Under The Lights: The 2008 VARBusiness 500 Awards

Everything Channel hit New York City to honor North America's largest solution providers at its VARBusiness 500 Awards. Held on June 3, 2008 at Gotham Hall (site of a former bank), the event brought together executives from solution providers and their vendor partners to celebrate the success and achievements of the channel.

The eighth annual 2008 VARBusiness 500 Awards honored the 500 companies that earned a spot in the ranking and also singled out 16 solution providers for special recognition. All together the businesses that make up this year's VAR 500 are worth $377.76 billion, with 113 companies joining the list for the first time.

Robert Faletra, CEO of Everything Channel, welcomes attendees to the 2008 VARBusiness 500 Awards ceremony.

Everything Channel CEO Robert Faletra (right) brings guest speaker Rick Pitino out on stage to kick off the evening. Pitino, the head basketball coach at the University of Louisville, is the only men's coach to lead three different schools (Providence College, University of Kentucky and Louisville) to the Final Four of the NCAA championship tournament. He also previously served as the head coach of the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks.

Coach Pitino urged solution provider executives to build up the self-confidence of their employees by believing in them, and getting them to believe in themselves. Pitino also expounded on the impact of having a positive outlook and the importance of listening. He urged audience members to "listen four times as much as you speak."

Robert DeMarzo, senior vice president and editorial director of Everything Channel, started off the awards portion of the evening. Sixteen different solution providers were recognized during the event as part of the VARBusiness 500 elite.

In a play on the venue's name (Gotham Hall), VARBusiness Industry Editor Craig Zarley donned a Batman mask and posed as the Caped Crusader. Guess the rest of the Batsuit was stuck at the dry cleaner.

Two VARBusiness 500 Newcomer awards were given during the event. The first went to Axispoint, a New York-based solution provider that debuted at No. 481 on the list. Dan DiSano (left), president and CEO of the $37 million company, accepts the award from (unmasked) Industry Editor Craig Zarley.

The second VARBusiness 500 Newcomer award went to HPM, a $55 million solution provider in Fremont, Calif. HPM Controller Michael Mahabali accepts the award from VARBusiness Senior Editor Jennifer Bosavage. HPM debuted at No. 386.

John Marks (left), founder and CEO of JDMi, accepts the Best Partnership Award from VARBusiness Industry Editor Craig Zarley. Marks founded the company seven years ago and has since built it into a $100 million business. JDMi, Rosemont, Ill., is No. 269 on the list.

EPlus, a $792 million solution provider based in Herndon, Va., garnered the Top Technology Practices Award for Excellence in Unified Communications. The company, No. 74 on the VARBusiness 500, has earned the elusive Master-Unified Communications specialization from Cisco Systems and has doubled its Cisco sales in the last two years. EPlus Vice President of Sales George Pashardis accepts the award from Senior Editor Jennifer Bosavage.

The Ergonomic Group walked away with the Top Technology Practices Award for Excellence in Storage. The $250 million solution provider, based in Garden City Park, N.Y., is No. 155 on the list. Frank Scozzari, senior vice president of sales, accepts the award from VARBusiness Industry Editor Craig Zarley (right).

Larry Holzenthaler, executive vice president of Total Tec, accepts the Top Technology Practices Award for Excellence in Business Process Management from Senior Editor Jennifer Bosavage. At No. 372, Total Tec, Edison, N.J., is a $60 million company.

ZSL, a $130 million solution provider in Edison, N.J., took home the Top Technology Practices Award for Excellence in Virtualization. It's No. 238 on the VAR 500. Executive Vice President Shiv Kumar (left) accepts the award from Industry Editor Craig Zarley.

NWN, a Waltham, Mass., solution provider, won the Top Technology Practices Award for Excellence in Healthcare. NWN is No. 207 on the VAR 500 with $160 million in revenue. Mont Phelps, CEO accepts the award from Senior Editor Jennifer Bosavage.

Bob Cagnazzi (left), CEO of BlueWater Communications Group, picks up the award for Top Revenue Generator - Under $50 Million from Industry Editor Craig Zarley. BlueWater, Hauppauge, N.Y., is No. 467 on the list with $39 million in revenue.

Carahsoft, Reston, Va., made quite a jump, rising to No. 160 on the VARBusiness 500, up from No. 242. The $228 million company, which specializes in federal, state and local government markets, garnered the award for Top Revenue Generator - $50 Million to $250 Million. Carahsoft's Mary Lange (right) accepts the trophy from Senior Editor Jennifer Bosavage.

DLT Solutions, Herndon, Va., was recognized as the Top Revenue Generator - $250 Million to $1 Billion. The $419 million company hit No. 112 on the VAR 500. President and CEO Richard Marcotte (left) accepts the award from Industry Editor Craig Zarley.

New York-based Accenture snagged the award for Top Revenue Generator - Over $1 Billion. The $19.7 billion company, No. 2 on the VAR 500, employs 178,000 people across 49 countries and is known for its extensive expertise in consulting, technology and outsourcing. Senior Executive Kevin Bandy accepts the award from Senior Editor Jennifer Bosavage.

Networking and VoIP specialist CXtec (No. 231) brought home the Editors' Choice Award for Business Excellence. The 30-year-old Syracuse, NY.-based integrator has built a broad practice that includes partnerships with vendors such as Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard and Nortel Networks.

In addition to its integration practice, the $140 million company offers its "equal2new" certified pre-owned hardware business and its CABLExpress network cable line. It has earned numerous awards from the Great Place to Work Institute and also participates in several charitable endeavors, including its annual Cables for a Cure breast cancer awareness campaign. Ray Oliver, CIO, accepts the award from Senior Editor Jennifer Bosavage.

Thanks to its merger mania, Presidio took only two years to grow from $216 million in revenue to $880 million, landing it a No. 69 on the VAR 500. The Greenbelt, Md.-based company offers a broad portfolio of unified communications, wireless, security, storage, network infrastructure and managed services, focusing on complete technology lifecycle services for its customers. Presidio President Rudy Casasola (left) accepts the award for Company of the Year from Robert DeMarzo, senior vice president of Everything Channel.

Rich Fennessy, president and CEO of Insight, was named the 2008 VARBusiness Executive of the year. Fennessy (center) accepts the award from VARBusiness Senior Editor Jennifer Bosavage and Everything Channel Senior Vice President Robert DeMarzo.

Rich Fennessy, president and CEO of Insight, Tempe, Ariz., speaks to the crowd after picking up his award for Executive of the Year. Insight, No. 28 on the VAR 500, hit $3.36 billion in revenue. Fennessy in April expanded Insight's scope with the acquisition of Calence, one of Cisco's largest solution providers. The company now is poised to offer high-end network consulting and integration services in addition to its traditional hardware procurement business.

Bruce Geier, president and CEO of Technology Integration Group (No. 153), San Diego, was honored with this year's Lifetime Achievement Award. After 27 years in the business, his company has grown into a $300 million powerhouse and is one of the premier solution providers in the country. Geier (center) accepts the award from VARBusiness Senior Editor Jennifer Bosavage and Everything Channel Senior Vice President Robert DeMarzo.

After accepting his Lifetime Achievement Award, TIG President and CEO Bruce Geier spoke on the value of change in the tech industry. "I believe in change, and I think everyone here is selling change. It is very important," Geier said.

Geier shared the spotlight with his son, Trent Ian Geier, who stayed awake until the very end to watch his dad pick up his award. Note that little Trent shares the same initials as his father's company.

Coach Rick Pitino (center) poses with the VAR 500 victors and VARBusiness staff.