In January of 1997, a small business opened its doors with a simple belief at its core: customer service would set it apart. Copier Consultants, Inc. was built on quality, integrity, and a quiet confidence of a man willing to bet on himself. Founder Mitch Ware had already lived several working lives by then. From his time at a transmission shop in Akron, to the early days of office technology, each step shaped the company that he set out to build. Today, in the space left by his passing, that same philosophy continues under the leadership of his son, Blake. Guided by a dedicated staff that has stood by the company during the transition of losing its founder, Blake returned to Canton not just to maintain a family business, but to carry forward the values that built it.
When Blake’s father passed away after a battle with cancer in 2024, he faced a decision no one is ever fully prepared for. Should he continue the business or let it go? The answer became clear in the memories that had been quietly forming his entire life. Blake grew up watching his father work, absorbing the rhythms of the business while benefiting from the stability and care Mitch created at home. “I had the unique opportunity to watch him run the business my entire life,” Blake shared. “I heard about all the headaches, worries, successes, and stress. But that was just it. I got to watch it. I had an amazing childhood and early adulthood because of the efforts he made without ever asking for thanks. Who am I to put a price tag on that?”
And so Blake returned.
At the core of Copier Consultants has always been family. In the earliest days, Blake’s mother Judy helped shape the business, creating the original price sheets by hand as the company served the community as both a copier provider and a small print shop. Judy still contributes to ongoing operations today. Blake’s aunt, his father’s sister Kay Miller, has been a steady heartbeat in the office for more than a decade, serving as Purchasing Manager and helping guide the company through years of growth. Alongside her, longtime HR and Office Manager Rosanne Satrang, plays an essential role in all aspects of the company. Long before systems or titles, it was family, and those who became like family, that kept the business moving forward.
Stepping into ownership at Copier Consultants meant more than learning operations or assuming a title. It meant leading the people and relationships that defined the company long before Blake did. The transition was not easy, but it became deeply meaningful. Longtime employees, many of whom worked alongside Mitch for years, provide Blake a living connection to his father’s legacy. Among them, VP of Sales Scott Whipkey, stand out as a trusted mentor, offering invaluable guidance to Blake in a relatively unfamiliar space of sales leadership. Through stories, habits, and shared experiences, they continue to teach him lessons he could not have learned alone. “I’ve been able to meet my dad in so many new ways,” Blake said. “Through stories, jokes, and the way he handled things. I learn something new about him all the time. As hard as those moments can be, I never leave a conversation with an employee or customer without a smile.”
Those stories often return to the beginning. Blake remembers his father talking about his first copier job, where a skeptical manager doubted him at every turn. By the time Copier Consultants officially launched, Mitch had already defined the principles that still guide the business today. It is a business with a customer first mindset, transparent practices, and a deep respect for every person involved – this is at the heart of their motto “Service So Good It Can’t Be Copied”. Blake now runs the company not simply to preserve what his father built, but to honor how he built it. There is no call center or automated messages. Service Manager, Kelly Mann, and her team of technicians know their customers by name, and all staff are treated as partners. Every interaction is rooted in care, accountability, and trust. That commitment is formalized in the Copier Consultants Customer Bill of Rights, a document that outlines how customers are treated and what they can expect, holding the company accountable to the standards Mitch set decades ago.
That same sense of responsibility extends beyond the walls of the office and into the Northeast Ohio community. Philanthropy and local support remain central to the company’s identity. From donating equipment to non-profit organizations, to supporting local schools and hospitals, giving back has always been part of the work. Blake said. “I would not say philanthropy was a Copier Consultants mission so much as it was a Mitch Ware mission. It found its way into the business, and it is not going anywhere.” For Blake, leadership is not about filling his father’s shoes, but learning to walk alongside them in his own way.
In a time when small businesses are increasingly rare, the story of Copier Consultants serves as a reminder of what it means to take risks, lead with integrity, and define home as something far deeper than a place. Mitch’s belief in himself continues through his family and lives on in every employee, customer, and neighbor. “When you spend your money with a small business you’re helping to put food on the table of your neighbor, a person at your church or school, or helping your neighbor's child go to college,” Blake said. “You are supporting the community more directly than perhaps you realize.”
Today, Copier Consultants stands as more than a business. It is a continuation of values shaped in a childhood home, reinforced through years of service, and now carried forward with care. For Blake, home is not simply where he returned, but what he continues to build on every day.
"I’ve been able to meet my dad in so many new ways”
"When you spend your money with a small business you’re helping to put food on the table of your neighbor, a person at your church or school, or helping your neighbor's child go to college."