According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 18% of small businesses fail within their first year, while 50% fail after five years and approximately 65% by their tenth year in business. This year, Parmetech proudly celebrates 35 years in business—a milestone that reflects decades of innovation, service, and partnership. And while the Parmetech story officially began on January 1, 1991, the foundation was being laid far beyond that with our President/CEO Ana Fernandez-Parmet.
Ana’s parents are from Sagua La Grande, Cuba and immigrated to the United States in 1959. Ana recalls how both of her parents’ stories shaped her entrepreneurial spirit. “My mother is not from a wealthy family but her parents were both hard-working entrepreneurs! Both of my mother’s parents did not get to graduate high school but they were very industrious. My grandfather opened a neighborhood market and my grandmother had a photography studio and a dress boutique. I remember hearing their stories while I was growing up. My father is from a very wealthy family because his mother’s family-owned sugar plantations. My dad could have gone straight into the family business, but he decided that it was better to gain experience outside of the family business so that he would not be perceived as having his position in the company just because he was part of the family. My dad studied mechanical engineering at Auburn University in Alabama. From very early on my dad would tell me that the best inheritance he could give me was my college education! He said that communists can take away your money and your possessions, but no one can take away your education!”
Fast forward to 1987 when Ana was working as the assistant for the owner of an import/export company and starting to learn sales. By 1990 she had been promoted to the inside sales coordinator for South East Asia, and at this time became pregnant. At that same time, Mike Parmet (Executive VP of Parmetech and Ana’s husband) was working as a computer programmer for a mortgage company. He was also in charge of the company’s laser printers. This included purchasing remanufactured toner cartridges for the office because the product afforded tremendous cost savings and was kinder to the environment (this will become VERY important later).
“I really enjoyed my job, but I was pregnant with my first child. My boss had never had to handle a pregnant employee before – I was the first to get pregnant! So, we had a chat when I first told him about the pregnancy – I told him that my desire was to return to work after my baby was born but that I really did not fancy the idea of placing my baby in daycare. I told him that I wanted to work but did not really need to because my husband had a really good job. He told me that we could work something out where I could work from home a few days and have me come into the office a few days.”
Well, as it turned out, Mike was laid off from his very good job when they were 6 months pregnant. When this happened, Mike started to do some freelance consulting.
“So, I now had more of a need to work because our situation had changed! I went to visit my boss while I was still on maternity leave and told him that I wanted to take him up on that offer of working from home some days. Well, he never had expressed that offer in writing and he totally reneged his offer! He said that he was afraid it was set an unwanted precedent with the other salespeople and they would all want to start working from home. Again, this was before the virtual office era! I was pissed off but also still very reluctant to just place my baby in daycare fulltime! So, the BIG question of what to do?!?!!?”
The big questions of what to do indeed. With their first child born in November of 1990 and Mike’s current consulting job coming to an end in mid-December, the embers of entrepreneurship began to catch fire within Mike and Ana, and they began to ponder what they could do to be their own bosses. With some money in their savings, Mike and Ana decided to take the plunge into business ownership. Combining Ana’s experience in sales and Mike’s experience with print equipment and supplies, they decided to start their own company selling remanufactured toner cartridges. And thus, Parmetech was born!
The Early Years and Evolution of Parmetech
They came up with a company name – PARMETECH – which was their last name combined with the word “tech”, they figured that it had a “techy” ring to it. They led with their slogan “Recycle for the Next Generation” which combined the product they sold (remanufactured toner) and their inspiration for launching their business – their family, their next generation. With a call script in hand, Mike and Ana opened up the yellow pages and started to make cold-calls focusing on professions that were more likely to have printers such as graphic designers, architects, accountants, etc. (in today’s world every business has printers and multi-function devices but not so much in 1991).
The first logo was their son Matthew’s face with the recycle symbol around it. After their second child came along, they eventually put her face with the recycle symbol around it (as they realized she was much cuter 😉). As their family continued to grow, so did Parmetech. In 1993, they moved into a new house with a finished the basement which became Parmetech HQ. Parmetech expanded its offerings to include break-fix repair service for the printers they were selling supplies for, and Parmetech hired their first employees.
Parmetech continued to grow as an award-winning reseller, integrator, and provider of office equipment technology and services. Parmetech became a Xerox partner in 2004 and was their axis pilot partner to introduce Xerox Partner Print Services (XPPS) in the United States in 2012, before it’s official launch 2013. Parmetech was then named Xerox’s Channel Partner of the Year in 2015 and became Xerox’s first Master Elite-accredited MPS Channel Business Partner in 2017. Parmetech also partnered with ViewSonic in 2017, a leading global provider of visual solutions products, to expand our technology offerings for both workplace and education organizations.
35 Years: A Milestone Worth Celebrating
When Parmetech first opened its doors, the workplace looked very different. Desktop computers were only beginning to reshape office workflows, fax machines were essential, and “cloud collaboration” didn’t exist yet. From our earliest days, one mission guided us: to help organizations improve the way they work through reliable technology and exceptional service.
Longevity in any industry—especially one as fast-moving as technology—doesn’t happen by accident. We believe our 35 years of success can be traced to three core principles:
1. Customer-First Service: Relationships matter. We’ve built our business on listening closely, responding quickly, and going the extra mile. Many of our earliest customers are still with us today—and that loyalty means everything.
2. Solutions That Make an Impact: Technology isn’t about shiny tools; it’s about outcomes. Whether it’s reducing print costs, streamlining workflows, improving classroom engagement, or keeping devices supported—we focus on results that matter.
3. A Commitment to Innovation: From embracing managed print services before it was mainstream to helping schools adopt interactive learning tools, Parmetech has consistently leaned into change rather than resisted it.
Now here we are in 2026, marking 35 years in business for Parmetech. As offices transformed, classrooms modernized, and technology accelerated, Parmetech has evolved right along with them—always prioritizing solutions that empower people to do their best work. Today, Parmetech is a full-service office and classroom technology solutions provider specializing in managed print services and visual display solutions. Our slogan today Tailored Technology Solutions, Dedicated Personalized Support reflects our commitment to prioritizing customer outcomes and success.
Our family-owned and operated small business is now in its second generation with 16 full-time employees. Mike and Ana’s eldest son and daughter, Matt and Becca, who began with the company during their high school years as summer interns organizing and filing vendor invoices, now run the day-to-day operations. Matt joined Parmetech full-time in 2013 as a Systems Design Engineer. Today he is Parmetech’s Chief Operating Officer. Then there’s me Becca, the author of this blog – I joined Parmetech full-time in 2017 as a Marketing Manager and am now the Director of Sales & Marketing.
35 years is an incredible achievement—and it’s one we don’t take lightly. But we’re far more excited about the work still ahead. To all who have been part of the Parmetech story—thank you. Whether you’ve partnered with us for three months or thirty years, we’re grateful for your trust and excited for what’s next. Cheers to 35 years—and the future we’re building together!
