SHARON AVENT
1998
When Sharon Avent took the reins of Smead on July 1, 1998, it was during the expansion of computers, the internet, and digitalization. People were still coming to grips with the fact that electronic documents are just as important as paper documents. With a new era of technology, the world of office supplies and records management was about to embark on a new path. Ebba Hoffman left Smead in a prosperous condition, and it was all up to Sharon to manifest the untapped potential to generate an even greater Smead. Sharon propelled Smead into global operations via various domestic and international partnerships. Her first significant purchase was with Atlanta-Hoogezand B.V., located in Holland, Netherlands. With the acquisition of Atlanta- Hoogezand, Smead’s revenue increased to more than $400 million, doubling the revenue from when her mother handed over the presidency. The Atlanta acquisition in 1998 opened new global markets for Smead and retained business with existing customers who had moved into the international market. Sharon invested in making Smead a company primed for a new millennium and began broadening negotiations within the U.S. With the purchase of S&W Manufacturing, Inc., a company specializing in custom filing products for the legal and medical markets, Sharon helped strengthen and diversify the domestic business of Smead. In 1999, Smead acquired Document Control
Solutions (DSC), a developer of software products for electronic records management based out of Fullerton, California. This new acquisition helped bolster Smead’s goal of handling the new digital century in response to customers needing more sophisticated solutions to manage their electronic records. Smead became accessible through a computer at home or in the office. Humanitarianism has always run deep within Smead’s culture, and Sharon remains committed to helping others and is active in numerous roles that assist a variety of causes. Sharon has been honored with many awards for her public service. Her donations and fundraising leadership for The City of Hope, a lifesaving scientific research organization, earned her their prestigious Spirit of Life Award in 2003. Under Sharon’s leadership, Smead’s revenue today exceeds $500 million. Smead now markets over 5,000 products designed to suit a wide variety of organizational needs for corporate and individual customers. Sharon Avent has not only heightened Smead’s International presence within the world of records management and filing solutions; she has cultivated a world- renowned organization to honor its history and support the local community.
1993: START OF IRAQ WAR
1991 Soviet Union breaks
1994 Amazon.com created
1995 DVDs (Digital Video Discs) are invented
1996 Google created
apart, end of Cold War
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