Michigan Office Solutions opens new location in BTR Park
KALAMAZOO—Michigan Office Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of Xerox Co. and a provider of leading-edge office technology solutions for business, has become the newest corporate partner at Western Michigan University's Business Technology and Research Park.
The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company moved an expanded Kalamazoo staff into its new facility earlier this winter and expects the new spot in the park's Weidenhammer Building to accommodate significant growth. The company's location, at 4664 Campus Drive, has 4,000 square feet and includes a technology showcase area that will allow southwest Michigan business clients to see Xerox technology in action. The facility also includes a conference area and staff office space.
"We are thrilled to be a part of WMU's BTR Park," says MOS President Ralph Slider. "The new facility has room to showcase Xerox technology and innovation, and our tradition of hiring interns and alumni through WMU continues to grow. We look forward to being a part of this innovative and collaborative environment."
A long history of collaboration
Slider says his firm has a long history of hiring WMU alumni and has more than a dozen on the company's employee roster. They include professionals in sales and marketing as well as advanced software engineering and information technology. Over the next few years, he says, MOS expects to expand its Kalamazoo office by six to eight employees annually.
MOS' sales division already works extensively with WMU's Haworth College of Business, Slider notes, often working with interns or graduates of the college's sales and business marketing program. In addition, he says, there is potential for WMU students and graduates in software engineering and other IT fields to work directly with MOS. In other cases, MOS may serve as a link to other companies in the Xerox family.
"We were attracted by the fact that Western Michigan University produces some of the best and brightest students around," Slider says. "They are directly aligned with our goal of helping businesses solve real problems with technology solutions."
According to Bob Miller, WMU associate vice president for community outreach and point person for the BTR Park, MOS is the type of firm the park was designed for—one that fits into the park's profile and one that plans to be actively engaged with the University's academic programs and students.
"Our focus is on companies in the life sciences, advanced engineering and information technology," Miller says. "We've built an environment in which there's a real sense of synergy between our park partners and the University's academic mission. MOS' presence at the park will certainly serve to enhance that quality."
MOS becomes the 42nd company in the BTR Park, Miller says. The company's commitment to the Weidenhammer Building means that location is now 100 percent full.
About Michigan Office Solutions
Serving Michigan business for more than 55 years, MOS combines the technology and innovation of Xerox with the agility of a locally managed service and support team. In addition to its headquarters in Grand Rapids and its office in Kalamazoo, the firm has Michigan locations in Novi, Saginaw, Lansing, Traverse City and Alpena. MOS employs more than 250 professionals statewide and has the ability to leverage national support from its sister core companies.
Launched in 1999, the BTR Park shares the University's 265-acre Parkview Campus with WMU's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
For more information about the BTR Park, contact Bob Miller at (269) 387-2073.