In the entrepreneurial enclave that Wichita has become, it's not unusual for a company to have modest beginnings.

Such is the case with the now-successful Kartridge King Inc., started in 1995 in the basement of Matthew Brandt's Wichita home.

From its humble outset, the company -- which remanufactures and sells used printer cartridges, as well as new office supplies -- has grown, taking on two partners and adding 12 employees.

The company's sales have grown exponentially as well, from a modest $16,000 in 1995 to $1.4 million in 1998, according to the company's partners, Brandt, Doug Frentzel and Doug Desjardins. In 1999, they expect the company to reach a $2 million sales mark.

"There's merit for that feeling," admitted Frentzel, Kartridge King's account executive. "Ten years ago, quality was not that good."

But times change.

Now, he said, his company partners with the original manufacturers of the cartridge, ordering new replacement parts for the remanufacturing process and rebuilding it into a high quality printer component.

"We only reuse the plastic shell. All the components inside are new," he said.

The process leaves the company enough room to have a healthy profit margin, even when selling remanufactured cartridges for 30 percent to 40 percent less than new.

And, if a customer is still doubtful about Kartridge King quality, Frentzel said, they allow them to try the product at no cost or offer a 100 percent refund -- guarantees that are rarely used.

"Once customers see how well it works, they're our customers," Frentzel said.

"They see there is no difference between our product and a new product -- except the price," Brandt added. "And we'll be at their place of business in 15 minutes if there's a problem."

That dedication to customer service, the partners said, has allowed Kartridge King to set itself apart from its local competitors. And, with 400 active customers in Wichita, the "extras" help build a good relationship with clients, said Desjardins, Kartridge King's operations manager.

The company offers free delivery of both new and remanufactured printer cartridges, as well as other new office supplies. In addition, it also offers maintenance and repair office-calls on printers, along with free over-the-phone diagnostics.

"It's important to our customers that we know and service laser printers, not just sell cartridges," Desjardins said. "Our competitors only sell cartridges."

But the battle against poorly remanufactured cartridges continues. After building the initial confidence with a new client, they will sometimes find an even less expensive product -- often with dire results -- and then go back to buying new.

So, Frentzel spends much of his time just as he did when the company was new -- selling the benefits of remanufactured printer cartridges.

"When we started, I walked into every office in Wichita -- from Maize Road to Webb and Greenwich," he said.

Now, with prestigious accounts with Wichita companies like Raytheon, Fidelity Bank and McConnell Air Force Base, Frentzel, Brandt and Desjardins have seen much of their hard work pay off. However, with only 25 percent of the potential market tapped, Brandt said, there is still a lot of room to grow.

"We're willing to do what we need to do to get the customer," Desjardins said.

Frentzel agreed.

"People crave that kind of service. They don't often get that anymore," he added.