Copy Products looks like a business and acts like a business, but it's not always clear exactly what's being sold.
The showroom and signage say "copiers." The racks of tracts say "God." The boss says "both."
Back in the early 1980s, Ed Cameron said his staff spent much of their time together on area barstools, and the company looked as if it might go under.
Then, CEO Cameron came upon a prescription for prosperity authored by Christian insurance executive Arthur DeMoss. It called for giving the first hour of the day to God.
Cameron, who figured that what was good for him personally ought to be good for his business, set up a voluntary Bible study at Copy Products in 1982. All but two of his seven employees immediately quit.
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| CEO Cameron decided to give the first hour of the workday to God. | ||
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But the merging of spiritual and business disciplines has been for the good. Today, the privately held office-equipment company in Upper Darby, Penn., records $3.8 million in annual sales and employs 32 people.
Cameron started it in 1978 strictly as a way to make a living. Today, he said, the business aims to "sell and service office equipment in order to earn trust and build a relationship. We hope that will open the door, at some point, to showing the person a tract or a 'Daily Bread' [Bible study booklet] so the person will come to know Jesus."
In the process, Cameron added, "Our people and their families have a place to earn a livelihood."
