Channel programs News
CDI’s New CEO Rich Falcone Talks ‘Change Or Die’ Motto, M&A
Mark Haranas
“We’re adapting to what the market’s doing. We’re pushing our competition out. Quite frankly, we’re share shifting, we’re growing and that’s exciting to people. Change or die is real,” says CDI’s new CEO, Rich Falcone, in an interview with CRN.
CDI Selects New CEO In Sales Guru Rich Falcone
After 20 years of rising through the ranks at red-hot Computer Design & Integration (CDI), Rich Falcone is now CDI’s new CEO with sights set on becoming a $1 billion channel partner powerhouse.
“I strongly believe in this phrase ‘change or die,’” said Falcone, CEO and President of New York City-based CDI in an interview with CRN. “We’re adapting to what the market’s doing. We’re pushing our competition out. Quite frankly, we’re share shifting, we’re growing and that’s exciting to people. Change or die is real.”
Since beginning his career at CDI, which ranks No. 61 on CRN’s Solution Provider 500 list, Falcone has been critical at driving sales to a projected $650 million in 2021, up 20 percent compared to 2020, including $100 million in services sales.
Falcone held top sales positions at CDI over the past two decades and was promoted to president in 2020. In just his one-year span as president, he’s facilitated millions in CDI acquisitions including the purchase of Kintyre Solutions, P5 Solutions, Plan B Technologies and High Availability, with no plans of slowing down M&A in the future.
Under his leadership, CDI this week launched CDI International to focus on customer relationships and driving sales oversees with the opening of two new offices in England and Ireland. Falcone says he’s looking to take CDI to the next level on a global scale with the bullish philosophy of change of die as the new CEO.
“I see a lot of frustrated clients who are frustrated with their legacy partners, not personally, just with their inability to get them where they need to go in this new, multi-cloud digital transformation world we’re living in,” Falcone said. “We’ve always had a great change or die culture, but now the way the market is changing and the pace it’s changing, it’s more important than ever. … It’s a competitive world. You wake up in the morning every day and someone’s trying to take your customers, that’s how it works.”
Falcone talks to CRN about staying relevant and adapting to customers’ needs in 2021, CDI’s growth around ServiceNow and managed services, as well as his company’s acquisition strategy ahead.
