SVP North America
About Paul Carman
Career Start
After graduating from a Clarkson University, a top Engineering school, Paul pursued a career in technical sales. He joined the Eastman Kodak Company and entered a rigorous 12-week training program that prepared him for the emerging information economy. In his first sales territory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania he was able to use this education to sell active records management application solutions to large industrial firms, including Allegheny Airlines, US Steel and the Westinghouse Corporation.
After successful sales achievement, he was assigned to Regional Staff Support positions and eventually became an Instructor at Kodak's Marketing Education Center, training both new and seasoned sales executives in emerging sales techniques and programs, including teaching how to Manage Complex Sales Cycles.
Management Experience
Recognized for his success, Paul completed a number of Kodak Management Training programs. He then managed several field sales organizations and eventually, moved to corporate headquarters in Rochester, New York. He rotated among key management assignments, including Sales Administration, managing the Marketing Education Center and serving as Assistant to the Business Unit general Manager. In 1991 he was promoted to the General Manager of Marketing, managing all key marketing and sales efforts for the business.
ECM Industry Leadership
Throughout his career, Paul was very active in both national and local groups, supporting the growth of the ECM Industry. Early on, Paul served on the Program Committee for AIIM's Annual Conference, helping to create, build and present the very successful seminar programs held at AIIM's Annual Show and Conference. In the mid-80's he was elected to the AIIM Board of Directors and in 1991 he was elected to the AIIM Executive Committee, where he progressed to Treasurer, Vice Chair and finally, to Chair of the Association. During this period, the association achieved its largest percentage growth since its inception. Paul continues to be active in the ECM community, is a speaker at key Industry events and his advise and opinion is sought after around the world. He has been recognized for his work in the industry by being named a Fellow of AIIM as well as and IMC Fellow.
International Experience
After a great career, Paul left Kodak and joined the International Information Management Congress (IMC), a global trade association, dedicated to helping the ECM Industry grow and prosper in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He became President and CEO and launched IMC on a strong period of growth and expansion. Among his initiatives were the establishment of a principal IMC office in London and establishment of cooperative agreements with key associations in the UK, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. In addition, new events were started in Dubai and in Singapore. As Paul says, "Joining IMC enabled me to truly learn about international marketing and serving an international marketplace." IMC's success was well recognized and it was eventually approached by AIIM International to combine and form one global association.
Marketing and Sales Expertise
Throughout his career, Paul developed an intense interest in the art and science of Sales and Marketing. Because of this interest he attended a number of Executive Education programs, helping refine his knowledge and skills regarding Marketing leadership. As a General Manager of Marketing, he led corporate efforts to upgrade the marketing and sales skills of Kodak Senior Management through a program called Marketing Excellence. Through this innovative program he successfully taught the emerging concepts of 'Value Proposition' creation and 'Building World Class Value Delivery Systems'. This work helped focus Kodak Business Units on developing more effective marketing programs and assisted them in improving both revenue and earnings. He also rebuilt entire sales processes and sales reporting systems, resulting in significant sales increases for many industry companies.
An Entrepreneurial Leader
After leading IMC’s merger with AIIM, Paul established his own company, Carman Global Strategies, to assist companies to develop a more global and effective marketing strategy. He assisted a number of European companies in sharpening their focus on US markets and also helped US companies to create more effective strategies in key European countries. Later, he joined a start-up ECM ASP company and assisted in its launch, developing a clear and consistent marketing message and expanding its key alliances and partnerships. In addition, he helped the company through several rounds of funding.
Document Boss Role
In 2002, Paul accepted a role as Senior Vice President for North America and Partner of Document Boss, spearheading the launch of Document Boss throughout North America. While working throughout Europe, Paul met the Document Boss partners and felt strongly that its services would benefit key ECM, BPM and BPO companies in North America. Working as a team with the other Document Boss partners, they were able to create and change offers to enable significant growth in the new region.
Personal
A native of New York, Paul and his wife Annette live in Henderson, Nevada, a close suburb of Las Vegas and Nevada’s second largest city. As is typical for many American families, their children are spread throughout the US. A son, Michael, a prominent attorney, lives in Las Vegas with Paul’s two grandchildren; Alexis, 6 and Nathaniel, 2. Their daughter, Kate, lives in Tampa, Florida and their son Damon lives in Rochester, NY.
With his continuing interest in Sales and Marketing and his broad ECM knowledge and experience, Paul frequently presents lectures on these topics all over the world. In addition, he sharpens his skills by teaching University-level classes regarding Marketing.
Paul and Annette enjoy travel, the many great dining and entertainment venues of Las Vegas and relaxing with a cocktail while watching the sun set on their patio on a mountainside, overlooking the Las Vegas Valley. When time permits, Paul enjoys sports and loves to ski and hit a golf ball around the many courses in Las Vegas.