Some people get the opportunity after graduation to stay connected with their alma mater, whether it be going to football games, serving on the alumni board or helping raise scholarship funds.

Not many people can say that they started their own company and now have their products all over campus.

This is the case for Bob Lashier, an ISU alumnus. He and two other partners started the printer company Laser Resources, which is based in Urbandale, Iowa.

Lashier, a 1984 Iowa State graduate, obtained his bachelor’s degree in business. He then went on to work for Xerox Corporation, a printer company. After eight years he left Xerox to start his own business.

Lashier is the president and CEO of Laser Resources, and his nephew, Andy Lashier, is also on the team as the executive vice president and director of managed print. Andy graduated from Iowa State in 1998. He began working for Laser Resources the same year he graduated.

Thomas Lashier, son of Bob, is also works for the company. He recently graduated from Iowa State in 2012 and now works with Laser Resources as the on-campus representative in Ames.

As graduates of Iowa State, it was only natural to get in touch with the school to do business together.

“We are big fans of the school and have been talking for years with them,” Bob said.

Laser Resources initially contacted the university for a business deal and Iowa State agreed. A contract was written up after years of discussing the deal. During the next five years, the school will replace all multi-functional printers with Laser Resource’s products, all of which are of the Toshiba brand.

“We provide all multi-functional printers on campus. A multi-functional printer includes copiers, printers, scanners and fax,” Bob said.

As all of the printers are being replaced, many machines will need to be removed from campus buildings.

“Anything that has an ISU tag will be taken to Surplus, and they redistribute the equipment,” said Clay Miller, environmental programs director. “Machines and pieces of machines are sold at auctions. Lasers are sold at auction or taken apart and sold as scrap or removed. There is also an electronic waste recycling program.”

Although it has taken a few years to finalize everything, Bob is still very happy with the decision to work with his alma mater.

“Iowa State chose us because we are a local Iowa company, we have quick response time and because we are professional and confident,” Bob said. “We’ve been handling the order great. It was a very well planned transition, and we are committed to doing a great job.”

For more information about Laser Resources, go to laserresources.com.