Paul Griffith

The story of Paul Paul Griffith was born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. After a stint in the Air Force from 1968-1972 he began his illustrious career in the Office Products Industry, starting at Dykema Office Supply in Kalamazoo, Michigan, as a Purchasing Agent. Paul says, I always loved looking at all the cool and fun things in an office supply store. He just never realized it would become his life s work.

In 1987, Denny Yakes, Founder and COO of OPMA, hired Paul as a Purchasing Agent for his office supply business, Yakes Office Supply, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Denny said, I ve worked with Paul for over 25 years, I must like him; I hired him twice! In 1993, Paul accepted a position with Action Wholesale Service in Grand Rapids, as the Manager of the Marketing Administration Group. Then, 13 years ago, he accepted his then position as Account Executive for OPMA and retires today with the dual title of Account Executive and Vice President of Operations. Paul says of OPMA, It has been great to see this business grow and prosper and to have been a part of it.

Hail! to the victors valiant, Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes Everyone who knows Paul knows that he s a huge fan of University of Michigan Sports. He says his love for Blue started when he was enrolled at Concordia College, in Ann Arbor. He had friends that went to school at the University of Michigan and he says they really formed an allegiance to the school. Jeff Dundas from OPMA: Paul may be a U of M fan, but his disposition at OPMA was anything but blue. He s one of the most positive people I ve ever had the pleasure of working with, and he ll be greatly missed! Al Bowers from OPMA: Paul has been the best football Pool Emcee, Go Blue . In his new-found free time, Paul is planning on focusing on some of his favorite hobbies, which include gardening. He had a 40-acre farm outside of Allegan during his Dykema days, complete with hogs, cattle, goats and rabbits. These days he sticks mostly with vegetables and raspberries. Paul also enjoys all kinds of water sports including boating and jet-skiing. He looks forward to his annual fall trip to Benzie County with his two sons for deer camp too. They always have a great time together, he says.

It s amazing to me how many people enter this industry and stay here. I have worked with some of the same people for 36 years, and have a lot of great friendships that have really lasted. The Office Supply Industry is a great industry to be in, Paul says. When asked if he has any advice for his team of Account Executives that he s retiring from, he said, Always remember that Attention and Service are paramount to our relationships with our clients. This is great advice and from the well wishes below, you know that Paul truly understood what it meant to work with people and give them the utmost attention to detail and care. He will be sincerely missed in our Industry. Linda Cooperman from United Stationers: Paul and I worked together on the United Stationer promotions for a number of years. I had saved some of our email correspondence in case I needed to refer back to fine human being he is. A dignified gentleman with a radio announcer voice. Paul always offered clear, concise explanations of situations. He was straight forward and let me know what was actually going to happen. If he felt there might be an issue with a deadline he let me know that. He spoke the truth. If there was a problem he always tried to find an answer. He made a point to say we would learn from the answer and move forward. He cared about me as a person and was concerned about my well-being. The feeling was and is mutual. I wish for my friend Paul and his family many, many happy years enjoying whatever their future brings. Mike Metchikoff from OPMA: When I started with OPMA in 2007, Paul quickly became my moral compass he helped me navigate the OPMA waters. He helped me understand not only the business side of OPMA, but also the personal side of the company as well. He has been one that has always fought for what is fair and right, and is someone that will be missed by our organization. So I wish Paul safe passage on the next part of his life voyage may the wind always be at his back and may the sun always shine upon his face. Dan Spoelstra from Open Door Studio: Not only does Paul have the coffee ready for us first thing in the morning, he also has a good word for the day. Thanks Paul for your consistent encouragement and friendship. Sheila Gartland from Garvey s Office Products: Paul often referred to himself as the persistent pest in his emails back and forth to me regarding our years of doing catalogs together. Paul was anything but a pest! He was the friendly reminder to get my work done or there would be no catalog! Paul was always the ultimate professional and we will miss working with him! Enjoy your retirement! After working on catalogs (especially ours) and deadlines for this long we wish you a long and happy retirement. Amy Wolters from OPMA: My first post-collegiate interview was with Paul. I remember at one point thinking that my business professors would be horrified, because I caught myself with my legs crossed (for some reason, a huge no-no in that interviewing chapter) and one arm resting on the back of the chair, laughing hysterically. And that's just Paul. He makes you feel comfortable, he gives great advice, he's not afraid to cut loose and randomly sing songs from the fifties, he has great taste in Michigan college football teams . . . he's just an all-around good person. I won't be the only one to say that I'm glad our life paths have crossed.

Lyle D. Dabbert, President, Brown & Saenger: We are going to miss Paul s level of detail and professionalism. He truly has been a delight to work with over the years. Although I have never met Paul in person, we always did great work over the phone or via Email. Enjoy your retirement although you are probably way too young to retire, but I guess they have paid you well over the years! Thanks for the memories. Tammy Steadman from OPMA: Paul was always very fun to work with. One of my favorite memories is when we used to hide his baby beaver statues all over downtown Grand Rapids and leave pictures of their adventures for him on his desk. I m going to miss him very much. Kent Ratliff, retired from Independent Stationers: Paul is a prince in my book. He is patient, kind and most of all forgiving. In the years before I retired he made me look good in my position when I was really losing interest in the job. He was always soft spoken and upbeat when he answered the phone and I called a lot. These qualities will be the same ones that will allow him to reduce the deer population in Michigan for a long time to come. Congratulations, you have earned it and for goodness sake enjoy the future where every day is a Saturday. I highly recommend it. Thanks, Paul, for everything. Jessi Papke from OPMA: I have only had the pleasure of knowing Paul a short time, but he has been a wonderful teacher and someone I look forward to seeing every day. He s always cheerful as well as patient, and helps me find the answers I am looking for. He leaves behind some pretty big shoes to fill; and I will miss him very much. M.C. (Bud) Mundt from AOPD: All of us here at AOPD are very envious of you and your impending retirement. You have had a positive impact on me and we are very grateful for your guidance with our website construction and other projects you were involved in with AOPD. We wish you the very best in your retirement and hope you enjoy many great years of hunting, fishing and other manly things. Best wishes Paul...