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Being an aviation enthusiast from a very young age, Joseph P. Weiss, the founder of Candle Business Systems, began taking flying lessons at the young age of 16. He continued to take flying lessons through his high school days, while working three jobs to support the cost. Even before graduating high school, Joseph Weiss achieved completion of his
commercial pilot and flight instructor licenses. In 1968, after graduating Queens Prep School, becoming one of the youngest FAA certified flight instructors in the United States, Joseph Weiss began to attend Dowling College in its Aeronautical Science, BS Program. While attending school during the next few years, he used $1,000 in savings to make a down payment on a small-repossessed airplane, and started his own flying school. The school grew and by 1976, had become well known on Long Island with over 15 airplanes and thousands of customers. The school's great reputation was in part due to the dedication to safety and community that Joseph fervently espoused.
Joseph Weiss had named the school "Chandelle Aviation" after a beautiful and advanced flight-training maneuver, developed during World War I. In this maneuver, the aircraft climbs steeply and simultaneously makes a 180-degree turn. It was his hope that Chandelle would excel and climb and be a "reversal" from its "money-oriented" competitors. And Chandelle had become just that, and became known for its excellent training curriculum's, professionalism and safety consciousness. Chandelle was also known for its dedication to customer and community above all.
During the mid 1970's, Chandelle diversified, and began to sell pilot supplies and then airplane parts to the local airports and pilots. Further diversifying, Joseph Weiss spun off the parts company into a separate corporation named using the English translation of the French word "Chandelle" and Candle Aviation Supply, Inc. was born.
Candle Aviation grew and soon Joseph Weiss sold Chandelle to allow him increased time to develop the new company. Candle Aviation was developed into a worldwide parts company, which diversified over the next five years into multitudes of products for airport, shops and pilots. Candle also started to diversify and develop its expertise in equipment sales, by beginning to market microfiche reader printers and computer terminals for use by the aircraft maintenance shops.
Candle Business Systems then began operations in 1983 as a division of Candle Aviation Supply. Here the specialty equipment that was being sold to airports was now being sold locally to Long Island. Its computer terminals were successfully marketed as telex machines, and with expertise in the copying process through its reader printers, Candle began selling copiers locally as well. Successfully growing on its own, Candle Business Systems, Inc. was incorporated in 1983 as a separate, retail, office equipment company.
Candle began with the continued philosophy that service of customers office equipment would be performed with the same dedication to quality that Chandelle had maintained both with its customer care philosophy and its quality aircraft repair. Mr. Weiss believed that fixing a copier required the same dedication to service and quality, as did an airplane. Joseph’s philosophy of dedication to a
 strong and conservative financial foundation, as well as the total care of his employees and community, continued to allow his successful growth here as well.
With sales growing rapidly, Candle Business Systems opened its first branch office in Forest Hills, Queens in 1985. Expansion continued rapidly and Candle Business Systems moved into its own 16,000 square foot building in early 1986. Also in this period, Candle Business Systems opened another office in Times Square.
Candle's expertise in telex machine sales and service, as well as Joseph’s commitment to be first with new technologies, allowed it to be one of the first copier dealers to sell facsimile equipment in the United States. Here again Candle excelled and by 1991, had become Okidata's largest facsimile dealer in the USA.
Also in 1991, Candle began a series of acquisitions in New York and New Jersey. During this year, Candle acquired six dealerships including Metro Business Systems, Inc. in New Jersey. The trade style "Candle-Metro Business Systems" was then added.
During this period, Candle became one of the first copier dealers to begin to operate under the guidelines of Total Quality Management (TQM). With team management systems, guided by a never-ending quest to improve the quality of its work through teams, Candle began another era.
In 1993, Candle added duplicating equipment and accessories to its product line, adding Riso to its product list, and by the end of its second year had become Riso's largest dealer in its region! In 1995, Joseph Weiss was chosen to be one of 8 dealers in the USA serving on Riso’s National Dealer Advisory Council.
By 1995, with almost 20 million dollars in sales, Candle had become a substantial marketing force in the Northeast. Having grown to 7 branch offices, and more than 175 employees, Candle was now able to service most areas of New Jersey and Southern New York State. With offices now existing in Plainsboro, Wall, Fairfield and Bayonne New Jersey, as well as Times Square, Floral Park, and Bohemia New York, Candle had grown to locally cover the largest area of any related company.
In 1995, Candle had also become Toshiba’s largest independent dealer in copiers and facsimile equipment in North America. Servicing an ever-growing population of tens of
tho usands of copiers and fax machines, as well as duplicators and printing equipment, Candle had also become one of the top dealers in the United States for Riso as well. With numerous service awards and sales records Candle had become established as one of the few independent Mega-Dealers remaining in the United States.
In 1996, Candle began further expansion into the digital-computing arena. Starting out with the Bitwise DocStar line of document storage computers, Candle immediately became their largest dealer, developing a company wide plan to integrate itself into computer networks, peripherals, and imaging. In this year, Joseph Weiss also fully integrated a community action plan, with a dedicated employee (Community Advocate) to continue to develop an integrated service and charity program to the community. In this year Riso also awarded Candle its fastest growing dealer award for the Eastern Region.
Candle has received numerous achievement awards, including Toshiba’s coveted Dealer of the Year Award in 1997, and Toshiba’s Northeast Regional Service Pro-Master Dealer of the Year Award in 1998. In 1999, Candle had received Toshiba’s Promaster Dealer Service Award for the 7th year in a row. Only 6 dealers in the United States have received this award seven years in a row! Bitwise also appointed Candle as their Worldwide Dealer of the Year in 1997 for its outstanding sales of their DocStar Document Storage Computer Systems. Here Candle's sales of DocStar computers achieved approximately 25% of Bitwise's 1997 sales.
Candle's futuristic vision has caused them to be chosen by many manufacturers to assist them in their dealer operations by servicing on their Dealer Advisory Councils. These councils normally consist of 5 to 10 key dealers who are appointed to help direct the manufacturers dealer operations. Candle has been chosen to serve on these councils for Toshiba, Konica, Riso, and Bitwise! In addition Candle employees have been chosen to chair these committees at Toshiba and Bitwise.
At the end of 1997, Joseph Weiss began what we believe will become on the most important new programs in the history of the company. Named Candle Care by its employees, it is an ambitious plan to develop an equally weighted tier program to serve customers, community, and co-workers. An example of this concept is a Candle Service Technician Team offering it’s services in an inner city program for teaching electronic systems servicing. Another program already in force had the Sales Teams running a holiday program to feed over 5,000 homeless people. Candle employees have additionally committed to serving over 10,000 hours of community service in 1999. They have also committed to helping to collect over $200,000 for local charities.
In 1998, with sales forecasts over $27 million, Candle continues to expand the company’s products and services. A Computer Networking Division has been added as a new major component, with the forecast of increasing sales 15-20% within one year. Under a newly hired director, Candle's Computer Division promises to quickly bring Candle into the full digital arena. Major account programs will also be dramatically expanded with emphasis on large corporate accounts.
In 1999, RISO announced that Candle had achieved the status of #1 Dealer in the USA. Shortly thereafter, Candle acquired Copyworld of America, SAVIN's largest dealership in New York - and RISO's 2nd largest dealership in New York. Candle then reorganized (or, restructured) into these four divisions: TOSHIBA, SAVIN, KONICA and RISO under the umbrella of its corporate name, Candle Business Systems, Inc.
Candle Business Systems quickly became Savin’s largest color copier dealer, winning the award 2 out of the last 3 years for the USA. Candle was also rated as Riso’s largest dealer in the world subsequent to the merger.
In 2001, Candle added two new divisions – a Print Shop to sell printing to its customers as well as to showcase its high tech equipment and a Stationary Company to utilize its buying power to save its customers $$$ on their stationary and paper supplies. With next day pickup and delivery from its huge inventory, and wholesale pricing, Candle was quickly growing to compete with the large stationary houses. In addition, with its in house graphics and next day pickup and delivery the print services also became an early success.
In 2005, Candle was purchased by Toshiba.
Joseph Weiss remained on board as President. With Candle as its
core company in NY & NJ, Toshiba has committed to help
Candle to build itself as a new Toshiba subsidiary
to triple its size in the next few years. Candle will continue
to sell and support most of its varied products and additionally
add other Toshiba and non-Toshiba products as it deems necessary
to become a major force in the office electronics and software
industry.
"Build a strong conservative financial foundation to enable us to maintain our strength. Place the community above all else when designing the foundation, and remember that the community means all of us, our employees, our customers, and the people around us." (Quotation from a speech given by Joseph in December 1996.)
For more information about Candle Business Systems or its products, you can contact
us at l-800-578-COPY(2679).
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