Movers And Shakers At The GTDC Rising Stars Awards

Rising Star Awards

The Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC) recently gave away its annual Rising Star awards at its annual vendor summit in Newport Beach, Calif. The winning vendors were selected by having the highest percentage growth in revenue through distributors over the last year, as aggregated by NPD Group's Distributor Track. Here's a look at the winners.

Bronze Winner ($25M-$100M)

Crucial

Greg Bloom, national sales manager at Crucial (center), accepts the bronze award from GTDC CEO Tim Curran (left) and Bob Dutkowsky, CEO of Tech Data, for the third-highest growth among hardware companies with revenue between $25 million and $100 million.

Silver Winner ($25M-$100M)

Aruba Networks

Bob Bruce, vice president of worldwide channel sales at Aruba Networks, accept the award from Curran and Dutkowsky.

Gold Winner ($25M-$100M)

Mitsubishi Electric

Erick Walton, channel marketing manager with Mitsubishi Electric, accepts the Gold award for the highest growth among companies with revenue through distribution between $25 million and $100 million.

"It's been a good year for us, thanks to you," Walton said to distribution executives in the audience at the GTDC summit.

Bronze Winner ($100M-$500M)

Dell

Marcus Chugh, channel marketing manager at Dell (center), accepts the Bronze award for companies with revenue through distribution between $100 million and $500 million. Dell won the silver award in the $25 million to $100 million category last year and grew so much it moved to the higher level for this year, said Curran. "This winner traditionally had been known more as a thorn to [the channel] but they are active on many fronts," Curran said.

Silver Winner ($100M-$500M)

Brocade

Brocade's Eric Buck (second from left) and Barbara Spicek (second from right) accept the silver award from Curran and Dutkowsky. Brocade won the bronze award last year and moved up one spot in this year's results. "This leader in the networking market is known for their innovative programs and products that make them channel friendly," said Curran.

Gold Winner ($100M-$500M)

Riverbed Technology

Riverbed's Carolyn Crandall, vice president of worldwide marketing, accepts the Gold award for the most revenue growth through distribution with sales between $100 million and $500 million. "They are riding a tide of success and 95 percent of their sales are indirect through the first six months of 2011," said Curran. Riverbed captured the Gold award in the $25 million to $100 million category last year.

Bronze Winner ($500M+)

Apple

Scott Frederickson accepts the Bronze award for Apple from Curran an Dutkowsky in the $500 million-plus category. "They have strong channel heritage, supply chain expertise and are constantly pushing the envelope," said Curran of Apple.

Silver Winner ($500M+)

EMC

Leonard Iventosch, vice president of Americas Channel sales at EMC accepts the award from Curran and Dutkowsky.

Gold Winner ($500M+)

NetApp

Paul Mayes, director of worldwide distribution sales at NetApp, acceps the award for the most growth of any company doing more than $500 million in annual hardwale sales through distribution. "Eight years ago, we started with distribution. Why are we here [accepting the award]? Perfect execution and great relationships with Arrow and Avnet. I thank them," Mayes said.

Bronze Winner (Software)

Red Hat

Mark Enzweiler, vice president of global channels at Red Hat, accepted the Bronze award for Software Rising Star.

Silver Winner (Software)

Kaspersky Lab

Kaspersky Lab's Cecilia Lessard and Gary Abad accept the award from Curran and Dutkowsky. In a statement, Nancy Reynolds, senior vice president of corporate sales, said, "We are very honored to accept this award and will continue to strive for ingenuity as we build our partner eco-system. This award is indicative of our explosive growth in new business and unwavering commitment to our 100 percent channel model."

Gold Winner (Software)

Nuance Communications

Nuance's Mike Smith accepts the award from Curran and Dutkowsky. "There is nothing subtle about this voice [and speech technologies] company. They have 40 percent CAGR over the last six years and two-thirds of the Fortune 100 rely on their solutions," Curran said.