NexusTek Acquires Illumen To Grow SMB Reach

NexusTek, an SMB-focused IT solution provider, has acquired fellow Denver-based IT solution provider Illumen in order to scale with its growing SMB client-base, the two companies have revealed.

Michael Jenner, the former CEO of Illumen, became CEO of NexusTek as part of the transaction. The terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

After the acquisition, Jenner said, NexusTek is now the No. 1 IT solution provider for the SMB marketplace in Denver, and the company is aiming to branch out nationally within the next year.

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As NexusTek expands its offerings and capabilities throughout the coming year, Jenner said, the company also aims to be a leader in customer-centric solutions for the SMB market.

"There are no clear leaders in the [Denver] marketplace," he said. "Our goal is to be the leader."

The two companies had been discussing a merger over the last year and a half, according to Jenner. The two solution providers share many similarities, Jenner said, and both acknowledged the advantage for their clients in larger scale.

"Smaller providers struggle having someone there when a client needs them," Jenner said, adding that with the acquisition of Illumen, NexusTek will be able to benefit clients by having more resources to dedicate when needed.

Both businesses have grown well organically, he said, adding that all businesses simply need to be able to grow organically and via mergers and acquisitions in order to be successful in the marketplace.

After the acquisition, the company employs just over 50 people, two-thirds of whom came from NexusTek.

Although each company focuses on tech solutions for the SMB market, each brings its own specialty to the other going forward, according to Jenner.

Illumen, previously focused on the medical field, Jenner said, will continue to bring experience in compliance, especially in regard to HIPAA laws.

NexusTek will continue to focus on the market as a Microsoft partner with a specialty in Microsoft Dynamics that the company's engineers support as part of NexusTek's application management division.

Because of the acquisition, Jenner said, the company now has the people, talent and processes necessary to deal with client issues "the right way."

"Our goal is to have teams of talented engineers who have seen just about every issue in the space and [will] be able to solve it," he said.

PUBLISHED SEPT. 14, 2015