Elena Wuchner grew up in the office products business, working for her parents’ company, Mile High Office Supply, during her school breaks and summer vacations. In 2000, after she graduated from the Wharton School of business at the University of Pennsylvania, Wuchner was working for a mezzanine financing fund and knew she wanted to find a different type of career. A wave of industry consolidation led to an opportunity to start a new office products company.
Wuchner’s parents had sold their company in 1996 to U.S. Office Products, which filed for bankruptcy in 2000 and sold its assets in 2001. That change left only three main providers of commercial office supplies in the Colorado market, and Wuchner saw an opportunity to start a new office products company that would be similar to her parents’ former company.
“The biggest risk I took in my career was choosing to start a company at 23 years old,” Wuchner said. “I would be attempting to hire people who had previously worked for my parents, and I didn’t know if or how I could earn their respect. I had never planned on starting a company in my parents’ industry, but the opportunity arose, and I had to make a fast decision to give it my best shot. I wondered if I would be any good at it, and whether people would take me seriously as such a young woman in a male-dominated industry. Anyone who has started a company knows how many unknown variables arise, and risks are inherent in every step of the process. But the risk is part of what makes it so fun and exciting.”
Today, EON serves clients throughout the United States, with next-day delivery of office supplies and additional products and services for the workplace. The company’s furniture division features a 10,000-square foot showroom in Denver, space planning, interior design and project management services.
“EON is committed to core values of service excellence, integrity, community involvement, and respect for our employees and clients,” the company said. “Ethical and sustainable business practices, a fun and friendly work environment, and corporate philanthropy are all essential elements of EON’s culture. We believe these values help contribute to the employee and customer loyalty that EON has been fortunate to experience throughout our company’s history.”
Wuchner has volunteered with a variety of nonprofit organizations, including the Women’s Leadership Foundation, the American Red Cross, City Year Denver, the Colorado Pay Equity Commission, and Goodwill Industries of Denver, which honored Wuchner with its Community Leader Award in 2016.
In 2022, EON was recognized in ColoradoBiz magazine’s “Best of Colorado” awards as the best in the Office Supply category. EON’s furniture division, Environments Denver, was also recognized, as a runner-up in the Office Furniture category. Of all the accomplishments listed, Elena is most proud of EON’s amazing team of employees and the customer satisfaction expressed by EON’s clients, even through the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is a testament to that team.
