Eastern Engineering, headquartered in Muncie, Indiana, is a 46-year-old, family-owned and run business operating as a distributor for Hewlett Packard, KIP, Canon and Oce large-format printing equipment in Indiana, half of Ohio, and Detroit, Michigan.

Ready to take on the northwest Ohio market, Eastern Engineering acquired Toledo Blueprint in 2017. Along with the acquisition, the business brand transitioned to a full-service reprographics and construction information manager selling equipment and software.

When looking for a location to serve this new geographic market, Mark Langdon, Eastern Engineering’s owner and president, searched for a leasable space that would accommodate the need for a professional, future-forward showroom space to engage current and prospective customers as well as Eastern Engineering employees. After securing the space, Langdon relied on a referral from the building owner to work with Rudolph Libbe Inc.’s Special Accounts team.  He was unaware that RLI manages hundreds of construction projects under $500,000.

RLI reviewed Langdon’s needs and continued to rework a proposal that aligned with his vision and budget. “If I learned anything from this project that I could pass along to other owners going through a renovation or expansion,” Langdon commented, “it would be to get a basic budget number in place based on conversations with your accountant and or banker. This helps you work better with your contractor.  They can guide the project’s constructability and design by what meets your needs and is affordable.  Once that’s worked out, then you can upgrade where, when and if you are able.”

Throughout the process, Langdon was able to rely on his RLI account manager to handle all trade work and construction related needs so he could focus on running his business.

The new showroom and offices have proven more successful than Langdon expected, and Eastern Engineering has exceeded its goal for equipment sold from the Perrysburg location.

“I am shocked by the number of people coming through the showroom to see the equipment and meet our technicians.  We wouldn’t be able to sell our service and sales story without this beautiful new space introducing us to northwest Ohio,”  he added.

 

 

Our goal in expanding was to be close to existing customers and present a fresh
image of our business as a full-service construction information manager. RLI’s
budget transparency and ability to give us options throughout the renovation brought
our vision for this space to life. We are extremely pleased with the number of customers and prospects coming into our showroom.

Mark Langdon, Owner
Eastern Engineering

Photo Gallery

From Our Blog