Data Financial
“Having a partner you can lean on is priceless.”
Business Basics
Data Financial, Inc. offers a wide range of products and services, from traditional cash counters, coin sorters and smart safes to innovative digital solutions like signage, kiosks, cloud-based security, smart lockers and electric vehicle charging. Committed to quality, excellence and value, Data Financial partners with major manufacturers to meet the evolving needs of diverse industries.
We spoke with Data Financial’s CEO, Marc Masi, to discover what led him to deepen his financial partnership when switching to Johnson Financial Group (JFG) and working with SVP Commercial Banking, Russ Plewa and Retirement Plan Services Advisor, Eric Zwicky.
Banking Story
Marc initially connected with JFG to refinance a loan, comparing options with another institution. What set JFG apart was their approach. Marc recalls, “We’ve worked in a larger capacity with Johnson Financial Group than with any other financial institution. They’re not just trying to push me along to the next person like you see at other financial institutions. They really care about what we’re doing and how we can best succeed.”
He was particularly impressed with their proactive perspective: “It wasn’t about: ‘We can give you a loan to refinance this.’ It was: ‘What can we do for you over the next five years? What are your plans and goals? How can we help you achieve those?’ That was drastically different than what we experienced (with the other institution).”
JFG’s partnership proved instrumental in Data Financial’s milestones. When Marc was considering an acquisition, he didn’t know if he should pull the trigger on the project. With Russ and the team’s honest input, he decided to go for it. The results speak for themselves: “With the acquisition, we saw a tremendous boost in revenue, which in turn made other crucial projects possible. It was a win-win situation for us and with the guidance from the team, we were able to see how it could be a positive outcome.”
The team also provided invaluable support when Marc pursued his goal of relocating his business to a different area that would be a better fit. Russ’ guidance was particularly helpful in his decision: “Russ said something to me that was very true: ‘Sometimes you have got to make a lifestyle change and what’s good for your work-life balance, not just the bottom line.’ I would have never looked at it that way because I was more focused on the cost vs. seeing the bigger picture.”
Marc has also deepened his relationship with Johnson Financial Group to include Retirement Plan Services. He appreciates the support that Eric and his team provides: “When you start a business, they don’t tell you how to handle retirement plans. It’s comforting to know that Eric and his team will always take care of us. They help take it off my shoulders.” This support also extends to Data Financial’s employees, “They provide the resources to guide my employees and they’re someone they can call on that genuinely cares about them.”
The most impactful instance that spoke to Marc was during the COVID-19 pandemic: “One of the things that impressed me most was when COVID hit, I had only two partners reach out to me. One of them being Johnson Financial Group. They said, ‘Don’t worry. We have your back. We’re here to help you.’ I can guarantee if we were at our previous financial institution, that would have never happened. They provided comfort to us.”
He further explains, “It’s very rare for CEOs to be able to reach out to their banks, 401K partners and get insight on what we’re going through. Those things are priceless to us to be able to run our business at a comfort level where we don’t have to worry and when we have questions or concerns, we have someone we can lean on no matter what it is.”