In 1937, Gilbert Minor used his last paycheck in carbon paper to start a business, one built on helping offices work better. Nearly 90 years and three generations later, we’re still here. Still family-owned. Still obsessed with making work easier for the people who keep Iowa running.
(Gilbert & Jerry Minor) Gilbert had worked at another company and was paid his last paycheck in carbon paper, which were thin sheets businesses used to copy documents by hand. Instead of selling the paper, he used it to start his own company. His goal was to help offices share and copy information easily.
(The First MMIT Office located In Des Moines) The business was renamed after the Minor family, becoming Minor and Minor, or M and M. During World War II, office supplies were difficult to source, so the company made a smart shift. It began selling refrigerators and home appliances instead. This early decision showed something important. The business could adapt and find new ways to serve customers, no matter the challenge.
After the war ended, we returned to helping offices operate more efficiently. M&M sales focused on selling typewriters, adding machines (like the one above) , and early mechanical calculators known as comptometers. At the time, these were considered advanced tools. We built built our identity around helping businesses understand and use them effectively.
(Gateway Market Location 1979-2002) We relocated to a larger space along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the Gateway Market area of Des Moines. The new building gave us the room we needed for equipment, parts, and supplies. The building supported our growth on both the sales and service side.
(Tom and Jerry Minor, Sam Kuzamoto and John Miller at 50th Anniversary Celebration) Fax machines made it possible to send documents over phone lines to any other fax machine, which was a huge deal for businesses at the time. Then in 1986, the company got its first computer. It only showed text on the screen, no images, no mouse, but it was the beginning of a whole new era. Over the next few years, computers switched from text-only screens to graphical ones with icons and windows you could click on. Email became a normal part of work life. Companies like Microsoft and Apple started shaping how offices ran day to day. Color copying also showed up during this time, and though it was expensive at first, it quickly became standard in almost every office. The company kept learning, and helped its customers do the same.
(Current MMIT Storefront in Urbandale) In December, we moved out of our longtime Gateway location and into Urbandale, a growing area just west of Des Moines. The Gateway neighborhood was going through major redevelopment, while Urbandale was expanding quickly with new businesses and opportunities. This move positioned us closer to where growth was happening, right as the Des Moines metro began expanding west.
COVID accelerated a realization that was already taking shape. Every connected device, including printers, copiers, cameras, and even thermostats, could become a point of risk. What was once seen as a buzzword quickly became a real concern for businesses. We leaned into that shift. We helped our customers secure not just their computers, but every connected device across their offices and remote environments.
(3rd and 4th Generation of Leadership guiding MMIT today) What started in 1937 with a stack of carbon paper has grown into a full service partner for modern businesses. Today, we support print, IT, security, and document management. We help companies work more efficiently, more securely, and more flexibly, whether their teams are in the office, at home, or somewhere in between. Nearly 90 years in, our mission has stayed the same, help businesses operate more efficiently each day.
