Bay Copy Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary

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It’s a relatively small percentage of businesses that survive all the way to their 50th anniversaries.

So it was definitely a cause for celebration recently when Bay Copy (http://baycopy.com), a provider of digital document solutions, achieved that noteworthy goal. Bay Copy commemorated the impressive milestone at its Rockland headquarters with a gathering that included employees, family, friends and a number of local and state officials.

Bay Copy CEO and owner Ray Belanger recalled that his father, Ray Belanger Sr. first launched the company on April 1, 1972 under the name Bay State Business Products in Abington. 

The company relocated to Rockland in 1985, when they purchased a 14,000-square-foot facility at 100 Reservoir Park Drive. In the early days of operation, the company sold duplicating machines and computers.

Today, Bay Copy has grown to become the region’s leading provider of Managed Print Services. The company’s products include a full line of Konica Minolta, Toshiba, Muratec and Lexmark equipment, along with the supporting technology. 

Ray Belanger Jr. joined the company in 1982, after having worked in high tech sales for a few years. In 1992, when his father retired, he purchased his shares and became the company’s sole owner, marking the second generation to lead the business.

A number of elected and community officials were on hand to congratulate Bay Copy on its achievement. Additionally,  representatives from several of Bay Copy’s industry partners – Lexmark and Konica Minolta – traveled to celebrate the event.

Each person who spoke remarked about the longevity of the business and how it has been a good neighbor to the region, and of the good work of Belanger and the Bay Copy team. South Shore Chamber of Commerce President Peter Forman recalled Belanger’s generosity in helping businesses in need, and his work on behalf of the chamber, including serving a year as chairman of the board of directors.

Several of the Bay Copy employees spoke of a culture with a real “family feel” to it where people care about and support each other.

Bay Copy has been an active supporter of many community events and projects, and is also active in a number of national industry organizations including the industry group Select Dealer Group, where office dealers from across the country meet three times a year to share best practices.

“I am grateful to everyone who has helped us along the way,” Belanger said, “including of course family, our clients, our industry partners, our friends, and the many officials who took time out of their schedules to celebrate with us tonight. It has been an incredible journey and I am privileged to work with a great team of people every day – and we are excited to see what the next years will bring.”