Is Synnex Set To Take On Ingram Micro's VentureTech Network?

Stegner was named senior vice president of marketing for North America for Synnex. He will report to Peter Larocque, president of U.S. distribution and to Mitchell Martin, president of the broadline division of Synnex Canada. A statement reads Stegner "will be responsible for marketing efforts throughout the United States and Canada" but does not specifically mention a partner organization like the one he helped build at Ingram Micro. Stegner left Ingram Micro in January 2007 as vice president of worldwide market development.

Sources say the Fremont, Calif. distributor Synnex has been exploring the idea of launching a community competitor to Ingram's well-established VentureTech Network and Tech Data's TechSelect community. They said Stegner could very well architect such a program for Synnex.

Several channel sources said Synnex was exploring its own partner network, but the sources did not know what role Stegner would have at Synnex, nor if he would move from his Southern California home closer to Synnex's Fremont, Calif., headquarters or its Greenville, S.C., campus.

Last Friday, Peter Larocque, president of U.S. Distribution at Synnex, said the distributor does not comment on personnel rumors. He added "Bob is a good guy. We've been at many vendor soirees together. He was a competitor, but I can't hold that against him."

An executive from one solution provider said Stegner's move gives Synnex what it needs to develop its own partner network. "Synnex has been looking at doing a VentureTech like community for some time," said Jay Tipton, vice president of Technology Specialists, of Fort Wayne, Ind. "This could give them the management talent they need to get it done. They have also hired a couple of employees from Tech Data."

Tipton said which distributor has the best services network could definitely affect his distributor purchasing decisions. "The distributor networks provide you a deeper, more strategic relationship with the distributor," he said. "The VAR networks like VentureTech and TechSelect are invaluable because you get face time with both manufacturers and top distributor executives. I'd love to see Synnex put one of these networks together."

Tipton said he is a member of TechData's TechSelect community and places more than 50 percent of his purchasing with the distributor. "TechSelect is an awesome resource," he said. "I can meet with other resellers and talk openly about issues that we're facing in the business."

Tipton said he would definitely be willing to place more purchases with Synnex if the distributor established a VAR network. "We've lost our sales rep touch with Synnex in the last several years," he said. "But we'd definitely like to look at them again."

Stegner could not immediately be reached for comment.

Last November, Stegner told CMP Channel that he hoped to land another position in the channel. "I want to be somewhere where I can use my focus on the strong relationships I have with the SMB VARs and vendors in North America," he told CMP Channel at the time.

Additional reporting by Steve Burke.