Meet the Vertical Channel Partner Team

Working with about 800–1,200 partners, the Channel Partner Team a critical part of Vertical Communications. The program works two ways: (1) directly with partner dealers to deliver Wave and iPECS Cloud solutions and (2) indirectly through distributors to sell Summit 100, 800, and (coming soon!) 2400. Our solutions are unique in the market. As Samsung, Toshiba, and Mitel discontinue hardware products, Vertical is one of the last big players left in the space and we're even still developing and releasing new hardware! Our combination of cloud and premise solutions is the perfect scenario for customers.

It Starts with Quality Leadership

Marc Niknam is in charge of the Channel Partner team. Besides owning the relationship with distributors, Marc works directly with a fantastic leadership team to make the program a success.

  • Kim Macdonald is Regional Sales Manager and head of sales with our channel partners. She has been with Vertical/Fulton since 2014 and was a Vertical dealer herself before that. Kim is hands-on with the dealers to learn their needs, help them with configuration, solve any issues that might arise, and work with them to create accurate forecasts. She's on the ground, visiting partners and recruiting new ones. Kim personally takes dealer calls and builds relationships with each one. Our dealers work closely with Kim and can attest to how great she is!
  • Kathy Budrick leads the customer service part of our partner program. She does a ton to complement Kim and the sales side. If a distributor or dealer calls looking for a system, Kathy has all of the answers. Inventory, licenses, pricing... whatever it is, Kathy is there to provide support. On top of everything else, she's in charge of all things related to orders. She expertly stays on top of it all and keeps things running smoothly for our partners.
  • Julie Porter is in charge of our quality assurance, repair, and RMA (Return Merchandise Authorization) processes. If any dealer needs repairs made or an RMA number, Julie steps in. She does an amazing job keeping track of all our product... and Vertical has a lot of product!
  • Dave Weinstein and the warehouse team do a great job receiving product, managing inventory, building Summit kits, and shipping product to distributors and dealers as well generating licenses for these product. We recently highlighted Dave and his team, check it out.
  • Director of Purchasing, BJ Weworski, does an amazing job in product forecasting, Material Requirements Planning (MRP), and working diligently with our suppliers to get product ordered and shipped to our warehouse.

Looking Towards 2023

Marc and the team look forward to a successful 2023 with some exciting new launches around the corner:

The upcoming Summit 2400 is a big upgrade! It features a complete redesign, contains new architecture, and is configurable up to 2,400 ports. It has a built-in standard server allowing for video, IM, audio conference, visual voice mail, and voice calls all on one platform. The capacity can be expanded by a simple license, so users can save on initial costs and invest for additional licenses as their business grows.

In addition, we will soon be releasing version 5.5 of iPECS Cloud with improved user management, additional multi-client features, and enhanced security configurations. With great new products and a top-notch team, the future is bright for our Channel Partner Program!