Eakes Office Plus is a Nebraska company that was founded in 1945 in Grand Island. They now have over 220 employees and 12 locations in cities across the state. In their 68 years of business, Eakes has grown to be the largest office products provider in the state and one of the largest in the United States. Jeff Byrnes is the Store Manager of the new Omaha location.
Tell us a little about your business. – Eakes Office Plus is a full-line dealer offering digital copiers, printers, software solutions, managed print services, office supplies, office furniture and design, and many other products to meet the needs of today’s businesses. We have specialized sales professionals within each of our product categories, machines, software, office supplies and furniture and design. This provides a consultative approach for our customers ensuring they get the right product to help them become successful. Our employees take great pride in our company, our customers, and the communities that we service.
How did you get started in the business? – After graduating from University of Nebraska at Kearney I started out in banking software as a conversion specialist and account manager for 13 years. For a very long time I always knew Eakes was a special place to work. I have a relative that has been with the company over 30 plus years. In 2006 over a family barbeque, I learned of an opportunity to join the Eakes team as a Digital Sales Specialist out of our Fremont location. It was a difficult decision to leave the banking software industry after so many years, but I felt comfortable knowing the type of organization I was joining. Since then, we have opened our new location in LaVista and I have taken on the role of store manager. We have a great team of talented individuals and together we will help grow our business serving the Douglas and Sarpy business community.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – Transitioning from a software-oriented company that catered to the financial industry to focusing on the needs of small to large business when it comes to their office needs. Some parallels, but enough differences to make it challenging.
Tell me a little about your family. – My wife, Carla and I have been married for 15 years. We have two boys, Mason and Cooper.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – I enjoy too many things! Hunting, fishing, playing sports–but the one thing I really enjoy is camping. We restored an old can ham 1960 Shasta camper a couple years ago. Each summer we head to Branson/Table Rock for a week.
What are you the most proud of? – My family. It’s exciting to watch our boys grow up and I’m grateful to have such a wonderful family.
If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be? – Thoughtful
What is your greatest talent that you don’t utilize in your daily work life? – I’m a home improvement junkie. I have helped out family and friends with their home improvement projects and am currently active in my own project of remodeling our kitchen. Let’s just say I know where everything is located at the home improvement stores.
What is your favorite movie? – Scarface
What is your favorite TV show? – Mad Men
What is your favorite local restaurant? – Our family enjoys grabbing a pizza from Papa Murphy’s.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – You can reach me at (402) 898-3017, jbyrnes@eakes.com, or visit www.eakes.com.