Paget Exits Synnex COO Post To Head Solutions Division

Taking over as COO is Dennis Polk, formerly Synnex's CFO. In addition, the Fremont, Calif.-based company said Peter Larocque, executive vice president of distribution, was named president of U.S. distribution.

Joe Balsarotti, president of Software To Go, a St. Peters, Miss.-based solution provider, said he hopes the management shuffle doesn't upset the outstanding services he has seen from Synnex.

"This makes me cautious. I have been very happy with Synnex over the last two or three years," Balsarotti said. "My only real gripe with them is they don't carry the breadth of products of someone like Ingram [Micro] or Tech Data. If they did, then I would move 50 percent of my business to them. Right now, I do about 20 percent of my business with them."

Balsarotti said his message to new COO Polk, who has a strong financial background, is to not cut any Synnex services as he takes over the operations role. "Operations are not run entirely by the numbers," Balsarotti noted. "There is a much bigger picture. I hope that with all the years he has spent doing finance he understands that."

Overall, Balsarotti said he has found Synnex to be more creative than Ingram Micro or Tech Data and to have a strong personal touch. For example, he said, a Synnex rep that had installed security cameras recently helped him with security solution recommendations.

"I like having [Synnex] as an alternative to Tech Data and Ingram," Balsarotti said. "Synnex in my mind is almost a throwback to the distributors of 20 to 30 years ago. You have people you know you can get a hold of, and they respond to you."

The management changes come on the eve of Synnex's national VAR conference this week in Greenville, S.C. A TSD Executive Forum will be the focus of the conference.

Synnex President and CEO Bob Huang said in a statement that TSD was of strategic importance to the distributor and that for the company to be successful, it will require more attention from Paget, who was instrumental in forming the solutions-based distribution model at Synnex.

A Synnex spokeswoman said no replacement will be named for Larocque, and his new responsibilities as president of U.S. distribution will be an expansion of his current position. The company is seeking a new CFO, and Polk will retain his role as CFO until a replacement is named.