ASCII Group Adds Bell Micro As Preferred Distributor

The group's 1,200 U.S.-based members will now be able to buy products from Bell Micro under a volume purchasing agreement that the San Jose, Calif.-based distributor signed. The agreement covers all of Bell Micro's products but is limited to U.S. members.

ASCII Group currently has broad distribution agreements with Synnex, Fremont, Calif., and D&H Distributing, Harrisburg, Pa., as well as relationships with about 10 other distributors that provide specialty products and ancillary services to ASCII members.

ASCII members buy $700 million to $750 million of products annually through the preferred distributors, according to Doug Young, the group's vice president of distribution programs.

Bell Micro is "so much focused on storage and integration services, and a number of our members wanted to drive more business to them," said Alan Weinberger, ASCII chairman and CEO. "It's something the advisory body wanted."

Weinberger said he didn't expect the agreement to draw market share away from ASCII's other preferred distributors, but rather from non-preferred distributors. "We need two or three [suppliers] in every category," he said. "This makes us more attractive to people who want to join ASCII."

John Tonthat, vice president of Bell Micro, said in a statement that the distributor's goal was to expand its customer base. He said ASCII members would benefit from Bell Micro's strength in storage and its value-added services and exclusive vendor relationships.

ASCII classifies about 68 percent of worldwide members as VARs, which includes many small-business VARs, and another 30 percent as system integrators and ISVs.

The group still plans to add a custom-systems builder as a preferred vendor to replace B3 Computers, Gwinn, Mich., which ceased operations a little over a month ago, said Steve Valentino, ASCII's director of membership sales.