KOP Insiders: Martin Klagholz, Principal at QTrak & Key Business Solutions

KOP Insiders delves into the stories of the people who make King of Prussia one of Pennsylvania’s most dynamic live-work-play-stay destinations.

In depth interviews provide insight into the companies that make up our diverse business community and put a face to the individuals behind the business. In this edition, we are joined by Martin Klagholz, Principal at QTrak & Key Business Solutions

Can you start by explaining what led you to developing QTrak, and how has that shift shaped Key Business Solutions (KBS)?

When I graduated college, I jumped into what was then the family business, which was mailing solutions centric. When I say mailing, it sounds quite a bit like the Post Office, but our business entailed providing mailing equipment—postage meters, folding and stuffing machines for inserting paper into envelopes, addressing, inbound and outbound shipping solutions to our customers. Based in Norristown, we grew that business to over 9,000 customers by the time we merged the business with our manufacturer at the time in 2009.

I worked for a couple of years with the manufacturer, but my business partner and I decided we were much more small-business oriented, so we ultimately separated from the company.  At that point, in 2012, we started a new venture that coupled mailing equipment with a new app that we developed called QTrak.

QTrak is an inbound package tracking and logistics system. Two of our biggest customer vertical markets are higher education and hospitality—anywhere a central receiving area gets an abundance of packages delivered in one location. With the use of an iPhone or an Android, our app scans the package barcode, logs all the delivery information in the cloud for chain of custody purposes, and then sends a text or email to the recipient alerting them that their package has arrived.  QTrak can also take a picture of the item, require a recipient signature, and store any other pertinent data to fully secure the receiving and delivery transaction.

QTrak can also take the delivery process a step further via the utilization of our secure package lockers, which provide the recipient with 24/7 access and an added layer of security.  Similar to Amazon lockers, except that our turnkey smart lockers always accept deliveries from each and every carrier.

And we’ve expanded our tracking capabilities to include IT assets, inventory management, visitor tracking, and anything else that an organization would like to account for —that’s the gist of QTrak.

Interesting! What made King of Prussia the right spot for your headquarters? What about the area felt like a good fit for your mission and goals?

When we started our new business, we were leasing office space in Fort Washington. We liked the area, but when it came time to renew, we decided we wanted to buy a property and really make it our own.  With that in mind, we were seeking a location that offered an environment filled with amenities, such as restaurants, shopping and cultural opportunities. We eventually narrowed our search down to King of Prussia, Plymouth Meeting and Conshohocken.

We the toured space in King of Prussia and it really blew us away. It was the perfect fit, close to Valley Forge National Park, the King of Prussia Mall, and a slew of great restaurants.  We loved the property, and it was really a no-brainer to relocate our headquarters to King of Prussia, which is a great environment for our employees and any clients visiting the office. Geographically, it’s also perfect—close all the major throughways, like 76, the PA Turnpike, Route 202, and the Blue Route.

We purchased the building in 2022, almost immediately embarked on a 3-month renovation project, and have now been settled very happily here in KOP for almost four years. It’s been a great spot for our employees. We started with about 20 employees, and now we’re up to nearly 30 since the move. Based on how much we’ve loved the experience, we plan to be here as long as we can.

The space is also big, almost 7,900 square feet, so we have additional room to continue to grow.  Overall, It’s a fantastic office and location for us.

What do you think has been the secret to your success in a competitive industry?

I think our people are the biggest part of it. Support, especially in this day and age, can be challenging, particularly when you’re dealing with some of the big corporations out there. It can even be hard to speak with a live person.  We take a different approach with prompt, personalized customer service as our company ethos. Our support team is great with our customers in terms of being quick, responsive, and available. And when something comes up, our team is just a phone call, email, or text message away.

Our internal team has also been an engine for our growth. It’s hard to expand if you don’t retain your existing customers. And we like to think that our customers really like and benefit from our offerings, but no matter what, there are always things that come up—new employees need to be trained on the product, questions arise. Backing up the product with strong support has been a tribute to our people and has really spearheaded our growth.

That’s great to hear. How has the KOP location helped you when it comes to hiring talent?

When you have a space and location that really resonates with our employee team is very important, and our King of Prussia office has done just that. For example, being able to go to Valley Forge Park before or after work to walk or bike, or having great lunch and dinner options, has been huge for our people. We love Duffy’s and the many options available at the King of Prussia Town Center, Valley Forge Casino, and the Mall.  We also love Creed’s, a restaurant we very much enjoy after a workday.

Another consideration for us centered on our remote employees we have sprinkled throughout the US, which is yet another reason King of Prussia has been a home run for us.  When we have company events and bring our team into King of Prussia, the number of quality hotels available is a huge plus. The same goes for clients that we host.  There’s just so many offerings outside of work for both our employees and our customers to engage in. Having all of these amenities and bonus opportunities in our backyard has certainly been a key factor in our success, and very meaningful in helping us retain employees, recruit new ones, and create a great experience for clients.

What would you say is on the horizon for KBS and QTrak? Any goals for the next 5-10 years?

We’re absolutely in growth mode. We’re constantly evolving our product—tweaking, adding new capabilities, and enhancing security, which includes our recent receipt of our SOC2 certification.  Our long-term plan is to continue to evolve and grow right here in King of Prussia. In that effort, we’ve already added six new people this year, which is quite a leap for us, but we see such a strong market opportunity that we believe now is the time to accelerate our growth.

We expect that trend to continue over the next few years. Almost everyone orders products online—and, as the home doorsteps of many people can attest, more than a few people order a plethora of items online.  And with three kids six and under, my family falls into the latter category!  We firmly believe that market is just scratching the surface of where it’s ultimately heading.

For other growing tech companies thinking about making the move to KOP, what advice would you give?

I would say that when considering everything holistically, from geography to amenities to business climate to outdoor activities to lodging, King of Prussia brings so much to the table and has been such a great fit for us.  And if you need to get into Center City Philadelphia, you’re only 30 minutes away on a good traffic day.  Or if you head west, you can be in beautiful Lancaster within an hour.

The people and the energy in King of Prussia are also important. It is a town that promotes a business-friendly environment. If another business approached me regarding advice on where to put down roots, I’d say, “If you don’t have King of Prussia on your short list, it should be.” KOP has everything going for it, and, with the emergence of a number of residential communities, like the Town Center, you can literally live, work and play in King of Prussia while never even leaving the town limits.

What are you most excited about for KOP’s future development?

The upcoming debuts of both the Netflix House and the Eataly Restaurant bring even more buzz to King of Prussia. My wife and I are foodies and are looking forward to trying out Eataly. And I’m sure my children will want to visit the Netflix House, especially the mini golf course! When you see established, national entities choosing King of Prussia for big projects, it just furthers the notion that so much is happening here.

The mall is yet another example. When you walk into the newer wing, you see a beautiful ‘who’s who’ of retailers. It’s a really exciting time to be here and be involved in King of Prussia. The old saying that a rising tide raises all boats feels very applicable to King of Prussia and we’re very happy to be just a small part of that rising tide.

Thank you so much, Martin! If there is anything else you want to share about KBS or QTrak, the floor is yours!

One of the things we’re very proud of is that while we have a national and even global footprint, we’ve also established ourselves locally with great clients on both sides of our business. That’s exciting for us and It feels good to know that we might just run into a customer at the Farmer’s Market at Nor-View Farm on a Saturday or a great restaurant like Kooma in the Town Center.

About Key Business Solutions and QTrak

For more than 30 years, Key Business Solutions has helped businesses of every size streamline their mailing needs. From small offices looking for a simple, low-volume postage meter to large organizations requiring multiple high-capacity machines, we deliver the right equipment and supplies to keep your mail moving efficiently.

QTrak is the first internal package and asset tracking app that leverages cloud technology with ease of use to create a flexible product that streamlines the package management process.

Key Business Solutions

625 Clark Ave
King of Prussia, PA 19406
www.360kbs.com