The Top Female Executives Of The 2012 Solution Provider 500
The Top Women Of The Channel
CRN's Solution Provider 500 is an annual ranking of North American integrators, service providers and IT consultants by their solution provider services revenue. Of the 500 members on this year's list, a handful have woman as their top executive. Here, we celebrate Women of the Channel with a look at the top 25 female executives from 2012 Solution Provider 500 companies.
The entire 2012 Solution Provider 500 database is now available on the CRN Tech News app in the iPad App store.
Thai Lee, SHI International Corporation
CEO & President
2012 SP500 Rank: 18
2011 SP500 Rank: 19
2011 Revenue: $3,800,000,000
Location: Somerset, NJ
shi.com
Thai Lee graduated from Harvard Business School with an MBA and Amherst College with a B.A. in Biology and Economics. She recently was named as Ernst 7 Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012 Award winner in New Jersey.
Patricia Gallup, PC Connection
CEO & Chairman
2012 SP500 Rank: 23
2011 SP500 Rank: 21
2011 Revenue: $2,103,300,000
Location: Merrimack, NH
pcconnection.com
Gallup co-founded PC Connection in 1982 with an initial investment of just $8,000. Since that time, the company has grown into an IT powerhouse, going public in 1998 and surpassing $1 billion in sales the next year.
Sandra Davis, Applied Computer Solutions
CEO & President
2012 SP500 Rank: 42
2011 SP500 Rank: 50
2011 Revenue: $706,000,000 Location: Huntington Beach, CA
acsacs.com
Sandra Davis started Applied Computer Solutions in 1989 and has been an advocate of minority-owned businesses for years. She is also a founding member of the Orange County chapter of the National Association of Women Owned Business (NAWBO).
Sue Bhatia, Rose International
CEO
2012 SP500 Rank: 62
2011 SP500 Rank: 88
2011 Revenue: $357,396,998
Location: Chesterfield, MO
roseint.com
Sue Bhatia and her husband moved from India to the United States in 1987. Just a few years later, the Bhatias founded Rose International in 1993 with their own money and a U.S. Small Business Administration loan.
Mary Nardella, Continental Resources
CEO
2012 SP500 Rank: 65
2011 SP500 Rank: 63
2011 Revenue: $350,000,000
Location: Bedford, MA
conres.com
Mary Nardella was named CEO of Continental Resources in 2007 after serving the company for more than 25 years. She began her career in technology with New England Telephone, where she worked in the outside plant and engineering division.
Kim Girards, Ergonomic Group
President
2012 SP500 Rank: 94
2011 SP500 Rank: 83
2011 Revenue: $215,000,000
Location: Westbury, NY
ergogroup.com
Kim Girards started the Ergonomic Group in 1984 and has been with the company ever since. Over the years she has grown the company from a traditional IBM hardware reseller to an IT services powerhouse that's entered new markets like cloud computing.
Maggi Jones, Sterling Computers Corporation
President
2012 SP500 Rank: 117
2011 SP500 Rank: 120
2011 Revenue: $158,305,302
Location: Norfolk, NE
sterlingcomputers.com
Maggi Jones co-founded Sterling in 1996 with Tasi Toti in Torrance, Calif. In 2003, Jones relocated the company to Norfolk, Neb., and since then the company has emerged as an award-winning solution provider serving the federal government.
Jonna Ward, Visionary Integration Professionals
CEO & President
2012 SP500 Rank: 127
2011 SP500 Rank: 127
2011 Revenue: $148,000,000
Location: Folsom, CA
vipconsulting.com
Jonna Ward founded VIP in 1996 with just one employee (herself) and has grown the company into a global consulting firm with more than 800 employees today. Prior to starting VIP, Ward served as an executive at Accenture where she focused on large systems deployments.
Amy Rao, Integrated Archive Systems
CEO
2012 SP500 Rank: 144
2011 SP500 Rank: 141
2011 Revenue: $124,571,664
Location: Palo Alto, CA
iarchive.com
Amy Rao founded Integrated Archive Systems in 1994 and established the company as a leading data management solutions firm. Rao is heavily involved in both local and national politics and also serves on a charitable non-profits dedicated to human rights and healthcare.
Susan Stone, Blue Tech
CEO
2012 SP500 Rank: 156
2011 SP500 Rank: 219
2011 Revenue: $105,794,062
Location: San Diego, CA
bluetech.com
After graduating from Stanford University with a degree in International Studies, Susan Stone co-founded Blue Tech with Guy Stone in 1984. Along with serving as CEO, Stone leads business development and proposal development for the federal solution provider.
Susan Kozak, MNJ Technologies Direct
President
2012 SP500 Rank: 178
2011 SP500 Rank: 179
2011 Revenue: $91,366,738
Location: Buffalo Grove, IL
mnjtech.com
An experienced veteran of the computer industry, Susan Kozak founded MNJ Technologies Direct in 2002. Since then, MNJ has emerged as a leading technology reseller with numerous locations across the country.
Laurie Dasher, Dasher Technologies
President
2012 SP500 Rank: 188
2011 SP500 Rank: 272
2011 Revenue: $82,500,000
Location: Campbell, CA
dasher.com
Laurie Dasher started Dasher Technologies in 1999. She worked for a number of years at her father's solution provider company, Ted Dasher Inc., and in 2009, Dasher acquired her father's company to expand Dasher Technologies' presence across the country.
Jana Grimes, Austin Ribbon & Computer Supplies
CEO
2012 SP500 Rank: 189
2011 SP500 Rank: 191
2011 Revenue: $82,300,000
Location: Austin, TX
arc-texas.com
Jana Grimes founded Austin Ribbon & Computers (ARC) in 1984. The company started out selling typewriters and accessories like ribbons and printwheels but evolved over the years to become an IT reseller that delivers a host of products and services.
Catherine Giordanao, Knowledge Information Solutions
Owner
2012 SP500 Rank: 223
2011 SP500 Rank: 308
2011 Revenue: $68,484,488 Location: Virginia Beach, VA
kisinc.net
Knowledge Information Solutions was founded in 1983, and in 2001 Catherine Giordano purchased the company and helped grow the business into a multimillion dollar solution provider serving both commercial and government customers on the East Coast.
Cornelia Vaught, PCPC Direct
CEO
2012 SP500 Rank: 252
2011 SP500 Rank: 296
2011 Revenue: $60,000,000
Location: Houston, TX
pcpcdirect.com
Cornelia Vaught and her husband Joe founded the company in their garage with a partner in the early 1990s. The company began under the name Texas Solutions, and after reaching $24 million in sales by 1999, they re-launched the company as PCPC Direct.
Debra Torturo, Carrillo Business Technologies
CEO & Co-Principal
2012 SP500 Rank: 257
2011 SP500 Rank: 266
2011 Revenue: $58,900,000
Location: Westminster, CA
cbtechinc.com
Debra Torturo co-founded Carrillo Business Technologies with Kelly Ireland in 2001. One of the solution provider's first big customer wins was Boeing, and since then the company has expanded its business to the federal government market and high-performance computing solutions.
Nancy Hedrick, CSI Technology Outfitters
CEO & President
2012 SP500 Rank: 268
2011 SP500 Rank: 288
2011 Revenue: $55,100,000
Location: Easley, SC
csioutfitters.com
Nancy Hedrick founded CSI in 1989 and has served as president of the solution provider since that time. In 2005, she also became CEO and began serving on the company's board of directors.
Melissa Cather-Thiede, ProActive Solutions
President
2012 SP500 Rank: 293
2011 SP500 Rank: 303
2011 Revenue: $50,000,000
Location: Mission, KS
proactivesolutions.com
Melissa Cather-Thiede co-founded ProActive Solutions in 1996 with her husband Dean. Today, the company is a nationally-recognized Premier IBM Business Partner with offices in Kansas City, Atlanta, St. Paul and Dallas.
Lezlie Gallaway, Technologent
CEO & Co-Founder
2012 SP500 Rank: 303
2011 SP500 Rank: 315
2011 Revenue: $47,290,000
Location: Lake Forest, CA
technologent.com
Lezlie Gallaway co-founded Technologent in 2002 with her husband Tom. Technologent has grown rapidly over the years, earning a spot on CRN's Fast Growth 100 list in 2007, and the company recently expanded with a new division dedicated to the telecom industry.
Min Cho, Nova Datacom
CEO
2012 SP500 Rank: 306
2011 SP500 Rank: 317
2011 Revenue: $47,072,587
Location: Chantilly, VA
novadatacom.com
Min Cho joined Nova Datacom in 2007 when the solution provider was just a small business. Today, under Cho's leadership, the company has established itself as a top systems integrator for the federal government in the Washington, D.C. area.
Kathy Mills, Strategic Communications
CEO
2012 SP500 Rank: 324
2011 SP500 Rank: N/A
2011 Revenue: $45,400,000
Location: Louisville, KY
yourstrategic.com
Kathy Mills founded Strategic Communications in 1994 as a communications-focused solution provider serving both businesses and government clients. In 2006, the company merged with fellow solution provider UpLink Technology to expand its reach.
Brenda Stallings, Matrix Integration
President
2012 SP500 Rank: 331
2011 SP500 Rank: 377
2011 Revenue: $42,486,000
Location: Jasper, IN
matrixintegration.com
Brenda Stallings founded Matrix Integration in 1979 and has been with the company all 33 years. She is a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and Women's Business Enterprise National Councils (WBENC).
Kristin Rorapaugh, Systems Management Planning
CEO
2012 SP500 Rank: 347
2011 SP500 Rank: 398
2011 Revenue: $40,582,075
Location: Rochester, NY
smp-corp.com
Kristin Rorapaugh co-founded SMP in 1997 with her husband Eric and eventually was named CEO of the company. She helped SMP evolve from a hardware-focused solution provider to more of an IT services firm with expertise in data management and virtualization.
Karen T. Braswell, Alphanumeric Systems
Owner & CEO
2012 SP500 Rank: 348
2011 SP500 Rank: 349
2011 Revenue: $40,518,000
Location: Raleigh, NC
alphanumeric.com
In 2009 Karen T. Braswell and her husband Harvey purchased Alphanumeric Systems, which was originally founded in 1979. Before Alphanumeric Systems, Braswell worked for Exxon Corporation and served as a systems analyst for Electronic Data Systems (EDS).
Jessica Ryan Geis, Blue Chip Tek
CEO
2012 SP500 Rank: 352
2011 SP500 Rank: N/A
2011 Revenue: $39,400,000
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
bluechiptek.com
Jessica Ryan Geis founded Blue Chip Tek in 2002 -- when she was pregnant with her son. Ten years later, the company has been named to CRN's Tech Elite 250 list and has established itself as a leading solution provider in the cloud computing market.
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Executive Compensation In The SP500: Who's Overpaid?
Solution Provider 500 Awards
Solution Provider 500: Earnings Call