder & president, Kingston Training Group
Session description.
For the last 20 years, Kingston has been exclusively educating office technology sales executives on every type of prospect across 60-plus industries and how they proprietarily use technology. She is a recognized authority on lead generation, recruiting new hires from a prospecting skill-base perspective and new business development. Sales-driven, Kingston is an energized communicator who uses humor, audience participation, proven techniques, handouts and real-time phone calls in her training sessions.
Main Stage Session Three
Moderated by Patricia Ames, publisher, president & analyst, BPO Media
Session description.
Hawkins is the group director for the workplace team at Keypoint Intelligence. Her responsibilities include conducting primary research and analysis and creating forecasts and market size estimates for the copier and printer hardware, software and solutions markets globally.
Panelists:
As founder and CEO of Triumph Technology Group, Tustin, California, Pamela Feld is a technology industry veteran and influencer who has extensive experience in leadership, marketing, operations and management. Feld was instrumental in passing legislation in California to protect small businesses and volunteers on several local community boards and associations, including Vital Link of Orange County. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California Irvine and her advanced graduate education from the Stanford Graduate School of Management Program, UCLA MDE Program and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Before starting Triumph Technology Group, Feld had a wide range of corporate and private industry experience, including working for NBC/Universal, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power and the City of Irvine. She found her passion for cybersecurity while working with one of her national clients whose systems had been hacked. Since then, Feld has been consulting, guiding and speaking to corporations and small business owners on how to be strategically secure, and build training and awareness programs to protect their valuable business and data assets.
With more than 25 years of experience in managed security services, Keith Johnson is the executive vice president of Obviam, Cincinnati, Ohio. He leads a team of cybersecurity professionals dedicated to aiding clients with compliance security initiatives, enhancing operational risk management and providing continuous visibility into cyberthreat identification, resolution and response. Before joining Obviam, Johnson served as COO at Logically, where he spearheaded transformative strategic initiatives across managed services, professional services and cybersecurity. Previously, he was director of sales engineering at SonicWall, leading teams of presales engineers in delivering security solutions and architectures to global clients and partners. Johnson holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a BSBA in computer information systems from the University of Louisville. Beyond his professional pursuits, Johnson is a passionate advocate for customer service excellence, cybersecurity awareness and mentorship initiatives.
Davis Tran is vice president of operations at C3 Tech, Santa Ana, California. Driven by a passion for solving technological challenges, he has been instrumental in expanding C3 Tech's cybersecurity and copier/MFP services, enhancing customer experiences and fostering innovation. Tran's vision for the future includes broadening C3 Tech's reach across Orange County, California, ensuring businesses receive top-notch IT and copier/MFP solutions. His leadership is a testament to Tran's commitment to excellence and growth.
Dealer Panel: Managed Print
March 7, 4 to 5 p.m.Moderated by Patricia Ames, publisher, president & analyst, BPO Media
Session description.
Hawkins is the group director for the workplace team at Keypoint Intelligence. Her responsibilities include conducting primary research and analysis and creating forecasts and market size estimates for the copier and printer hardware, software and solutions markets globally. Panelists:
As founder and CEO of Triumph Technology Group, Tustin, California, Pamela Feld is a technology industry veteran and influencer who has extensive experience in leadership, marketing, operations and management. Feld was instrumental in passing legislation in California to protect small businesses and volunteers on several local community boards and associations, including Vital Link of Orange County. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of California Irvine and her advanced graduate education from the Stanford Graduate School of Management Program, UCLA MDE Program and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. Before starting Triumph Technology Group, Feld had a wide range of corporate and private industry experience, including working for NBC/Universal, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power and the City of Irvine. She found her passion for cybersecurity while working with one of her national clients whose systems had been hacked. Since then, Feld has been consulting, guiding and speaking to corporations and small business owners on how to be strategically secure, and build training and awareness programs to protect their valuable business and data assets. 
With more than 25 years of experience in managed security services, Keith Johnson is the executive vice president of Obviam, Cincinnati, Ohio. He leads a team of cybersecurity professionals dedicated to aiding clients with compliance security initiatives, enhancing operational risk management and providing continuous visibility into cyberthreat identification, resolution and response. Before joining Obviam, Johnson served as COO at Logically, where he spearheaded transformative strategic initiatives across managed services, professional services and cybersecurity. Previously, he was director of sales engineering at SonicWall, leading teams of presales engineers in delivering security solutions and architectures to global clients and partners. Johnson holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a BSBA in computer information systems from the University of Louisville. Beyond his professional pursuits, Johnson is a passionate advocate for customer service excellence, cybersecurity awareness and mentorship initiatives. 
Davis Tran is vice president of operations at C3 Tech, Santa Ana, California. Driven by a passion for solving technological challenges, he has been instrumental in expanding C3 Tech's cybersecurity and copier/MFP services, enhancing customer experiences and fostering innovation. Tran's vision for the future includes broadening C3 Tech's reach across Orange County, California, ensuring businesses receive top-notch IT and copier/MFP solutions. His leadership is a testament to Tran's commitment to excellence and growth.
Main Stage Session Four
Laura Blackmer, president of dealer sales, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc.
One of the major messages we are hearing from dealers today is: "What happened to margin?" Do you know that your manufacturers have tools to help you find and recover margin in your business? In this session, Blackmer hopes to help dealers recognize the key margin leaks in their businesses and assist them in recovering where they can.
Blackmer, president of dealer sales at Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc., is responsible for the sales and management of the company's dealer network that represents and sells products and managed IT services. Her extensive experience includes 19 years in management and executive positions with Hewlett Packard Company, Intermec Corp. and Sharp. In December 2017, Blackmer joined the executive team at Konica Minolta. She has been awarded "Best Female Executive" seven times at the Frank Awards, The Cannata Report's annual awards that highlight excellence in office technology. Blackmer has ranked on Tigerpaw Software's Top 100 Influencers in the managed print industry list two years in a row. She has also been named to CRN's Women of the Channel list six times, is a four-time Channel Chief and a two-time CRN Inclusive Channel Leader. Blackmer is also a member of the Colorado State University Business Leadership Council.
Dealers & the Profit Dilemma — How to Get Help From Your Manufacturers
March 8, 10:45 to 11:45 a.m.Laura Blackmer, president of dealer sales, Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc.
One of the major messages we are hearing from dealers today is: "What happened to margin?" Do you know that your manufacturers have tools to help you find and recover margin in your business? In this session, Blackmer hopes to help dealers recognize the key margin leaks in their businesses and assist them in recovering where they can.
Blackmer, president of dealer sales at Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A. Inc., is responsible for the sales and management of the company's dealer network that represents and sells products and managed IT services. Her extensive experience includes 19 years in management and executive positions with Hewlett Packard Company, Intermec Corp. and Sharp. In December 2017, Blackmer joined the executive team at Konica Minolta. She has been awarded "Best Female Executive" seven times at the Frank Awards, The Cannata Report's annual awards that highlight excellence in office technology. Blackmer has ranked on Tigerpaw Software's Top 100 Influencers in the managed print industry list two years in a row. She has also been named to CRN's Women of the Channel list six times, is a four-time Channel Chief and a two-time CRN Inclusive Channel Leader. Blackmer is also a member of the Colorado State University Business Leadership Council.
Breakout Sessions
Sales Management Track Part 1 — A Step-by-Step Guide: Building a Sales Culture Where Activities Drive Results
Sept. 24, 11 a.m. to NoonDerek Shebby, founder, Modern Sales Training
In this two-part sales leadership breakout session, learn a step-by-step process for building excitement around prospecting for new business at your dealership. From boosting confidence in the first 90 days to fostering a culture of activity for all salespeople around the sales funnel, Shebby will share practical methods used in his Sales Bootcamp to systemize your daily efforts and inspire your sales teams to get out in the field and win new clients.
Sales Management Track Part 2 — A Step-by-Step Guide: Building a Sales Culture Where Activities Drive Results
Sept. 24, 3 to 4 p.m.In this two-part sales leadership breakout session, learn a step-by-step process for building excitement around prospecting for new business at your dealership. From boosting confidence in the first 90 days to fostering a culture of activity for all salespeople around the sales funnel, Shebby will share practical methods used in his Sales Bootcamp to systemize your daily efforts and inspire your sales teams to get out in the field and win new clients.
Shebby, founder of Modern Sales Training, spent 17 years as a top sales executive and sales director with Mr. Copy (MRC)/Xerox in San Diego, California. MRC was the largest Xerox agent in the nation before being acquired by Global Imaging Systems in 2009. During his tenure, Shebby oversaw the performance and development of hundreds of salespeople and sales leaders across the state. Specializing in the entire sales process, he helped grow MRC from $40 million to more than $100 million in annual revenue (30 to 500 employees). Since 2020, Shebby has coached dealership sales managers, vice presidents and presidents to sales growth and profitability by implementing proven industry strategies and modern sales leadership processes. Be sure to check out his new Value Building Workshop starting this month. Shebby also runs a sales boot camp that is being utilized by the top dealers in the country, has an MPS workshop (sponsored by Clover) and a sales community called OUTLIERS.
Service Management Track Part 1 — Setting the Pace in Service Automation
Sept. 24, 11 a.m. to NoonDeborah Hawkins, group director, workplace team, Keypoint Intelligence, and Ken Edmonds, principal, 22nd Century Management
Service and support provide the backbone for satisfied customers and contribute massively to the profitability of the office equipment channel. Learn from Hawkins and Edmonds about advancements in service and tools. What are the major vendors doing that you should be aware of and why is it important?
Service Management Track Part 2 — Setting the Pace in Managing the Technical Workforce
Sept. 24, 3 to 4 p.m.What are the market trends affecting technical service? What are the vendors doing and how should dealers be adapting? In this session, learn about key industry benchmarks from peer and vendor groups and share your thoughts on good and bad experiences.
Hawkins is the group director for the workplace team at Keypoint Intelligence. Her responsibilities include conducting primary research and analysis and creating forecasts and market size estimates for the copier and printer hardware, software and solutions markets globally.
For nearly 16 years, Edmonds, principal at 22nd Century Management, served at Sharp Electronics Corp. and then at Konica Minolta Business Solutions as a problem solver for both technical and service management issues. In early 2018, he retired from Konica Minolta as a district service manager. Before that, Edmonds had an extensive background in the imaging business, having owned a successful dealership and serving as a service manager for multiple dealerships. In total, he has more than 40 years of experience in the technical and computer fields. Edmonds is currently consulting with dealers on strategies to improve profitability. He also writes for ENX Magazine, Office Technology magazine and blogs for The Imaging Channel. In addition, he publishes a blog for his own website.
Profiting From the AI Revolution as a Dealer
Sept. 24, 11 a.m. to NoonSteve Cunningham, founder & CEO, Simple AI
In this highly practical session, Cunningham will give you the step-by-step playbook that consultants and dealers are using to profit from the AI revolution.
It comes in three parts:
- How to quickly embed AI into every area of your own business
- How to educate your clients (who are all desperate to learn how to leverage AI in a practical way) about AI
- Selling AI-powered consulting and technology off the back of that training
Cunningham is the founder and CEO of Simple AI, the creator of Simple Consultants (the number-one AI-powered professional services firm) and Simple Academy (the number-one AI training and certification platform). He is the author of two books on AI, "The Million Dollar AI Consultant" and "The Simple AI MBA". Cunningham is passionate about the practical applications of AI in business and has personally coached hundreds of executives and consultants on how to leverage AI in their businesses. He was previously a lawyer (for exactly one week), the head of a marketing agency serving mid-market clients, and the founder of Readitfor.me, an e-learning platform for executives and entrepreneurs with tens of thousands of users.