Scenes From The GTDC Summit

The evolution of IT distribution took center stage at the GTDC Summit 2008 in Newport Beach, Calif., bringing together senior management from the world's leading distributors and the industry's top vendor channel executives. Here, the Global Technology Distribution Council's CEO, Tim Curran, adds a touch of levity while discussing the elevated role of two-tier distribution during tough economic times.

In his keynote address on the first night of the GTDC Summit conference, HP Chairman and CEO Mark Hurd delved into the critical role of IT distributors in reaching and serving the channel. HP executives, including Hurd, are increasing engagement with distributors and solution providers on a worldwide basis.

SYNNEX President and Co-CEO Bob Huang, pictured with his wife Lilly, was honored for his industry achievements over the past 28 years. Huang, who founded SYNNEX in 1980, is stepping down from the co-CEO role and is expected to continue serving as SYNNEX'S chairman, assuming board approval in November, with Kevin Murai remaining as the company's sole CEO.

Tech Data CEO Bob Dutkowsky spoke about the positive outlook for the channel as he introduced SonicWALL CEO Matt Medeiros, a keynote speaker on the second day of GTDC Summit 2008. He pointed out that SonicWALL has generated outstanding results despite challenging business conditions. "Their leverage of the channel plays a huge role in such strong performance and illustrates the big picture -- that the indirect route is the most practical and efficient route to market."

SonicWALL CEO Matt Medeiros's keynote emphasized "customer-centric value" as the backbone of success. SonicWALL has outpaced many competitors' growth, earning the company numerous accolades including recognition by Everything Channel as a leading "alternative vendor" this year and the VAR Business Company of the Year in Security Appliances.

Dan Vertrees, vice president of Enterprise Sales at Bell Microproducts (standing), hosted one of the two "What's Your Take?" sessions based on audience response system polls at GTDC Summit 2008. Distribution executives addressed opinions and questions on topics ranging from changing market conditions to ways distributors and vendors can strengthen partnerships based on evolving channel requirements.

The channel faces new challenges as credit constraints increase and business spending outlooks soften. Westcon CFO John O'Malley moderated a related panel at GTDC Summit 2008 that focused on what the industry can do as a whole to mitigate the credit crunch impact. The session provided insights from both distributor and vendor channel executive perspectives.

Pittsburgh-based managed services vendor Zenith Infotech is among the emerging companies relying on distributors to expand market reach. Rajeev Laghate, VP of Operations (left), and Maurice Saluan, VP of Channel Management, represented Zenith Infotech at GTDC Summit to gain more perspective on expanding their channel opportunities through distribution.

Each year, the GTDC honors the fastest-growing IT vendors based on their distribution sales. Carol Neslund accepted the "Rising Star" Gold award on behalf of Seagate in the highest revenue category: $500 million+.

Nokia's Distribution Account Manager Chris Hurley (left), pictured with Avnet Chairman and CEO Roy Vallee, accepts the Gold Rising Star honor in the $100-million-to-$200-million category. The company grew year-over-year sales through distribution by 50 percent.

The Bronze Rising Star award was presented to Panasonic Computer Solutions Company President Rance Poehler for its rapid growth in the $100-million-to-$500-million revenue category. He dedicated the award to SYNNEX President and Co-CEO Bob Huang for his support over the years and underscored that 100 percent of the company's sales are through distribution.

LG was named the Gold Rising Star winner in the $20-million-to-$100-million revenue category. Pictured with GTDC CEO Tim Curran (center), Senior Marketing Manager Kim Way and Vice President Ron Snaidauf attended Summit on behalf of the company.

Buck Baker, ScanSource's SVP of Merchandising (right) is shown here with Rob Claus, Polycom's vice president of worldwide sales. Polycom received an honorable mention in the $100-million-to-$500-million Rising Star category, and ScanSource was announced at the Summit as a new member of the GTDC -- along with D&H Distributing and several European region distributors.

Avnet Chairman and CEO Roy Vallee (left) takes a break with Arrow ECS President Andy Bryant.