Grand Rapids MI., Oct 1, 2008 - As part of Konica Minolta’s dynamic shift from analog to digital products, the company has reorganized the sales force so that it can focus on the future needs of our customers. The field sales organization has been changed to three sales groups, East, Central and West Regions. Wayne Bell, President of Sales and Service, said “As we transform the company to focus on our digital product portfolio, we need a sales organization that is responsive to our customers changing needs. This new structure supports the company’s goal of being a leading supplier to the pre-media market”.
The new dynamic sales organization is composed of three sales regions. Craig Underwood has been appointed as Eastern Regional Sales Manager. Pat Gear has been appointed as Central Regional Sales Manager. Jerry Lewis has been appointed as Western Regional Sales Manager. These three senior sales managers bring strong industry understanding with them, as they average 20 years tenure with Konica Minolta.
 
Craig Underwood joined the company in 1989 as a District Manager for New England and was then promoted to District Manager for the east.  He has been honored as Chairman of the Gold Circle. Craig has served on the Board of Directors the New England Newspaper Operations Association board of directors. Prior to coming to Konica Minolta he had several sales management positions with Graphic Art hardware companies
 
Pat Gear is a Graduate of McNeese State University in Electrical Engineering. His career with Konica Minolta Graphic Imaging has spanned over 22 years. He started in 1986 as a Field Service Engineer. He then moved to sales in 1998 as Account Executive covering Oklahoma and North Texas. Pat was promoted to the position of District Sales Manager for the South District in 2001.  Pat is also an active member of the Mid-America Newspaper Conference and runs the conference charity golf tournament which helps pay for journalism scholarships at Pittsburg State University. Pat has also been Chairman of the Gold Circle and received the District of the Year Award.
 
Jerry Lewis joined the company in 1987 as a sales representative, responsible for the Pacific Northwest. 3 years later, he was promoted to District Sales Manager responsible for the 10 western states. During this tenure, he was recognized several times for outstanding sales management and has been honored as Chairman of the Gold Circle, and District of the Year Award. Prior to joining the company Jerry was in production management and field service engineering.