Billy Hanson Honored for Dedication to Clients and Community
By MICHAEL ANDERSON, Content Development Specialist
Billy Hanson never planned to take over Reliable Office Solutions. His dad, Bill, may have thought otherwise.
Billy joined his father’s office equipment supplier in the late 80’s, nearly 15 years after its opening in 1975. Billy quickly began to learn the ropes.
Photo courtesy of Flint Gennari, Fine Art Fotos
“I always worked there. I did every job in the company growing up. I stocked the shelves and swept the floors. I eventually drove the van and delivered supplies and, when I got older, I started driving the 16-foot box truck,” recalled Hanson.
Even though he worked at Reliable during his college years, Hanson decided to pursue accounting. He worked part-time with Island-based Potter & LaMarca LLP before earning his CPA license and starting in the tax department at Ernst & Young LLP in Manhattan.
“My father was considering selling the company back in 1999. So I went there to help him. I was leaving Ernst & Young and wanted to pursue a role closer to home, so this served as a stopgap measure. However, I got involved, we decided not to sell, and I stayed on to run the business,” said the CEO.
Although taking over an established business at just 26 years old came with its own set of obstacles, Hanson had to also focus on a significant move. Located on Richmond Road in Dongan Hills since its inception, Hanson’s father purchased property on Arthur Kill Road and was set to relocate within the month.
“We knew we wanted to grow. At the time, we only had two salespeople. Eventually, that bigger space allowed us to grow to our current salesforce of about 20 people,” said Hanson. “It was definitely a challenge. I’m thankful that all our people stayed with us through the move. The company was basically the same, as far as the operations part. It was just the stress of the move. But eventually, the extra space paid dividends. There’s no way we would have been able to operate at that other location for more than a couple of more years.
“It took me a few years to really get things on solid footing from a financial perspective. But then, around 2004, I started realizing the only way we would go forward was to add more salespeople. I was fortunate enough to hire a Director of Sales – which is a hard role to fill – but I found the right person (David Powell) right away,” he added.
That move turned out to be just the beginning of the company’s expansion. Reliable Office Solutions opened a new location in 2006 in midtown Manhattan (which has now relocated to Exchange Place in downtown Manhattan) and followed with another site in 2008 in Cranbury, New Jersey (which relocated to Woodbridge just two years ago).
“Any time you’re taking a big step, there’s a little bit of trepidation. I had faith in what David was doing, though. I remember signing that first big lease, and it was a little scary. But I believed in what we were doing. We started small, but we grew in stages,” said Hanson. “Geographically, the three offices allow us to acquire people for those areas. Plus, it allows us to store parts that our technicians can go to for training or grab some parts, as needed. The three offices work nicely for us.”
As the company’s name suggests, the success of a business often comes down to reliability. For that reason, he ensures his customers have the best products.
“We have the best manufacturer in Canon. Their equipment is fantastic. It’s more durable, and the company is very easy to deal with. During this pandemic with supply chain issues, everyone is hurting, but we’re hurting a little less because Canon is very well organized and well run,” said Hanson, who previously served as a council member on the Canon Dealer Advisory Board. “We sell any size. We have big colleges on Staten Island and small doctors’ offices with just a small desktop. We’re very diverse. We’re very customer-facing and very customer-friendly.”
For his accomplishments, Hanson is being honored with a Louis R. Miller Leadership Award, which he will receive in the Master Businessperson category. The awards -- which are presented by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and the Staten Island Advance -- honor the memory of Louis R. Miller, a businessman and West Brighton resident who was also a community leader.
Hanson stays active in his community serving on the school board at the Millstone Board of Education and Upper Freehold Board of Education. Locally, he is a cabinet member of the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation and an active member of the Bucks Business Network.
“The Bucks Business Network has been really good from the standpoint of getting to know different people. That group is very tight-knit, and if you go to someone from the Bucks, you’re going to get very good service and be treated very fairly. You won’t have to worry about anything because you know they’ll do the right thing and take care of you,” said Hanson.
Customers at Reliable Office Solutions will likely say the same thing about Hanson. Reliable provides discounts to non-profits and ensures they are satisfied with the company’s service. All of this serves to ensure the success and sustainability of the business his father established more than 50 years ago.
“One of the things that really motivates me, and not that there’s any pressure applied, but my father is still around, and we’re very close,” said Hanson. “While doing this, I can watch him see how the business has grown. That experience has been a real pleasure for me. He gave me the trust to start doing this, and it’s nice to see him get rewarded.”
Recipients of the Louis R. Miller Awards are recognized as effective business leaders and for their outstanding contributions to the local community. Awards are given out in four categories: Emerging, Established, Master, and Not-For-Profit. The honorees will be recognized during the annual Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Awards Breakfast on Wednesday, Feb. 16. For tickets, visit www.sichamber.com or call the Chamber at 718-727-1900.
Current occupation and title: CEO at Reliable Office Solutions
Hometown: Born and raised in Prince’s Bay
Past occupation/s and titles: Accountant at Ernst & Young LLP in Manhattan
Community involvement: Active member of Bucks Business Network;
member of the school board and committee chair at Millstone Board of Education and Upper Freehold Board of Education; Cabinet member of Staten Island Economic Development Corp. (SIEDC); member of Staten Island Chamber of Commerce
The best part of my job: Working with and developing my team. I also enjoy developing the processes and software development/implementation in order to achieve those goals more efficiently. Reliable Office Solutions is 100% on homegrown software, whereas virtually all our competitors use industry software, limiting creativity in processes and procedures.
Personal interests and hobbies: Spending time with my wife and daughters; Professional sports, especially the New York Rangers; Running/Tennis/Basketball/Weight Training
I admire: Qualities in others, such as hard work and a sense of selflessness and fairness. I have always had big respect for people who are professionals in their careers. These people don’t take shortcuts and treat each day as if they must be on top of their game. This is something rare these days. Everyone wants to be a jack of all trades and just rush through everything without doing the hard work.
