Scenes From HTG Summit: VARs Helping VARs

Welcome To Dallas

Heartland Tech Group recently held its 2012 Summit in Dallas, attracting more than 400 VAR executives from more than 250 companies, to dive deep into each other's businesses in a peer-to-peer event designed to spur best practices, new ideas and growth. Here's a look at some highlights. HTG CEO Arlin Sorensen is pictured in the cowboy hat (but not the bird).

Building Leaders

Scott Scrogin, president of HTG, welcomes VARs and reminded them to build leaders from within their own organizations.

"I think leadership is something that is not like a certification, where you get it and move on to something else. It's ever evolving and changing. People you're leading are changing," Scrogin said. "I think that the common phrase 'companies are over managed and under led' is fairly true."

Spirit Award

Jamison West, founder and CEO of Arterian, a Seattle-based VAR, was on a panel talking about growth and how HTG has helped his business. West also captured HTG's Spirit Award.

Best Practices

Tony Schafer, president of Desktop Resources in Indianapolis, told fellow VARs that he asks himself every day, "Do you know what you want to do?" and "Do you know if your actions are having the intended results?" Desktop Resources also started generating a daily profit-and-loss report, which has helped better track profitability, Schafer said. "Throughout the month we can make fundamental changes as opposed to looking in the rearview mirror," he said.

Be Prepared

Zaun Bhana, managing director of Leap Consulting, a Cloverdale, Australia-based HTG member, cautioned VARs to make sure they're prepared for anything. His partner's wife died unexpectedly from cancer and it impacted the company greatly.

No One Left Behind Award

John Motazedi of SNC Squared, left, and Doug Renner of Peak IP Solutions, along with vendors Zenith Infotech and XiloCore, received the first Hands That Give: No One Left Behind Award. SNC Squared's headquarters was destroyed by a tornado last year, and the other three companies stepped up to help Motazedi rebuild.

Leadership Award

Raja Pagadala, managing director of The Final Step, a U.K.-based VAR, (at right) received the HTG Leadership Award from HTG CEO Arlin Sorensen. "He has demonstrated true leadership. He has taken over as a facilitator for us and his approach is 'I wonder if I can find a job for everyone in my group to do,'" Sorensen said.

Hands That Give

Mike Semel, vice president and chief security officer at Business Continuity Technologies, and HTG's Sorensen manned the Hands That Give booth at the Summit, recruiting VARs to the group that helps other VARs during times of crisis.

To Cap It Off

Steve Johnson of InfiNet, Eaton's Maritza Reyes and Arterian's Jamison West show off their new HTG baseball caps. Eaton also kept the baseball theme going at its vendor booth.

Swing, Batter

Eaton's John McIlwain eyes an incoming pitch on a Wii baseball game at the vendor's booth at HTG.

Building Relationships

Pete Busam, CEO of Equilibrium Consulting, Marlton, N.J., poses with Rick Bahl of Quality Systems Solutions at the HTG Partner Pavilion.

Helping Hand

When SNC Squared's Motazedi (right) lost his building, his fellow HTG member Craig Hillyard, CEO of Network Data Services, a Little Rock, Ark.-based VAR, was one of the first on the scene.

Connecting Wisely

Sunny Lowe, CEO of Blue Jean Networks, a Fort Worth, Texas-based VAR (center) poses with a gang of gals from ConnectWise, LabTech and Quosal, from left: Erinn Davis, Jeannine Edwards, Jessica Kuch and Corie Leaman.

Ready For Backup

Continuum's Dee Zepf and Todd Wolpert manned the vendor's booth at the Partner Pavilion to espouse the vendor's Continuum Vault Backup and Disaster Recovery solution as well as its Remote Monitoring and Management technology.

The Red Sea

HTG staff, solution providers and vendor executives show off their red polo shirts given away at the 2012 Summit. Each year, HTG takes a group shot to commemorate the disparate groups coming together as one. HTG picks a new color every year, so if you still have your green shirt from the first event, that means you're old school.