Recap: The 2004 VARBusiness Awards Event

The annual event, now in its fourth year, recognized some of the biggest and brightest companies in the channel, such as BearingPoint, Keane and Mainline Information Systems, as well as rising stars like Helio Solutions, Siwel Consulting and Sequel Data Systems Integrators.

Resellers were commended for financial excellence, technology expertise, revenue growth and vertical-market domination in 2003. After experiencing one of the toughest years in the business in 2002, it was a welcomed change to see so many VARs putting the economic downturn behind them and returning to growth and expansion.

"Amazingly, the VARBusiness 500 has emerged from this period stronger, more focused and transformed -- proving once again that solution providers have business models that are resilient, adaptive and innovative," said Robert C. DeMarzo, VARBusiness' editorial director, during the awards ceremony. "Collectively, this group generated revenue of $324 billion last year, up nearly 4 percent from the previous year."

In addition, the VARBusiness 500 Awards also shined the spotlight on key executives, such as Mainline CEO Rick Kearney, who was named VARBusiness 500 Executive of the Year, and industry veteran Ed Coleman, CEO of CompuCom Systems, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Kearney offered a few words of wisdom in his acceptance speech, urging his fellow solution providers in the audience to choose their vendor partners wisely and to "stick with them through thick and thin," until they no longer deserve their trust.

Coleman, who has served IBM and Computer Sciences Corp. prior to CompuCom, joked that he was too young to receive a lifetime achievement award and took the opportunity to praise the thousands of employees and associates under his keep for their hard work and dedication.

In addition to the awards, the audience was treated to a keynote address from political commentator and radio personality Laura Ingraham, who discussed current politics, the upcoming presidential election and the recent death of former President Ronald Reagan.

Earlier in the day, attendees also got a chance to hear from some of the top channel executives from the industry's largest vendors, including Mike Borman, vice president and general manager of IBM Business Partners; Allyson Seelinger, vice president of global channel sales at Symantec; and Rauline Ochs group vice president of North American channels at Oracle.