Quick Take: APC Channel Director Kevin Nusky

It's been a quieter than usual at power-supply vendor American Power Conversion, which is absorbing a corporate restructuring and recent purchase by Schneider Electric SA. Kevin Nusky, worldwide director of channel programs, sales, breaks the silence with VARBusiness executive editor Chris Gonsalves.

VB: So what do partners really need to know about the takeover of APC?
KN: I think what people want to know is that the APC brand is alive and strong and will remain strong and independent going forward. The other big thing that you're going to see is APC doing a lot of reorganization around the channel programs. You're going to see an additional focus on the channel that you might have seen us pulling away from in recent years.

VB: What specifically will we see that indicates more love for the channel?
KN: People. For example, me. Recently you've seen Rob McKernan come back to the APC fold. He's handling North America. And I'm responsible for channel marketing. We've segmented that with one person responsible for programs and strategy, and Rob being responsible specifically for North America. So we're taking these jobs and segmenting them finer. That brings a new focus and also allows us to look at things from a global point of view.

VB: Would you say Schneider, as a parent, shares this same channel philosophy?
KN: We think that one of the assets we bring to Schneider is our channel presence and our mindset. Schneider has bought companies with a high brand awareness and they've kept that brand, such as [another Schneider property] Square D.