2008 Channel Chiefs: Who's Who In Systems/Peripherals
DIRK OLSEN
Director of Marketing
Acer America
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Major accomplishments made by Acer's commercial channel in 2007 include: expanded reach into SMB VARs, expanded reach to consumers buying from the channel, and further infrastructure development for communicating with VARs. [READ MORE]
JOE ASHCRAFT
VP, Sales
Brother International
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
We've increased our presence in the VAR Channel with introduction of new, cost efficient color laser product. Our Preferred Partner Program has grown as well. [READ MORE]
ANN MOSER
Senior VP
Ricoh Americas
Most innovative initiative:
In 2007, Ricoh PSD realigned our sales force to create closer geographic association with our partners. This alignment has created more opportunity for face-to-face interaction with our partners, and allowed us to be more productive in our ability to support and manage our partners. [READ MORE]
GREG DAVIS
VP and General Manager of the Americas Group
Dell
Most innovative initiative:
Reducing Conflict: To be successful and gain the business and trust of our channel partners, reducing conflict is a priority for us: Deal registration serviced by SalesForce.com's partner relationship management tool -- the same system our direct sales force uses, Direct sales force motivated to work with partners by neutralizing compensation -- meaning they get paid the same if a customer buys directly from them or through a partner. [READ MORE]
SCOTT TUTHILL
VP, Small and Medium Business, Americas, Imaging and Printing Group
HP
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Transforming our value channel offering for IPG to enable more partners to go after growth opportunities in capturing pages. This includes transitioning our SVIP Elite program to the Office Printing program and enhancing our Smart Printing Services to support a variety of partner financial models and selling motions. [READ MORE]
STACY WUESTE
VP of Partner Development and Programs, HP Solution Partners Organization (SPO)
HP
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
In 2007, HP was focused on engaging deeper with partners in the public sector and mid-market in the Americas. In the public sector, HP focused on helping its partners win state/local education and federal business and that focus has resulted in major growth opportunities for HP and our partners. [READ MORE]
ADRIAN JONES
VP and General Manager
HP Solution Partners Organization (SPO), Americas
Most innovative initiative:
In May, HP announced a broadening of its HP Channel Partner Co-marketing Program to support HP's integrated server and storage (ISS) products following a highly successful rollout of the program to support PSG solution sales in January. [READ MORE]
CHRISTOPHER M. FRANEY
VP Sales and Marketing
Samsung
Most innovative initiative:
Restructuring our budget process to allocate more dollars to the indirect reseller channel while maintaining our awareness and presence within Distribution and our DMR/Etail partners. [READ MORE]
STEPHEN B. MUNGALL
VP, Worldwide and Americas Channel Sales
Lenovo
Most innovative initiative:
Lenovo TEAMs program where we provide additional marketing support and sales team integration for 'go to' partners around the country who focus on one of four customer segments (SMB, Midmarket, Large Enterprise or Public Sector). And Club Lenovo, which is an online Solution Partner and Solution Partner Sales Rep incentive and education portal. [READ MORE]
STEVE DALLMAN
VP, Intel Wordwide Channel Reseller Organization
Intel
Most innovative initiative:
We have replaced the product line top to bottom with 65nm-based Core 2, Architecture. [READ MORE]
JESSE CHAVEZ
VP, Global Partner Sales Organization
Sun Microsystems
Most innovative initiative:
Some of the strongest benefits offered through the Sun Parter Advantage program have been the Partner Growth Fund, Partner Demonstration Program and the Partner Rewards Program. [READ MORE]
SHEILA O'NEIL
Senior Director of Channel Sales
Panasonic Computer Solutions Company
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
- Implemented Wireless Partner Program for broadband wireless activations with compensation.
- Implemented TP3 Marketing Program that: a. Provided significant marketing development funding for select partners, b. Expanded sales of strategic products, c. Offered agency services for collaborative campaign creation.
- Enhanced Rules of Engagement program to broaden deal eligibility, address diverse solution provider representative selling models and improve administration. [READ MORE]
Bill Kouzi
Senior VP, Sales and Service, The Americas
Visioneer
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
1. We secured several new national accounts based on the OneTouch integration strategy. Most notably, Michelin Tires.
2. We significantly increased our presence in the Federal space and with federal integrators. [READ MORE]
Bob Nahorski
VP, U.S. Channel Sales
Tripp Lite
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Tripp Lite has experienced over 30 percent growth in the last year, doubling its U.S. channel sales in the last 30 months. Tripp Lite has increased its field sales force by 50 percent in the past year to direct additional business through the channel. [READ MORE]
DON MCMAHAN
VP Sales and Regional Business Manager
Eastman Kodak
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
We reinvigorated our channel program for our desktop scanners, growing from approximately 200 resellers at the beginning of 2007 to more than 1,200 by year end. We redesigned our production scanning reseller program, the Kodak Authorized Imaging Resellers, to include national-level office products resellers. [READ MORE]
GARY BIXLER
Director, North America Marketing
AMD
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Launched first full AMD platform solution into the channel -- codename 'AMD Spider', and launched industry's first native quad core CPUs to channel with AMD Opteron and AMD Phenom. [READ MORE]
JEFF STURGEON
VP, Marketing and Solutions
Emerson Network Power (Liebert)
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Increased staffing; creation of solutions focus for resellers serving smaller IT spaces; Expansion of distribution agreements; addition of ongoing outbound nurturing; enhanced sales training for partners; enhanced training for local channel managers. [READ MORE]
JEFF VOLPE
VP, Marketing
ViewSonic
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
In 2007 ViewSonic continued to innovate and add programs, incentives and value to its award-winning channel program, Access. The program delivered more responsive and flexible offerings to help channel partners grow their business. [READ MORE]
JERRY LUMPKIN
VP, Business Channel Sales
Toshiba America Information Systems
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
By focusing on the channel and enhancing its Preferred Partner Programs, Toshiba is now the number four notebook partner in the channel. According to an IDC report, Toshiba was the only vendor with more than 30 percent of surveyed partners seeing increased business in Q3 2007. [READ MORE]
Jess J. Trotter
Director, U.S. Channel Sales
Oki Data Americas
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Expanding on the company's passion for partnership, OKI Data Americas launched ProfitOPS, an innovative partner program designed to bring printer profit back to the reseller community. [READ MORE]
Jim Davis
VP of US Sales
LaCie US
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
- Doubled the sales force to create smaller territories increasing channel interactions.
- Launched 'channel friendly' 3 year Advance Replacement warranty to ensure partners would not be burdened by customer service issues.
- Launched 7 new 'professional' products geared toward the channel. [READ MORE]
MIKE WALKEY
Senior VP, Global Volume Channels
Hitachi Data Systems
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
- Successfully launched and ramped Hitachi Data Systems' key Tier 1 channel partners, including Ingram Micro, Bell Micro, Synnex, Lenovo, MPC, and Acer.
- Expanded Hitachi Data Systems' key reseller base by more than 700 partners worldwide, and provided enablement tools allowing them to address the rapidly growing SMB storage market.
- Led Hitachi Data Systems to significantly improve 'ease of doing' business approach with the channel, improving partners ability to prospect, quote, sell, provide services, and support Hitachi product with their end customers. [READ MORE]
PIERRE RICHER
Executive VP, Sales and Marketing
NEC Display Solutions
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Our channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year included the successful merger of the NEC plasma/projector division with the NEC LCD division, a single organization to better serve the channel. We also successfully executed our annual Digital Signage Solutions Summit, an assembly of industry-leading speakers and more than 50 partners to discuss the latest trends and opportunities in the digital signage market space. [READ MORE]
ROBERT T. SETHRE
Director, Printer Marketing
Konica Minolta Business Solutions
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
Refocused efforts and support from retail to VAR partners. [READ MORE]
SHARON BRINDLEY
VP, US Business Channels and SMB
Lexmark International
Describe your channel organization's major accomplishments over the past year:
We introduced the industry's first vertical MFP devices including the Education Station, Clinical Assistant and Legal Partner which provides our partners solutions to sell, not just 'a box'. [READ MORE]