John Eckstrom

John Eckstrom is president and CEO of Carolina Business Equipment (CBE), of Columbia, S.C. He started in November 1994 as the company’s controller and moved to the general manager position in March 1995. At the end of that year he purchased half of the company and became its president; five years later he became its sole owner.

Over the past 10 years CBE has moved into three new geographic markets, Charleston and Florence, S.C., and Augusta, Ga. CBE has also acquired two companies in the past three years and employs 38 people. Since 1995, CBE has enjoyed both steady growth and profitability.

Previously, John was the CFO at a mechanical contracting firm and director of finance for a manufacturing company. Earlier he was the branch controller for a Fortune 500 company and gained experience in bank auditing and taxes. He graduated from the University of South Caroline with a degree in accounting.