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To combat the disruption of today’s marketplace, businesses find solutions at Gulf Coast Office Products, a 45-year-old company with locations in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, the Northshore and Lafayette. GCOP goes the distance to help customers keep operations flowing, even in the most challenging times. The largest regional independent distributor of office machines in Louisiana, GCOP has built a reputation for being the area’s most reliable name in office products.
“What companies are facing now is particularly challenging,” says Trey Beall, president. “We see it as our job to do everything we can to not just keep things moving, but to find ways to improve their efficiencies.”
AT A GLANCE
Top executive: Trey Beall, President
Phone: [225] 756-2644
Website: gcopnet.com
Supply chain and labor issues continue to plague employers, even as they put the coronavirus pandemic and a succession of recent regional hurricanes in their rear view mirror. In addition, many companies must develop hybrid telework strategies since it’s now considered normal for teams to include remote employees.
Those factors have placed an even higher priority on office products and technology solutions, Beall says. Over the last two years, GCOP has stepped up with programs and equipment that have helped companies streamline and improve their operations.
For example, shortly after the coronavirus pandemic caused massive workplace disruptions in spring 2020, GCOP offered flexible financial options for office equipment upgrades. Customers could swap office equipment they’d planned to upgrade in the future, while also preserving needed cash. Many businesses took advantage of the opportunities, and were ready with new equipment when operations stabilized that fall, Beall says.
Even as supply chain issues have thrown new hurdles at companies, GCOP has taken steps to ensure equipment delays are eased with the multitude of loaners GCOP keeps on hand in its large Baton Rouge warehouse, as well as in new rented space it secured to stockpile equipment.
“We’re doing everything we can to make sure our customers have what they need,” Beall says.
GCOP has also become a go-to provider for the technology companies need for their new telework infrastructure.
“We recognized that companies needed to put people in the office, without actually putting them in the office,” Beall says. “We doubled down on the continuing education of our suite of products, and we showed customers the value of tools like interactive white boards.”
Resembling 65-inch iPads, interactive white boards allow remote teams to share documents, construction plans, architectural drawings, photographs, contracts and more. The New Orleans Saints used an interactive white board for the NFL draft, Beall says, and real estate brokers have used them for tours of homes for offsite buyers. Interactive white boards enable businesses to deploy remote teams as telework becomes a permanent part of the reimagined American workplace, Beall says.
Giving back to the community has always been a top priority for GCOP. The company has an impressive history of stepping up to support nonprofit organizations and charitable events. It’s also been the longtime official sponsor of LSU and University of Louisiana Lafayette athletics, and the New Orleans Saints and New Orleans Pelicans.
Recently, Beall introduced a new charitable program with ESPN Radio Baton Rouge host Matt Moscona. Early in the Tigers basketball season, Moscona raffled off GCOP’s courtside seats to listeners, and GCOP donated the money raised to the Food Bank of Greater Baton Rouge, the ARC of Baton Rouge and St. Lillian Academy. The program will continue this spring with raffles for second row tickets to LSU baseball games at Alex Box Stadium.
As south Louisiana companies continue to navigate traffic, labor challenges and supply chain issues, GCOP will aim to stay one step ahead, ensuring customers have the equipment they need to keep the wheels moving.
“It’s all about finding ways to serve our customers,” Beall says. “That’s the foundation of our business.”
FROM THE PRESIDENT
We are celebrating 45 years in Louisiana and could not be prouder. Our tenure and success is directly related to the effort of our employees and the commitment they make every day as well as our loyal customers. Although the last couple of years have been trying due to the pandemic, we were able come out on the other side of it in good shape and healthy. Our manufacturer continues to provide innovative technologies for us to bring to the marketplace to help companies keep pace with increasing demands they have to meet. We will continue to invest in the communities we support and in our staff so that we will grow and prosper in the future.
TREY BEALL
President
