It takes a special kind of company to transform its vision into reality. For more than 20 years MAC Group has not only done that but, judging by comments from dealers, professional photographers, educators and the media, has done it above and beyond normal expectations.

We ship products, for example, usually the same day we receive the order. Our repairs are turned around in an average of two days. We create our own marketing and educational materials, both online and in the classroom. We have testing laboratories to evaluate new equipment in prototype form.

Our repair facility is state-of-the-art, with testing equipment and standards specifically designed for each product. As important as the knowledge and equipment are the awards the staff has won over the years, a testament to the high level of performance standards.

In an organization chart sense, we report directly to the professional photographer. And the only way we can understand his or her needs is to spend time out in the field. Watching. Listening. And learning.

And we know all too well what happens when companies talk instead of listen. They don’t hear about customers’ needs, misunderstand why the market is changing and don’t learn what can be done in the future to meet their needs. For more than 20 years we at MAC Group have kept our ears tuned and through effective listening stayed ahead of this critical learning curve.

We have learned that the professional photographer demands and deserves only the best tools and technology and we are proud to represent those brands that do that. Each is a leader in their own particular market segment. They each use technology in innovative and beneficial ways. They represent years of pioneering, engineering, research and development, field use and testing by photographers, scientists and engineers.

Each brand is also run as an independent company by MAC Group, although we leverage marketing, public relations, dealer programs or any of the other hundreds of success elements. In addition, each brand draws strength in being part of the MAC team, both with respect to our 500-plus dealer network and a long-standing relationship with the major national photo magazines in which they advertise.

As we grow we are careful to select companies and brands that complement our existing roster in a careful and precise manner. We look for products that bring diversity to our organization, and that diversity provides a unique strength that permeates all we do. The industry recognizes MAC Group as a powerful resource in managing many marketing needs, and as a result we carry useful weight that benefits a host of programs, from advertising through education to product development and beyond.

Today, the photographic and graphic design industries share more knowledge and technology than at any other time in history. Photographers are expected to visualize, create, control and produce using increasingly sophisticated digital image controls. Areas such as color temperature control, sharpness choice, tonal range design, D-Max, color control across all stages of production and sophisticated digital image manipulation now must be routinely supervised or actively managed by the photographer.

The complement of products and services provided by MAC Group partners perfectly fits this evolving scenario, and knowing full well what’s down the road enables us to maintain that competitive edge.