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HTG Launches New Peer Group for Companies with 50+ Employees

Posted Jun 7 2011 by in Arlin Sorenesen, ConnectWise, HTG Peer Groups with 0 Comments

HTG has done it again. Longtime friends of Varvid, HTG has always led the way in bringing IT professionals together in peer groups to discuss issues, solve problems, and act compassionately. Now, HTG is launching a new kind of peer group: HTG50+ powered by IT Nation. HTG50+ is engineered specifically for IT companies with more than 50 employees.

“Larger firms have distinct advantages as well as challenges in strategic planning, finance, corporate culture, human resources, marketing and business development,” said Arlin Sorensen, founder and CEO of HTG Peer Groups. “At a time when our industry is evolving rapidly, HTG50+ powered by IT Nation, backed by the expertise of ConnectWise and the support of colleagues, provides these members with all the benefits of the peer group model.”

What makes HTG50+ even more distinct from its predecessors is its meeting structure: The CEO-level executives will meet quarterly, and twice-yearly the HTG50+ peer group meetings will be attended by the member companies’ whole management staff, rather than a single representative. This new model of peer management team to management team interaction will create a more effective way of transferring ideas between companies rather than expecting one person to carry all the ideas back to their team for execution.

Also in recent HTG news, Cisco, Intel, and Varvid have joined HTG-V1, HTG‘s first peer group for vendor executives, which was formed in early 2010.

Disneyworld or bust!

Posted Jun 1 2010 by in Conferences, ConnectWise, Travel, Uncategorized with 1 Comment

The Varvid crew brings you Rachel and Ben Schow, two of the hardest working HTG helpers EVER, talk with Jeannine Edwards of ConnectWise about the opportunity to visit Disney World in November.  Here’s the deal… HTG and ConnectWise have scheduled their November conferences back to back in Orlando, FL.  Heartland Technical Group Founder Arlin Sorensen is committed to sending these two youngsters to help in the overall logistics at the HTG event. (They continue to do a fantastic job!) The question is, will big-hearted ConnectWise CEO Arnie Bellini help Rachel and Ben’s dream of visiting the magic kingdom come true?  Will these kids be rewarded for all of their efforts or will it be another case of “so close yet so far away”… Stay tuned…

(We dare you not to cry watching this video)

Varvid Crew on the Road

Posted May 17 2010 by in Drew Thoughts, Uncategorized with 2 Comments

It’s been a couple weeks since our incredible journey to HTG 2010 Summit in Dallas and our video shoot in College Station/Bryan with the AgniTEK team.  After going over my notes and emails I’d like to share a couple of thoughts and observations from the ”newbie” POV:

Christy, Ken and and the Info Desk Crew

1. The organizational staff with HTG is completely top-shelf. Arlin, Scott, Ken and Christy are incredible human beings who are extremely generous with their time and talents and help those around them reach their true potential. (Note: Christy “fired” me with a smile 10 minutes upon my arrival in Dallas.  Ask her about it sometime.)

2. HTG Peers are embracing the “go-giver” attitude in ways I have never seen an organization members do.  EVER. This peer group is destined for greatness on many levels, both as a group and individually.

From Dallas to College Station with a lapfull of rubber.

3. Don’t try and save a couple bucks when renting a car to haul gear from Dallas to College Station. I mean no disrespect to my boss (the one who signs my checks) but a spare tire on your lap for long car ride leaves you smelling like the Michelin Man and unable to use your legs for 13 minutes and 43 seconds. While I love the Grand Marque, I’ll gladly pay the extra 20 or so for the van upgrade and pitch in on the gas.

Ribs & Brisket with Fried Okra & Slaw... yummy!

4. If you’re ever near Bryan or College Station in Texas, stop by the Martin’s Place for some yummy and very cost effective BBQ, but make sure you wear something you don’t mind smells like smoke for the next couple days. And don’t try to get through airport customs with a zip-lock bag full of ribs and sausage… that dog was on me like… well, a dog on meat.

5. Jamison West is the man. A real-life “go to guy”. Period.

6. ConnectWise, Quosal, Ulistic and JoomConnect are going to be some partners we’ll walk with during this journey.  We’re honored to have such guests along this early part of the path. We may stumble, but it’s good to know you are there.

Antonio and David, the heart and brains of AgniTEK.

7. Take time to get to know your clients,  I spent a lot of time with the crew at AgniTEK in Bryan. David and Antonio have built one of the smoothest operations I’ve ever witnessed. Friendly staff, knowledgeable team and-on top of that-their clients wouldn’t stop saying great things about them on and off camera.

It’s been a month or so since we all came together in the same room, working on common goals and I must say… this team is really starting to gel.  Aaron and I are working with clients, Mike is in his cave editing all the footage he shot, and Bryce keeps the wheels on by doing all the HR/PM stuff. I am really excited about the potential of this company.  Now to get the processes in place and really help our clients succeed.  We are ready to rock it. Are you?

Amy Hodge from ConnectWise chats with Aaron Booker about the value of SMB VoIP and Channel Partners

Posted Mar 4 2010 by in Conferences, SMB Nation, VoIP with 0 Comments

Amy Hodge, Senior Community Consultant from ConnectWise chats with Aaron Booker from Varvid about the value of SMB VoIP and Channel Partners Shows in Las Vegas March 3 2010.

Amy mentions the surprise some of their customers experienced that ConnectWise was at these shows.

She explains that ConnectWise can be utilized by many different IT segments, and answers the questions “What is a Professional Service Automation (PSA)?” and “How can I make money with it?”



Network Computing Group Gains Fresh Perspective on Operations at ConnectWise Partner Summit

Posted Nov 11 2009 by in Cloud Services, Conferences, ConnectWise Conference, Managed Services with 0 Comments

Varvid speaks with Mark Bowles of Network Computing Group in the Roanoke Valley of Virginia, who was impressed with Verne Harnish’s speech at the ConnectWise Partner Summit and is looking forward to putting some of the things gleaned from the speech to work for his company. Calling customers personally to see how they can be better served, and implementing more ‘small huddles’ with team members will improve consistency and quality of the services Network Computing Group provides.

ConnectWise Features & Partner Summit Speaker Impress Wade DeVore of NetVision Consulting

Posted Nov 10 2009 by in Cloud Services, Conferences, ConnectWise Conference, Managed Services, Microsoft Partner Network with 0 Comments

Varvid speaks with Wade DeVore, NetVision Consulting of Arlington Texas who was impressed with the Blueprinting and Process Automation aspects of Connectwise that were demonstrated at the Partner Summit. Wade has also committed to personally calling five customers per week, as suggested by Verne Harnish’s talk given on Friday morning at the 2009 ConnectWise Partner Summit in Orlando.






Computer Hut Benefits From Internal Situational Awareness ConnectWise Affords

Posted Nov 9 2009 by in Cloud Services, Conferences, ConnectWise Conference, Microsoft Partner Network with 0 Comments

Chris Bates, The Computer Hut of Little Rock, AR appreciated Keynote Speaker Verne Harnish’s message of focusing on the customer’s needs for loss avoidance.

Key in this is emphasizing cross-department, full-team communication and meetings to ensure all hands know what’s going on, in general terms, with the company week to week.

Verne Harnish is founder and CEO of Gazelles, Inc., an outsourced corporate university for mid-size firms, and has published the book “Mastering the Rockefeller Habits: What You Must Do to Increase the Value of Your Fast-Growth Firm”

Chris was speaking with Pat Dolan of Varvid.com at the ConnectWise Partner Summit held this past week in Orlando.

Adnet Technologies Benefits from using Quosal with ConnectWise

Posted Nov 9 2009 by in Cloud Services, Conferences, ConnectWise Conference, Managed Services, Microsoft, Microsoft Partner Network, SBS with 0 Comments

Pat Dolan of Varvid.com speaks with Ed Laprade of Adnet Technologies Inc. of Windsor Connecticut, a CPLS authorized Microsoft Training Center at the ConnectWise Partner Summit in Orlando.

Adnet utilizes Quosal, a quote/proposal generation application that integrates with ConnectWise, and Laprade really appreciates the seemlessness and productivity this affords Adnet.


Over 300 HTG Members Attend ConnectWise Partner Summit – Green Shirts Gain Notice!

Posted Nov 7 2009 by in Cloud Services, Conferences, ConnectWise Conference, HTG Peer Groups, Managed Services, Microsoft Partner Network with 0 Comments

Christy Sacco, Director of Operations for HTG Peer Groups speaks with Pat Dolan of Varvid.com about the Q Forums HTG presented to members during the ConnectWise Partner Summit in Orlando Florida.

Over 300 HTG members representing 220 member companies, over 25% of the total attendees were at the Summit this year.

Gregg Blundell of Integral Systems “Learned more on the bus trip in…” ConnectWise Partner Summit

Posted Nov 7 2009 by in Conferences, ConnectWise Conference, Managed Services, Microsoft Partner Network with 0 Comments

Gregg runs Integral Systems in San Diego CA and this is his first ConnectWise Partner Summit. Gregg has rave reviews for the Partner Summit, this is his first ever and says, although he has attended a lot of confereneces in the past 24 months, this is the most professional and most informative/useful one he’s been to in a long time. The quality of the attendees and their collective experience make the ConnectWise Partner Conference worth attending. Gregg spoke with Pat Dolan of Varvid.com

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