Ingram Micro Delivers Greater Business Value to SMB Channel Partners, Hosts 2012 Fall SMB Invitational

SANTA ANA, CA--(Marketwire - Sep 19, 2012) - Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: IM) today welcomed more than 200 U.S. resellers focused on small and midsize businesses (SMBs) to its 2012 "Turn the Tables" Fall SMB Invitational. Taking place Sept. 19-21 at the Westin Mission Hills Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif., the bi-annual event provides attendees with valuable insight into the technologies and trends driving fast growth and influencing the purchasing decisions of SMBs throughout the U.S.

Additionally, the distributor announced plans to debut its inaugural fast growth "Ingram Micro SMB 500" list, jointly developed between Ingram Micro and The 2112 Group, a channel research and services firm that also publishes the popular blog Channelnomics, on Sept. 20 during the general session.

This highly anticipated list recognizes the top 500 Ingram Micro SMB-focused channel partners in the U.S., ranking them based on size, growth and innovation. The exclusive list will exemplify high performance among SMB resellers, and form the foundation for which Ingram Micro and The 2112 Group will research and report SMB trends, channel best practices and current happenings. More details surrounding the Ingram Micro SMB 500 will be announced tomorrow. Activity from Ingram Micro's Fall SMB Invitational will be featured on the community's website and reported on Twitter by attendees using #SMB2012.

"Twice a year we bring our top SMB-focused channel partners and community members together to share best practices, gain valuable market insight and help identify the resources, technologies and relationships they are looking for to grow their business and elevate their game," says Jamie Ferullo, director of sales, SMB, Ingram Micro U.S. "We're excited to launch the SMB 500 at the Fall Invitational and have pulled together a powerful event that will make it easier for our channel partners to fill their sales pipelines, shorten sales cycles and become the chief technology officer for their SMB customers." 

Event Speakers Share Strategies and Insights for Building a Successful Business
Throughout the three-day SMB Invitational, attendees will hear from industry experts and SMB thought leaders including keynote speaker Keith Ferrazzi, author of the New York Times Bestseller, "Who's Got Your Back," and founder and chairman of Ferrazzi Greenlight, a strategic relationship management company.

Other business speakers and industry experts set to address the crowd include Libby Gill, executive coach, brand strategist and best-selling author; Ken Thoreson, president, Acumen Management Group, Ltd.; and Ryan Morris, principal consultant, Morris Management Partners, Inc.

The Ingram Micro SMB Invitational will also feature a variety of business workshops that address important partner topics including capturing mindshare and market share; developing a high-performance, professional team; and maximizing and motivating through a powerful compensation plan. Targeted breakout sessions will be conducted by the Ingram Micro Services Division along with its Consumer Electronics, Networking & Security and Managed Print Services departments.

"Enabling our channel partners to drive growth and change within their organization and the industry at large is a top priority for Ingram Micro," says Ferullo. "The enhancements we made to our SMB Alliance (SMBA) community earlier this year, coupled with the new format for our SMB Invitational, have been well received by our partners, vendors and Ingram Micro associates. We've doubled down on our efforts around SMB and it's certainly paying off for us and our partners."

Distributor's New SMBA Community Gains Momentum 
Since re-launching the U.S. SMB Alliance community in January 2012, Ingram Micro has introduced several new programs and initiatives to capture member interest. These include the launch of an exclusive partner summit, whereby a select group of SMB-focused VARs and managed service providers (MSPs) travel to Buffalo, N.Y., to join SMBA council members for targeted training on leadership, employee development, personality styles and change management.

Additionally, members have exclusive access to IMSourcing, a flexible program that allows reseller partners the ability to source manufacturer-discontinued items no longer readily available in the channel from Ingram Micro, avoiding any uncertainty surrounding secondary market procurement while also helping ensure manufacturer brand protection. The distributor's new CNET Content Solutions service and unrivaled Business Intelligence Center are also available to SMBA members.

"As part of the SMBA community, members have the opportunity to learn from their peers about how to successfully leverage and specialize their business within one of Ingram Micro's focused divisions and business units to achieve exponential growth," explains John Fago, senior director of channel marketing, Ingram Micro North America.

"We're excited about the growing strength and unity of our SMBA community, and the support and leadership the group is gaining from our member council," added Fago. "With smarter segmentation and intelligence tracking capabilities now in place, we're able to better understand our partners' needs, success criteria and growth demands. It's gratifying to see the fruits of our labors take hold as another valuable SMB Invitational is set to drive even further achievements for our partners."

Channel partners interested in learning more about Ingram Micro's SMBA partner community can check out www.im-smb.com. Additional information about Ingram Micro's SMB initiative can be found at http://www.im-smb.com/smb-alliance.html.

More information about Ingram Micro is available at www.ingrammicro.com and http://ingrammicroinc.wordpress.com.

To learn, see and hear more about Ingram Micro online, follow the distributor on Facebook at www.facebook.com/IngramMicro; Twitter at www.twitter.com/IngramMicroInc; and YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/ingrammicroinc.

About Ingram Micro Inc.
As a vital link in the technology value chain, Ingram Micro creates sales and profitability opportunities for vendors and resellers through unique marketing programs, outsourced logistics, technical and financial support, managed and cloud-based services, and product aggregation and distribution. The company is the only global broad-based IT distributor, serving more than 145 countries on six continents with the world's most comprehensive portfolio of IT products and services. Visit www.ingrammicro.com.