Gardner Office Supply celebrates 40 years of business

By Owen Boss

GARDNER — Jerry Goguen has spent the last 40 years doing what he loves: repairing and servicing office and business equipment. And with his wife Sue taking care of the daily operations, and his daughter Lisa handling the purchasing and programming, Mr. Goguen said after 40 years retirement doesn’t appear to be on the horizon just yet. The business originally started as a one-person operation, with Mr. Goguen working out of one room in his basement repairing and servicing typewriters, calculation machines, copiers and cash registers. As business and demand for repairs increased, Mr. Goguen saw the need to expand and added full lines of office machines, supplies and office furniture. Soon after the expansion, the business was moved to its present location on Pleasant Street, a move Mr. Goguen said provided additional space and fueled the company’s expansion. “When I first started out I was just repairing typewriters, copiers, cash registers and things of that nature,” said Mr. Goguen. “After a few years, our business began to grow so much that I hired more people and got into the business of selling some of these machines.” The company, which was originally called “Gardner Office Machines,” changed its name to Gardner Office Supply in the late 1980s when it was purchased by Goodnow-Pearson’s after the department store closed. Mr. Goguen said the new ownership allowed the company to serve a larger more regional customer base by adding new lines to its inventory such as paper goods, rubber stamps as well as implementing copying machines and faxing services. “We serve people all across the greater Gardner area,” said Mr. Goguen. “We recently did some work with a company out in Leominster and we get a lot of customers coming to us from Athol, Winchendon and other surrounding communities.” Although changes in technology over the years significantly changed the landscape and nature of his business, Mr. Goguen said he was able to weather these changes by staying positive and focused on maintaining a presence in the community. “We attribute our longevity to treating our customers like you yourself would like to be treated,” said Mr. Goguen. oboss@thegardnernews.com

Appeared on Page 3 on 9/27/2008 (Vol. 206 No. 229)