Andy Juang, Founder and CEO, Equus Computer Systems
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When solution providers think of Equus
Systems, Minneapolis, they think first of ease of doing business, whether it's because of the system builder's robust online ordering system, 12 local assembly operations or 70-person-strong sales force.
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That is one reason why the system builder has risen over the past few years to become one of the top suppliers of custom systems to the channel, building 173,500 units last year to head CRN's list of Leading System Builders. Another is the five acquisitions that Equus has made over the past four years.
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That makes CEO Andy Juang, a Taiwan-born computer scientist who founded Equus out of the ashes of a Pony Computer franchise 17 years ago, a fitting representative for the evolving system builder channel, which has been benefiting from Dell's missteps, a shift to higher-performance desktops and robust
and
sales.
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"He's a thinker, an engineer. He's always looking for ways to make things better," says Joe Toste, vice president of sales and marketing.
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Always the engineer, Juang, 47, who started out as a
developer for Cray Research, likens his business plan to
architecture. One of his mantras is having national reach with local touch.
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"It's the client/server concept that works very well in this fast-changing industry," he says. "We're a very efficient operation—more efficient than most companies in the business."