Big Blue's True American Idol

Every now and then, a person stands out from the crowd and literally steals the show. At IBM's recent worldwide event for partners, better known as PartnerWorld, one man literally stepped out from the audience and did just that, much to the delight of the 5,000 or so conventioneers weary from too many PowerPoint presentations.

His name: Efren Ricalde, president and CEO of GeoSpatial Solutions (GSI), which caters to local governments and educational institutions in the area, provides a broad range of IBM solutions to its customers and has emerged as IBM's go-to partner in the Philippines. And, according to Donn Atkins, host of said event and worldwide general manager of IBM's PartnerWorld program, "Efren's become our rock star."

And so he has. It's as though the IBM business partner just won "American Idol." That's how popular he became in Vegas during IBM's three-day event, Atkins says. Here's his story.

In the days leading up to PartnerWorld, IBM thought it would be wise to include real-time feedback from real-world partners who could share their views on various IBM initiatives. The interviews that IBM included during its main stage presentation added some much-needed punch to an otherwise overly scripted, albeit upbeat, corporate presentation. Enter Ricalde.

Brought up on stage to expound upon his relationship with IBM, the 2005 IBM ISV of the Year and Business Partner of the Year didn't let his moment in the spotlight go to waste. Speaking in a measured tone yet with great enthusiasm, Ricalde explained how IBM has been so good to him. In the time he exhausted his two minutes on stage, Ricalde was barely getting started. "And wait, there's more," he said, drawing peals of laughter from the quickly energized crowd.

What Ricalde lacked in eloquence, he made up for in genuine fondness and faith in IBM. The crowd responded with its largest applause of the entire session--even more than what followed a speech by U.S. soccer star and Olympic champion Mia Hamm.

In fact, Ricalde found himself mobbed by other IBM partners eager to hear his story. Many were taken aback by his simple, albeit truly heartfelt, approach to growing a business. After all, not many companies in the United States can go to market straight-faced with the following corporate vision: to be the leading provider of quality-driven, on-demand business solutions and an organization that supports sustainable development, advocates good governance, practices corporate social responsibility and is empowered by professionals who are committed to the advancement of science and technology.

But that's Ricalde. What other IBM business partner, after all, features a mascot on its Web site (www.gsi.com.ph)? For GSI, that character is Ka Ige, who, according to the company, "boldly rises up to the challenges of technology by using innovation, business integrity, and a vision of providing quality- driven products and services On Demand!"

Now that's a rock star.