After almost forty years of industry-leading service, Windsor’s Advance Business Systems continues to move forward. Now led by a longtime fixture of the local business community, the area institution is debuting a new visual identity and some future-focused services you might be surprised to find from the people who restock your toner cartridges.
Whether you realize it or not, your business is Mike Burnett’s business.
President and owner of Windsor’s Advance Business Systems (ABS), Burnett spends his days helping companies across Southwestern Ontario allocate their time and energy to whatever it is they do best. Essentially, ABS handles the physical and digital infrastructure often invisible to clients and customers but very conspicuous to a company’s day-to-day operations team—and on its balance sheet.
Advance has been a fixture of the Southwestern Ontario business community for nearly four decades: At press time, it will soon celebrate its 38th anniversary. Originally a small copier outlet, ABS now more or less does it all for small to large-sized businesses across Southwestern Ontario—and beyond. Today, ABS frequently operates as a managed service provider (MSP), an external organization that handles a client’s holistic needs in areas like information technology (IT), full-office automation, telecommunications, and security.
Advance, which also gladly provides à-la-carte services, currently boasts over 40 employees. According to Burnett, the average length of employment across its team approaches an impressive 13 years of dedicated service.
Although Burnett is something of a newcomer in that context, having come aboard less than six years ago, he bet big on ABS when he purchased the company with his wife, Stacy, in 2022.
Born and raised in Ottawa, Burnett made the long trip down the 401 permanent in 1999 when it came time to establish roots and start a family in Stacy’s hometown. The couple, now proud parents to daughters McKenzie and Mikaela, have lived in Windsor-Essex ever since.
Both Burnetts found their feet in the funeral business and enjoyed long careers as funeral directors in Windsor. In 2020, Mike Burnett was approached by ABS’s previous ownership to head up the company’s sales department. Ready for a career transition, he accepted the opportunity, voraciously learning as much as possible about his new field of work.
Two years later, Burnett explains, the opportunity to acquire the company presented itself, and he and Stacy opted to purchase the business outright. While ABS was already on its way to becoming something of a one-stop shop for area businesses, the Burnetts have opened the throttle without compromising the company’s existing virtues or values. “We’re not trying to fix something that wasn’t broken,” assures Burnett. “We want to move the company forward in several exciting ways and increase the footprint we have within the region without forgetting our existing clients.”
To this end, ABS recently unveiled a new, modernized visual identity intended to reflect its “evolution in today’s fast-moving market.”
Internally referred to as a “complete visual system,” the update includes a redesigned website and striking new signage. The fresh visual brand—eagle-eyed Drive readers may have spotted it while driving westbound past Jefferson on the EC Row Expressway—orbits around a professional-yet-inviting new logo. Featuring a modern typeface with rounded edges and a subtle pop of a familiar shade of red, the new insignia is an elegant geometric design defined by three overlapping circles. Its designers hope the visual motif communicates completeness, community, and interconnectedness, ultimately representing the multi-dimensional nature of ABS’s operations.
“This is more than a visual change,” Burnett clarifies. “It’s a renewed commitment to excellence, innovation, and the communities we serve. At the same time, it’s the same company. We are honouring our past while embracing the future.”
While ABS has no plans to pivot away from printers and copiers, Burnett emphasizes the company’s present-day expertise in and access to mailing machines, all varieties of cabling, and phone and videoconferencing equipment, among other business products. Some of its offerings might surprise you! Consider, for example, ultraviolet laser printers, which can etch plastic, cotton, other materials with remarkable precision. “I always say to my sales team, anything you see in a workplace visit, from the time you get out of your car to when you sit at the client’s desk, we can get for them,” offers Burnett. We continue to deliver top-tier products from the industry’s most trusted manufacturers, backed by the reliable, personalized service that has earned us a reputation for excellence.”
Over the years, this reputation has been bolstered by formal recognition in the form of awards from industry leaders like Ricoh, Toshiba, Wildix, Quadient, and others.
While ABS does most of its business in Southwestern Ontario (including Windsor, Chatham, Sarnia, and the tri-county area), the company is well-positioned to service clients farther afield in certain aspects. “We can go nationwide for some of our products,” confirms Burnett. “And our phone system can go worldwide.”
Advance has expanded into full-office automation and sophisticated IT solutions. “We have the capacity to operate as a total service provider,” says Burnett. “We have the staff, infrastructure, and relationships to do essentially anything a dedicated IT company can do, including essential corporate services like companywide backups and firewalls.”
Moreover, ABS is investing meaningfully in automation. According to Burnett, this word can mean something as simple as a door-swipe system to replace standard locks and keys, high-capacity robotic vacuum cleaners, or even humanoid robots capable of delivering room service or clearing restaurant tables. “We’re always looking for ways to bring new technology to local businesses and investing in training technicians to support local business operations,” says Burnett.
While “Business” is right in its name, ABS offers a surprising suite of homeowner-facing services, including Lenovo personal computers and home servers and whole-home security solutions that include local or cloud storage backup and 24-hour monitoring. For both corporate and personal clients, ABS operates as the designated Lenovo repair depot for the Windsor area.
Whenever possible, ABS partners with sustainable suppliers and endeavours to minimize its environmental impact. “That’s a very big, important thing for us,” stresses Burnett. “We try to recycle product, including but not limited to toner cartridges, to the greatest extent possible.”
In its own purchasing and partnership decisions, ABS has prioritized ethically operating companies like Ricoh (for which it is currently “Dealer of the Year”) that willingly comply with relevant local and multinational sustainability standards.
Advance recently began a productive business relationship with Epson, which Burnett calls, “a leader in sustainability in the printing and technology business.” Known for using the smallest possible number of moving parts, the venerable Japanese electronics giant regularly fabricates printers and other business productivity essentials from post-consumer recycled materials using heat-free technology.
According to Burnett, ABS’s mailing and inserting partner, Quadient, subscribes at great expense to the Bullfrog Environmental Token, an emergent digital technology ensuring the long-term traceability of its environmental impacts. Platforming efforts like this one ensure ABS clients remain complaint with governmental and industry-specific environmental codes; it’s also the right thing to do.
Moreover, under Burnett, ABS has gradually moved in favour of bringing local deliveries in house. “We’re doing more and more of our deliveries ourselves to make the whole system more efficient,” he explains. “We make sure our technicians and salespeople are taking product with them whenever possible. This allows us to check in and connect with our customer partners on a consistent basis.”
Advance has left its mark in other ways. Befitting its status in Windsor-Essex, ABS actively participates in local initiatives and charitable partnerships across the region. Burnett is happy to highlight the company’s American Thanksgiving Charity Football Classic, a popular annual fundraiser that has been held for 34 years. Last year’s event raised more than $23,000 for Ignite Academy, a “cradle to career” literacy- and numeracy-boosting initiative from United Way Centraide Windsor-Essex.
“We are fortunate to have a great team at Advance Business Systems that are always willing to put in countless hours to help put this event together,” stresses Burnett. “It keeps getting bigger and bigger each year. I was brought up in a family where both parents volunteered for many different charities, so I’ve always understood the importance of giving back to the community. When I took over the company, I understood these were great initiatives that needed to be carried on.”
“At Advance Business Systems, philanthropy is clearly embedded in the culture,” adds Leslie Frattaroli, vice president of development for United Way Centraide Windsor-Essex Chatham Kent. “Owners Mike and Stacy have inspired those around them to give back in meaningful ways, from fundraising through their 34th annual Football Classic to volunteering at our annual golf tournament. Their partnership with United Way is helping create brighter futures for children and families, and we are deeply grateful for their continued leadership in the effort to eliminate childhood poverty.”
Advance is also a proud supporter of co-op programs administered by TRIOS College and the Greater Essex County District School Board, regularly hosting and training ambitious students for months at a time.
In our part of the world, anyone who has owned, operated, or otherwise been invested in a business over the past handful of years knows change can be daunting. “While we move forward, and as we continue to adapt to changing customer needs and industry trends, our foundation remains unchanged,” Burnett promises. “While our name stays the same as a tribute to our longevity and the trust from and connection to the community we’ve built over decades, I do think it’s meaningful to find small ways to mark a new chapter. I think it’s important to highlight our growth, our expanded IT focus, and our continued commitment to innovation.”
Or, in a word, ABS’s advancement.
“What hasn’t changed—and never will,” Burnett concludes, “is our commitment, as a family-owned and operated business, to putting our current and future clients first.”
