Gilroy Returns To the Channel With ComputerRepair.com

Former Hewlett-Packard channel executive Kevin Gilroy said he planned on returning to the channel after HP eliminated his position three months ago. Clearly, he has wasted little time in doing so, joining ComputerRepair.com as a strategic consultant.

ComputerRepair.com, launched in 2003, is an IT services organization that provides 24/7, on-site services and support through a national network of approximately 11,400 solution providers across the country. The company's Web site acts as a real-time online marketplace that allows end users to place work orders and service requests, as well as select solution providers based on their customer satisfaction ratings, skill sets and geographic locations. Resellers, in turn, can browse for service requests online and partner with other resellers in the network for joint engagements.

As a strategic consultant, Gilroy will help ComputerRepair.com continue to build out its sales and service organization, expand its channel focus and manage the growth of the company's VAR network. Gilroy believes ComputerRepair.com's unique model will help VARs revamp the way they deliver services, calling the online network "a transformational opportunity" for solution providers.

"It improves the end-user experience with better delivery, response time and quality," he says. "It's a win-win-win situation for VARs, OEMs and customers. The vendors are delighted with this because an average service request is picked up within minutes. And VARs can go online and pull business off the platform to increase their utilization rates."

Jeffrey Leventhal, president and CEO at ComputerRepair.com, says Gilroy's addition will take the company to the next level. The company last week struck a high-profile alliance with Tech Data that created a special network within ComputerRepair.com for Tech Data resellers. With Gilroy's appointment, the company looks to continue its momentum.

"Due to our unique business model and procurement process, we are experiencing rapid organic growth," Leventhal said in a prepared statement. "Kevin's leadership and proven track record of success at HP will enable ComputerRepair.com to continue to lead the industry in providing a range of on-demand, business-to-business services."

Gilroy left HP on Sept. 30 after his position as head of worldwide SMB operations was eliminated as part of HP's reorganization last summer. Gilroy had spent nearly 25 years at HP in a variety of roles, most notably as head of the company's commercial channels and general manager of HP's new Solution Partners Organization, where he helped guide HP partners through the turmoil of the Compaq merger and remake the company's channel strategy. VARBusiness named Gilroy its Channel Executive of the Year in 2003.

Gilroy had been doing consulting work for a number of companies since his departure from HP. ComputerRepair.com approached him several times, and after he met with Leventhal and saw how the company's platform worked, he says became intrigued.

"I was doing some consulting work for the company, and I started falling in love with platform," Gilroy says, adding that he will now spend 100 percent of his time with ComputerRepair.com. "I'm jazzed about this company. A channel job at an OEM comes along every few months, but an opportunity like this is once in a lifetime."