Honoring Excellence: Everything Channel's VAR 500 Awards
Excellence In Solution Providing
The VAR500 awards honored 17 solution providers Tuesday night in New York City. The evening featured guest speaker Bill Bradley and capped a day of networking, CIO speakers and roundtables.
Standing Room Only
Nearly 500 solution providers and their guests attended the gala award dinner and ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street following the all-day conference at the Marriott Downtown. Featured speakers were Steve Rubinow, executive vice president and Co-CIO of the NYSE; Larry Bonfante, CIO of the United States Tennis Association and Enrique Salem, CEO of Symantec.
CEO Faletra Warms Up The Crowd
Everything Channel CEO Bob Faletra saluted the tremendous efforts put forth this year by the VAR500 community. These companies represent the largest and most influential solution providers who collectively generate nearly $600 billion in service, consulting and product revenue.
"Even more remarkably, they help enable businesses, whether they are at the top of the Fortune 500 or one of the small businesses that powers the U.S. economy," Faletra said. "While we face an unprecedented economy on a worldwide basis, this group has continued to thrive. The VAR500 companies know how to take advantage of downturns and grow."
Stats, Stats And More Stats
Senior Vice President and Editorial Director Robert C. DeMarzo wowed the audience with a rundown of fast facts about the VAR500:
- All told, this year's VAR500 is worth a grand total of $597,588,818,754.
- The total revenue figure is larger than the gross domestic product of Poland ($525.73 billion), or of the Czech Republic, Ukraine and Hungary combined ($553 billion).
- You could build 398 new Yankee Stadiums for that amount of money.
Newcomer Of The Year: TVAR Solutions
Everything Channel gave out three Newcomer Awards. The evening's first winner serves the federal government as well as associated contractors and integrators. With top-tier resources and personnel cleared to serve the classified community, TVAR Solutions, possesses demand creation capabilities for new and established manufacturers.
Accepting the award from Senior Editor Jennifer Bosavage is the company's President and CEO, David Saunders.
Founded nine years ago, Bluewolf is a pioneer in the Software-as-a Service and cloud computing consulting businesses. Its co-founders have written a book on Agile Consulting Best Practices: "Iterate or Die: Agile Consulting For 21st Century Business Success." The company has won numerous awards, including several CRN Fast Growth awards, and partners with companies such as Salesforce.com, Google and SuccessFactors.
Newcomer Of The Year: BlueWolf
Accepting the award from News Editor Steve Burke is Gianna Scorsone.
RSM McGladrey's business model is a mix of international business services, business consulting and technology.
For example, its experienced consultants help clients implement best operational practices and direct them toward the action that can help improve profitability.
Newcomer Of The Year: RSM McGladrey
Accepting the award from Senior Editor Jennifer Bosavage is the company's Managing Director J.B. Overstreet.
Best Partnership Award: Lilien LLC
This award goes to a company that brings unsurpassed commitment, technical expertise and business vision to its solutions -- enterprise computing and storage, virtualization, business continuity and IT business consulting. Lilien, one of HP's top enterprise partners, leverages 25 years of deep industry experience, to deliver the right solution.
Accepting the award from News Editor Steve Burke is the company's President and CEO Geoffrey Lilien.
Top Revenue Generator: Less Than $50 Million
FedStore brings deep information technology experience to an increasingly complex and dynamic marketplace. It is a service-disabled, veteran-owned small business that counts among its key partners APC, Apple, Cisco, Dell and Fujitsu.
Accepting from Senior Editor Jennifer Bosavage for FedStore is Senior Director Chuck Spence.
Top Revenue Generator: $50 Million To $250 Million
BlueWater Communications Group's management team has more than 100 years of experience in the industry, and the solution provider has become one of Cisco's top partners in record time. BlueWater's independent customer satisfaction scores have put it in the top 10 percent of Cisco partners worldwide.
Accepting from News Editor Steve Burke for BlueWater is Vice President of Sales Vincent Trama.
Top Revenue Generator: $250 Million To $1 Billion
Carahsoft is a trusted Government IT solutions provider, which has seen outstanding revenue growth of more than 50 percent from 2008.
Last year, Carahsoft received the GovernmentVAR State and Local Solution Provider of the Year Award and the VARBusiness Top Revenue Generator Award in the $50 million to $250 million range.
Accepting from Senior Editor Jennifer Bosavage for Carahsoft is President Craig Abod.
Top Technology Practices: Storage
Winner Whalley Computer Associates has been serving automation needs throughout New England since the onset of the microcomputer era in 1979. It focuses its resources on small and midsize companies, educational institutions, health-care facilities and municipalities.
Accepting from Senior Editor Jennifer Bosavage is President Paul Whalley.
Top Technology Practices: Managed Service Provider
NaviSite is a managed hosting and application services provider, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and an Oracle Certified Advantage Partner -- the highest level in the Oracle Partner Network.
Its combination of application implementation and management, as well as hosting and content delivery services, provides customers full lifecycle support.
Accepting from Senior Editor Jennifer Bosavage on behalf of NaviSite is Craig Sandman.
Top Technology Practices: Mobile
TeleCommunication Systems provides location technologies that are responsible, in part, for thousands of lives being saved and safeguarded through the delivery of more than 85,000 emergency calls every day to the public safety community. The solution provider holds more than 73 patents.
Accepting the award from Senior Editor Jen Bosavage on behalf of TeleCommunication Systems is Chief Financial Officer Thomas Brandt.
Top Technology Practices: Infrastructure
The winner, Trace/3, has been in business for only six years and has managed to grow revenue 41 percent from $71 million to $100 million from 2007 to 2008. The company's aggressive three-year plan has it doubling revenue by 2011.
Accepting from Senior Editor Jennifer Bosavage on behalf of Trace/3 is CFO Nate Julson.
Top Technology Practices: Storage/Virtualization
The winning company's name means "The Highest One" -- a pledge to clients that everything it does will exceed their expectations.
3MD/Denali has been recognized by HP as the No. 1 partner in North America for blade server growth and was a key partner on the Avnet HP Midmarket Council.
Accepting on behalf of 3MD/Denali from News Editor Steve Burke is Executive Vice President John Convery.
Company Of The Year
Accenture combines unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, with extensive research on the world's most successful companies. It collaborates with clients to help them reach their fullest potential -- providing systems integration consulting services to 70 percent of the Fortune 100.
Accepting from Senior Vice President Robert C. DeMarzo on behalf of Accenture is Partner Kevin Bandy.
Executive Of The Year: Rick Marcotte, DLT
President and CEO Rick Marcotte has led DLT Solutions to sales of more than $500 million, a year ahead of his goal. He is a finalist for an Ernst & Young entrepreneur award.
He has called himself DLT's chief cheerleader, chief motivator and chief drill sergeant. Marcotte said his role is to "ingrain strong, regimented sales and marketing processes into the company DNA."
Former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley Wows Em
Former New York Knicks, U.S. Senator from New Jersey, author and Olympic gold medalist Bill Bradley shared thoughts and insights on honesty in government with the full house at Cipriani Wall Street. A five-star finish to a five-star evening.