Reinventing the wheel

Ed Kenty is focused on continuously reinventing Park Place International. The company was founded as a hardware reseller in 1991 by John Warcaba and Dan Grajazl. In
2003, it entered the service industry by offering post-warranty hardware maintenance
services for Data General Equipment.

Then, when Kenty joined as president and CEO in 2004, he shifted the company to become
a multiplatform service provider by investing in service infrastructure and selling complex multivendor solutions. This led to the acquisition of Technical and Logistical Consultants, a systems integration firm.

The company, based in Chagrin Falls, sells hardware manufactured by vendors such as IBM
and Dell, then converts customers into service clients by servicing the hardware when the original equipment manufacturers’ warranties expire. Kenty has built trust with clients that it is OK
to switch to a third-party service provider and that the original equipment manufacturer is not
the only company that can provide post-warranty services.

The company has also built trust by enabling customers to defer Internet technology capital
expenditures by extending the useful life of equipment and setting prices 30 to 50 percent
lower than the OEM. Service agreements include spare parts stored on-site or locally, equipment audits, call management and escalation procedures, single point of contact and reliability, and flexible service agreements to meet customer needs.

Building this trust has turned Park Place into one of the leading multivendor post-warranty
hardware maintenance providers, serving more than 900 companies in North America.

Park Place’s emphasis on family has helped drive its success. Kenty and the owners take an
interest in employees and their families. The 130 employees are also given opportunities in all
areas of interest to grow within the organization, including continuing education and management programs. This has led to minimal turnover and a staff that is as passionate as management about its work.

HOW TO REACH: Park Place International, (800) 931-3366 or www.parkplaceintl.com