Chief Executive Officer, President & Director, EPLUS INC
Nasdaq Market Opening Facebook Interview with Mark Marron
Take a look at COO Mark Marron's post-bell interview with Facebook after opening the Nasdaq market on June 7, 2016.
About Mark Marron
In a September 2016 interview following the Nasdaq opening bell, Mark Marron, then Chief Operating Officer of Eplus, discussed the company's business and recent developments. He described Eplus as a technology company with trailing-twelve-month revenue of $1.2 billion, approximately 1,074 employees, and over 30 offices in the US as well as a presence in the UK. Marron stated that the company helps customers with data center, cloud, mobility, and data analytics, while providing security and services for implementation and optimization. Marron noted that Eplus had been listed on Nasdaq for 20 years)Skip, calling it a "nice accomplishment" and expressing confidence in the company's future. He highlighted the acquisition of IGX at the end of 2015, saying it enhanced Eplus's security offerings, expanded its footprint in New York and New England, and gave the company its first international presence in the UK. Marron also mentioned that Eplus was named to CRN's 2016 Tech Elite 250 list, which he said validated the company's direction and recognized employee efforts. Offering advice to a younger audience, Marron said that "hard work and ambition will get you where you want to go" and encouraged them to "chase your dreams."
Transcript (19 segments)
B
Bradley0:23
Good morning, we are live from the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square, New York City, right after the Nasdaq opening bell, featuring E Plus Technology. And now we're here with Marc Maron, Chief Operating Officer of E Plus. Welcome, Mark.
M
Mark Marron0:37
Thank you, Bradley. Good morning. And thank you for ringing the opening bell this morning as well.
B
Bradley0:41
Yeah, I'll tell you, it was pretty exciting.
M
Mark Marron0:42
Yeah, it was good for, I think, all the E Plus employees. We feel good about what we're building. And there was just a nice combination of everything we've done so far.
B
Bradley0:52
For all the Facebook viewers, can you tell us a little bit more about E Plus?
M
Mark Marron0:55
Sure. E Plus is a technology company. Trailing 12 months, we've done 1.2 billion in revenue. We've got about 1,074 employees. We've got over 30 offices throughout the US and we've got an international presence in the UK. We help customers with their data center, cloud, mobility, data analytics, all while providing the security and services they need to install, implement, and optimize these solutions.
B
Bradley1:22
That's wonderful. So you celebrated today, you are a 20-year listing anniversary on NASDAQ. What does this day mean for you and the company? And is there a special message that you'd like to share with the employees who may be watching back at home who helped the company get to this momentous occasion?
M
Mark Marron1:35
Yeah, I think it's great. First off, being on Nasdaq is actually something that from a branding and awareness perspective is very cool for everybody at E Plus. And for the E Plus employees, what we've accomplished over the years and the culture that we have, we feel second to none. So we think being here 20 years on Nasdaq is a nice accomplishment. We've got another 20 or more years to go for sure, but this has been a nice first 20 years.
B
Bradley1:59
Now at the end of 2015, you acquired IGX to enhance your security offerings. What can you additionally tell us about that acquisition and how is that integration going thus far?
M
Mark Marron2:10
Sure, so for us at E Plus, trailing-twelve-month, 16% of our adjusted gross billings were in security. So we've made a major initiative to build out our security expertise. IGX helps us do a couple different things. One, they build out our security offerings and expertise. They build out our footprint in New York and New England. They give us our first international presence in the UK. So we now have the ability to not only sell for US customers, we have UK customers, and we can go back and forth across the Atlantic supporting customers that are not just US-based. So it's a great add for our security and it's a great add for what we can sell that we've always sold within E Plus.
B
Bradley2:46
That's so. So shifting then from the technology, to one of your recent accolades that the company received in April of this year, E Plus was named among the 2016 Tech Elite 250 list by CRN, the channel company. What does this selection mean for you and E Plus?
M
Mark Marron3:05
Well, it's just another way to validate what we're doing, that we're moving in the right direction. So it's always good to be recognized either by your peers or by the industry. So this is just another nice recognition for all the employees at E Plus in the work that they do.
B
Bradley3:21
And then from a Chief Operating Officer's perspective, what does it mean for you to have this partnership with Nasdaq? Have you been able to sync up with other people in your position and vibe with them on different things that are relevant at your position?
M
Mark Marron3:38
Yeah, here's what I'll tell you. First off, if Nasdaq could introduce us to every company on the exchange like that, that would be super, but we haven't seen that one yet. But in terms of some of the introductions and meetings we've had, they've been great. So Nasdaq, from an awareness and branding perspective, has been fantastic. And just being associated with Nasdaq has been great for E Plus.
B
Bradley3:55
So just before we wrap, we do have a great deal of young generation or millennial audience that watches our live feed every day, and we would love to know, because the ambition theme is kind of our ethos here at Nasdaq. Speaking to a younger generation, what advice would you give to that next generation of aspiring entrepreneurs and chief operating officers so that they can ignite their ambitions?
M
Mark Marron4:24
Sure. So for the younger audience, believe it or not, at one point I was younger. It may not look it, but at one point I was. 29 still 29, multiple times over right? But here's the biggest thing that I would tell you: hard work and ambition will get you where you want to go. And there's one favorite saying that I've always had: don't be afraid to chase your dreams, you just might catch one. And if I were a youth today, the biggest thing I'd tell you is, with hard work and really focusing on what you do, you can pretty much do whatever you want.
B
Bradley4:52
That's great. That's great advice to our viewers. Mark, thank you very much. We appreciate it. Awesome. Next time we'll have to play some basketball.
M
Mark Marron4:57
Anytime, anytime you're ready. I think I got Jack. I can back you down.
B
Bradley5:01
Yeah. Thank you everybody for watching today and hope you enjoyed the opening bell as well as our post-bell interview with Marc Maron, COO of E Plus Technology. Thank you.