From Typewriters To AI: Noordyk’s Third Generation Journey

A lot can happen between a basement repair bench and a statewide service team. We invited Kara and Will, third-generation owners of Nordyk Business Equipment, to share how a company that started by fixing typewriters now helps organizations manage secure, AI-enabled document workflows without losing the personal touch that built their name. Their story blends legacy and leap: faith-driven values shape daily decisions while smart adoption of software, security, and automation keeps customers moving faster with fewer headaches.

We dig into what has actually changed in the copier and printer world—less the box itself and more the brains behind it. From authentication and scan-to-cloud to OCR and routing, the modern “printer” is really a document infrastructure hub. Kara and Will explain how their team evaluates real workflows before quoting, why paperless still depends on great scanning, and how AI can trim manual steps without creating new complexity. They also talk about the moment COVID forced a rethink on hiring, shifting from process-based checklists to culture-first recruiting that finds people who care, learn, and stay.

Growth brings tests, and their 2023 acquisition in Lansing became a masterclass in integration. They walk through maintaining service standards, aligning tools and policies, and keeping customers protected while expanding coverage. Throughout, a theme stays steady: human trust matters. When a deadline looms, someone picks up the phone—and sometimes a box of toner—and gets it done. That’s how a local team can out-serve big competitors with 800 numbers and long approval chains.

If you’re curious how a multigenerational business stays relevant, builds a culture that lasts, and uses technology to solve real problems, you’ll find practical takeaways and candid lessons here. Subscribe, share this episode with a business owner who values service, and leave a review to tell us what legacy and innovation look like in your world.

If you have comments about this podcast, or ideas for future episodes, please email us at PODCAST@WALKER.CITY

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Welcome to Maiden Walker, a podcast that connects you to the people, the stories, and the ideas shaping our community. From local innovators to everyday change makers, we're diving deep into what makes Walker a great place to live, work, and grow. Here's your host, Nicole DiDonato.

SPEAKER_03 0:26

Very few businesses make it to third generation, and fewer still do it while continuing to grow, adapt, and also staying relevant with their customers and community. I'm joined by the third generation owners of Nordike Business Equipment. They are a walker-based business that is celebrating 80 years in 2026. Kara and Will, thank you both for joining us for this episode. Yeah, thanks for having us.

SPEAKER_01 0:50

Glad we could be here.

SPEAKER_03 0:50

Yeah, Will, you're just your turn guest. You were here about a year ago, just giving us the backstory. Kara, we're certainly happy to have you here with this episode. So take us, well, can't really take us back to 1946. But just your grandfather had started this 1946 in a basement, right after World War II. Why do you think he had the urge to want to really dive into being a business owner and then to really look at repairing typewriters?

SPEAKER_02 1:20

So his involvement in World War II was actually with repairing typewriters, right? Yeah. Um, and then I think just the times back then are different than they are now. That was what you did is you had a skill set, you started a business with it. Um, so he did. He started it out of his parents' basement, um, grew it throughout the years, and eventually got my dad involved. Um eventually got mom involved when they got married.

SPEAKER_01 1:47

And then so he took it over in the eight my dad took it over from grandpa in the eighties and kind of grew it into the the digital world that it is now to the copiers and printers. So kind of outgrew the typewriters, and that skill set is not needed quite as much anymore.

unknown 2:00

No.

SPEAKER_03 2:01

What do you think were some of the um the values that he really started his business on that you think you still kind of embody today?

SPEAKER_02 2:08

Sure. Um, grandpa's definitely a faith-based man. So all um in his life, it was that was the driving factor. Um, and I think that is what attracted employees to him. I think that's what attracted customers to him. And I think that's the core of what we do today. Um I mean, our purpose here in life is how can we glorify Jesus? How can we bring people to Jesus? Um, and I think that in the words that we choose and how we speak to our customers and how we speak to our employees, um, the policies that we set when we set them, um the actions, everything that we do. If if we can get one encounter with someone to share the gospel with them, I mean that's a great day. And if we can sell copiers along with that, that's an even better day. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 2:53

Grandpa's dad was actually a pastor too. So it was just kind of something that's always been instilled in the family, whether it was from grandpa down to our dad, into us. Uh, you know, we went to private schools growing up. So just a big, big part of our values.

Tech Evolution From Typewriters To AI

SPEAKER_03 3:04

So and able to still continue that generations and decades later. Yep. So obviously a lot has changed. Will you kind of touch on this a little bit, starting from your uh typewriters all the way to the electronics that we see today, what has that whirlwind been like? I mean, you haven't really seen the whole progression, but just in your tenure, what have you noticed has changed?

SPEAKER_01 3:25

Yeah. Um, so I mean, when you talk about copiers and printers, not a whole lot has changed. I mean, they're they're printing as fast as they can. And if you look at one 20 years ago, they look pretty similar. And the technology is from what you can see, is all pretty similar. But what's changed is kind of the software on the back end or the security on the back end. So even though to the normal user walking up to it, it's the same machine, knowing how the internals are affected with technology and new computers on a day-to-day basis, we've kind of had to adapt and learn what that looks like uh and to be able to adapt with that.

SPEAKER_02 3:59

Especially nowadays, I think a lot of AI is getting into that world, right? And how can we automate systems, make people more efficient while still using copiers and printers? You're still printing, you're not going paperless, but you're able to utilize the AI systems that are out there to then automate your process and just make your business more efficient.

SPEAKER_03 4:15

That's incredible to see that progression from decades ago to now. You think your grandfather would have just imagined that he would have kept this company sustained for so many years?

SPEAKER_02 4:25

I think the shock that's in our dad's words and face when he realizes it. No, I don't think there's I don't think he would have ever imagined that.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

I don't think so either. And and especially she touched on it too with a lot of companies trying to go paperless. So that you know that brings a change to technology. But again, with the AI, so if you're going paperless, you gotta scan the documents in. So there's a big part of the the copy and printers is a scanning. So I don't think they could have foreseen that even being a thing back when a typewriter was around. So so yeah, for him to it'd be pretty far out for him.

SPEAKER_03 4:58

What does he tell you about the changes he's seen with the technology? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 5:02

I don't know that he really fully anymore.

SPEAKER_01 5:06

No, he's he's pretty stepped out of it. So I mean he's he's happy to see that we're involved, but you know, as long as we're keep selling, he doesn't really care what it is, you know. So he doesn't have to deal with with print and papers or or a whole lot of technology himself. So he he trusts that he's got the right people in place that want to be involved in the technology changes, so he doesn't have to.

SPEAKER_02 5:25

It's definitely a different world than I mean when my dad was was really in it, it was buying used machines, fixing them up, and selling them. So to go from that to now what we're dealing with, where a lot of it is software driven, and what software can our printers and copiers work with that our customers need. Um, even you talk about change from typewriters to now, even from when our dad was in it 20 years ago to now, it's night and day difference.

Siblings’ Paths Into The Business

SPEAKER_03 5:50

Yes. And and I did forget to specify you guys are siblings. We are. So yeah. And so um, you know, was it always the plan to take over? Sometimes we were talking off camera a little bit, just sometimes it's tough nowadays to maybe get children to want to take over their parents' businesses, or maybe they do sell out of necessity. But what was it like for you?

SPEAKER_02 6:10

It was not ever the plan. I mean, I think it was always maybe a hope of our parents that we would maybe step into it. But um, I went to college thinking I was gonna go into the health care field, um, got married, and then ended up just moving back this way and took a job with the company because I was trying to figure out my way and then liked it and stuck. And then it's a kind of similar story for you.

SPEAKER_01 6:32

Yeah. So I remember as a kid, it was always, yeah, you're gonna take over the family business. And as I got into middle school and high school, it was like I I wasn't a very technology-based kid. I didn't want anything to really do with copiers and printers. It wasn't exciting, it wasn't fun. I had a big interest in automotive. Um, so I was actually a mechanic for about seven years before I got into this. Um, that became tough on the body and decided I want to change. I really liked working with people, and there was a sales position open at our company. So I talked to my parents. I said, Can I apply? And they're like, Yeah, you got to go through the interview process just like everybody else, but you know, there's an opening, so sure. So they were really excited to hear that, and even more excited that I got through the interview process. But but yeah, no, it was definitely not on my radar until I don't know, five or six years ago.

SPEAKER_02 7:18

So I mean, let's be real, there's nothing sexy about copiers and printing, right? Thinking about that as a teenager or like college student, you're like, okay, is this really what I want to do? Not knowing like, you know, the the benefits or like the pros of owning a company and be able to drive that. Um, I don't think it's anything either of us were like setting our goals on. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:39

I mean, and did your parents kind of give you like life lessons, business lessons about this, or is it something you just had to figure out on your own, basically? I think it's a lot of how we grew up.

SPEAKER_02 7:47

I mean, they were very transparent and we are, I think that way, they were that way with the company with employees, we are as well, but they were that way with us at home, right? It was always talking shop, it was always talking business, um, yeah, you know, financial advice and just life advice, I think, rolls over a lot into it. Would you agree?

SPEAKER_01 8:06

Yeah. Uh and to go off that, I mean, every family vacation for our elementary years was always a business trip that dad needed to take. So, you know, dad had to go here to pick up this. So let's make a vacation out of it and stop at a museum here or there. But yeah, some things that were always coming out of dad's mouth was buy low, sell high, you know. And as a kid, you hear that and you're like, oh yeah, that makes sense. But you know, to translate that to to him giving us a business lesson, I don't know if that was his plan or just kind of his day-to-day speak. So yes.

Lessons From COVID And Hiring For Culture

SPEAKER_03 8:33

And any l lessons or um that you learned along the way that you're grateful for, kind of looking back. I know there's probably been some times um where businesses have shifted or you've had to kind of adapt with uh COVID and such. What did that sort of teach you?

SPEAKER_02 8:49

Yeah. Um, COVID, you could probably speak to. You were still selling actively at that point with the lessons we learned there.

SPEAKER_01 8:55

Yeah, so just COVID brought a lot of changes. Um there was just a lot of changes on us taking over. One was one of the big ones was how we hired uh salespeople, how we hired service tax, how we just hired employees in general, um, kind of stopped looking at it as a process and looked at it more of as a culture and really just changed our interview process to fit the culture rather than to find somebody that checked all the boxes to fit the process.

SPEAKER_02 9:21

Um finding people that fit with our company values, fit with the culture we have. Because you can find the right person, you can teach, I mean, you can pretty much teach anyone to do anything, right?

SPEAKER_01 9:30

So the right cultured people tend to stick around longer. So if we can focus on that, that's gonna give us ease of operating in the future with less hiring for the people that stick around longer and just realizing that was big.

Acquisition In Lansing And Integration

SPEAKER_02 9:45

So I think the other thing that comes to my mind when you ask that question is um in the beginning of 23, we acquired another company in Lansing. And that is not something that our grandpa had done, it's not something that our parents had done. So that was new and heavily put on us, right? So navigating what does that look like? How do you run an office that's in your hometown and also an office that's in an hour-ish away and keep and then keep we kept a lot of the employees that were with that company on? So how do you bring them up to speed to how Nordike does things? Because we do things a lot different from our competitors.

SPEAKER_01 10:20

Yeah, we do.

SPEAKER_02 10:21

Um, so it was, I think we're still learning in that respect, but I think we've learned a lot and we're going the right direction with it.

Personal Touch Vs Big Competitors

SPEAKER_03 10:27

And that does lead me to one other question too. Uh a family-owned business, generations old. What is it that you are able to offer to customers that they can't really get at a bigger industry?

SPEAKER_01 10:39

I would say it's really just the personal touch. Uh I know without naming names, a lot of our competitors have gone to like an 800 number. So when you call, you either get, you know, a robot phone to get you to the right department or one person transfers you to the next, to the next. I can tell you if our you call our shop in Lansing, you're gonna talk to Chris nine times out of ten. If you call our shop in Grand Rapids, it's gonna be probably Lisa or maybe Matt. So you're always gonna have a person to talk to. And then our salespeople really take more of a client-centric approach. Um, we get people that email us all the time, almost every day, and say, hey, we need a quote on this. And we aren't the type of company that's just gonna fire off a quote and see what sticks to the wall. Our salesmen want to go meet with the company, see what they're doing, understand their business, understand their workflow, and then we can either make recommendations, help them guide them in the right direction for something that they might not know exists. Um, and I just don't see that happening with our competitors. A lot of times we'll go out, especially the ones that are farther away from Grand Rapids, you know, that aren't within 10 or 15 minute drive from downtown here. A lot of the other salesmen don't want to go that far out. So our guys will go out, they'll spend the time, really do a deep dive on on what your company's doing and try and understand their workflow and everything before we really make any recommendations. So I think that's probably the biggest thing that sets us apart.

SPEAKER_02 11:57

Building that trust, transparency, 100%. Yeah, and service. I mean, we I think that's a big part of it as well is you're talking to a real person on the phone when you call and we're able, being a smaller business, we're able to make those on-the-fly decisions that maybe other companies, if they're larger, have to run up the ladder to get the approval for, right? So I know I ran toner out to a customer the other day because they needed it and it was important and needed to get done, right? Um, so I think that sets us apart as well, is we're they're building those relationships with our customers. They're not just another number. We truly care, you know, about them getting what they need from us in order to operate their business. And not everyone's super excited about copiers and printers. I mean, it's a a necessary part of a business, but if we can make that not stressful, that's what we like, that's what we aim to do.

Growth Vision And Next Generation

SPEAKER_03 12:49

Yes, of course. Like that um, you know, that approach there and that mindset. So looking ahead, do you even think about where you will go in 10, 20 years, just what the next generation of Nordike looks like?

SPEAKER_01 13:03

So yeah, I mean, we want to keep growing. We want to fill in the gaps in between here and Lansing, um, just so that we have a good customer base all the way through and that our service techs can be anywhere in the state and and service any customer needed. Um, I know she's got four kids, I don't, but I've I've heard my oldest niece ask, when can I work for you guys?

SPEAKER_02 13:23

Yeah. We we shot a marketing video at work the other day, and we actually brought in like an old typewriter, and it was hilarious to watch the kids have no idea what it is, how do you use it, what was this for? Um, but yeah, just to see the excitement that they're like, oh, you know, when I work here and they're talking about salesmen that we currently have, they'll still be here. And I'm like, well, I don't know that that's gonna happen, but just that they, you know, that thought is in their head that like maybe this would happen, maybe, and then for us to talk about it and think about it, it's like, wow, maybe it'll go to the fourth generation, maybe it'll go to the fifth generation. I don't know.

Advice For Multi-Generation Owners

SPEAKER_03 13:54

Yes. So it is incredible to think about. Yeah. Kind of wild to just to place years ahead. Yeah. And what as being a um, you know, several uh third generation owners, what kind of advice would you give to other business owners who've maybe made it, you know, a couple generations? What what types of advice could you pass along as uh is sustainable and yeah, I think just being true to yourself, right?

SPEAKER_02 14:17

Um, it's easy to get caught up in this world with comparing yourselves to whoever else is in your industry and them doing things differently. And if you need, if you're trying to keep up with the big corporate world, like we need to change how we do things. But I think for us specifically, staying true to who we are, the values that we have and keeping those at the forefront of how we operate a business and the decisions we make for the business is what has allowed us to remain in business all these years.

SPEAKER_01 14:41

Yeah, I would agree 100%. Um, to add to it is not getting too comfortable or doing things just because they've always done things that way. I mean, if we were doing things the same thing, the same way my dad was doing things 20 years ago, I don't think it would work out. So being able to look at it from a 10, 20 foot view and saying, hey, change is needed and you know, we do need to adapt um and being able to make those changes and be willing to make those changes, it's it's a risk. It's it's scary but necessary.

How To Reach Nordike And Closing

SPEAKER_03 15:08

Sure. Yes. Yeah, that is something you're just kind of the pioneers now taking it going forward, and it's kind of exciting. It is exciting, it's fun. The unknown. So, and um, if people are interested in uh checking out your services, what is the best way for them to do so? Call, talk to Lisa or Matt or Chris.

SPEAKER_02 15:25

Otherwise, we've got a website that's really easy to use, Nordike.com, um, and you can request a quote and it just sends us your information. And then, like Will was saying somebody's gonna call and either talk to you on the phone or they're gonna go out and meet with you. It's not gonna be just like another number coming through.

SPEAKER_03 15:40

So love that personal touch. Yeah. Congratulations on 80 years. We're excited to see where you all go from here. But uh, thank you for making the investment and choosing to um to open your doors and walk our continue that. So we appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 15:54

That'd be good. Thanks for having us.

SPEAKER_03 15:55

Yes, of course. Thank you, Will. And Kara, and thank you for tuning in as well.

SPEAKER_00 15:58

Thank you for joining us for this episode of the Maiden Walker Podcast. If you have comments or questions about this podcast, or if you have suggestions for future episodes, we'd love to hear from you. Please drop us an email at podcast at walker.city. Maiden Walker is the official podcast of the city of Walker, Michigan. You can find Maiden Walker wherever you get your podcasts.