CDW Hires Search Firm To Find Senior Executive

The Vernon Hills, Ill.-based solution provider has been without a No. 2 executive for some time. Harry Harczak was executive vice president when he left CDW following a buyout in 2007. Jim Shanks, another executive vice president, resigned, reportedly for health reasons. The top executive listed under Edwardson on CDW's Web site is Christina Rother, president of CDW Government Inc.

While there's been some scuttlebutt that the search was for a new CEO to replace Edwardson, several sources said that was not the case at all.

"The suggestion that [Edwardson] is going anywhere is wrong. He's a rock star. He's not going anywhere," said Martin Wolf, president of Martin Wolf & Associates, a firm that specializes in channel mergers and acquisitions.

CDW has hired Jim Buckley of Spencer Stuart, a renowned executive recruiting firm, to head the search, according to sources. Buckley would not comment on CDW, but his Web bio notes that he has helped Ingram Micro and Tech Data in executive searches, as well as other tech heavyweights such as Juniper Networks, Hewlett-Packard, Apple Computer, Pam and Red Hat.

Ideally, CDW is hoping to find an executive that could eventually succeed Edwardson as CEO, a typical request when looking for a senior-level executive, sources said.

"When you need to bring in a senior executive, you don't bring in a seasoned guy without looking for him to do more," said one channel source. "If that's the right person, that second person could eventually lead the company."

CDW is looking for an executive to help restore the company to its former growth levels. In 2008, the solution provider reported $8.07 billion in sales, a 0.9 percent decrease from $8.15 billion in 2007. It marked the first time CDW had posted a year-over-year decline in revenue.

CDW executives could not be reached for comment.

CDW is also without its former senior leadership of its Berbee Information Networks acquisition. Paul Shain, former CEO of Berbee and senior vice president of CDW, left CDW to form Singlewire Software, a startup unified communications and physical security applications developer. Shain took several Berbee executives with him to Singlewire.