Back At The Ranch: Jenne's Powering Partners Conference

Powering Partners

Distributor Jenne recently held its first national conference, Powering Partners, in Tucson, Ariz., where more than 100 solution providers gathered to celebrate Jenne's 25th anniversary and learn more about the company's strategy for the next year.

CEO Dave Johnson, pictured, said Jenne plans to continue to expand into IP security, video, mobility and unified communications.

"Many traditional telephony resellers are bringing on videoconferencing. We're looking to connect LifeSize [Communications] with those resellers. This [conference] is the opportunity to bring them together," Johnson said.

Hot Topics

Ken Fabozzi, vice president of U.S. sales at Jenne, moderated a customer panel that included how the economy has impacted the telephony and data communications business over the past couple of years.

Common Problems

The customer panel featured five VARs, each representing a different geography, manufacturer set and business focus. Topics discussed included strategies to overcome a soft economy, technology training such as Jenne University, and online tools such as the Jenne Solution Designer. From left to right are Skip McGaha, owner of Ark-La-Tex Communications, Shreveport, La.; Michael Oh, CEO of Heavy Water, New Rochelle, N.Y.; Ian Pugh, co-owner of GSolutionz, San Francisco; Steve Strochak, president of Xtelesis, Burlingame, Calif.; and Dave Tremblay, vice president of Total Asset Solutions, Hookset, N.H.

View On Video

During the panel discussion, GSolutionz's Pugh (right) said Jenne has been instrumental in helping his company break into the videoconferencing market. GSolutionz utilized the distributor's complimentary demo program and presentation capabilities to help him gain new end-user business, Pugh said. Heavy Water's Oh is pictured at left.

Avaya's Future

Steve Bandrowczak, general manager of Avaya Global Alliances, told partners that the company is counting on them to grow the market.

Award of Excellence, LifeSize

Jenne teamed with several vendors to present awards during the conference. First, the LifeSize and Jenne Award of Excellence was presented to Jay Kamin, vice president of operations at North American Communications Resources, Eagan, Minn. Kamin is joined by Jenne CEO Johnson and Simon Dudley, video evangelist for LifeSize Communications.

Award of Excellence, Avaya

The Avaya and Jenne Award of Excellence was presented to Steve Bennet (center), owner of Bennet Communications, based in Germantown, Md. He is flanked by Jenne CEO Johnson (left) and Joe Jacob, director of business development, U.S. Channels, for Avaya (right).

Award of Excellence, Panasonic

Jenne's Johnson, right, presented the Panasonic and Jenne Award of Excellence to Isaac Deutsch, president of ID-Tech Solutions, a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based solution provider.

Drive Time

The Powering Partners event also featured a Jeep four-wheel-drive adventure at the Cocoroque Ranch. Solution providers were driven into ranch territory to enjoy the wildflowers, cactus and terrain of the Arizona desert.

Back At The Ranch ...

Solution providers also enjoyed a night out at the Wild Horse Ranch, where the arriving guests were greeted by blackjack, barbecue and an astronomer with high-powered telescopes to see the stars in the clear Arizona sky.

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