Contact:
Josh Krasnegor
joshk@fusionstorm.com
415.623.2623
JOHN VAREL, CEO OF FUSIONSTORM, NAMED FINALIST FOR ERNST & YOUNG
ENTREPRENEUR OF
THE YEAR® 2008 AWARD
SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwire - June 20, 2008) -
FusionStorm -- "Making Technology Work" -- an award-winning systems
integrator and managed service provider, announced that John Varel, CEO and
Founder of FusionStorm, is a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The
Year® 2008 Award in Northern California. According to Ernst & Young LLP, the
awards program recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate extraordinary success
in the areas of innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to
their businesses and communities. John Varel was selected as a finalist from
over 90 nominations by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be
announced at a special gala event on 21st June at the Fairmont Hotel in San
Francisco.
John has had a successful and colorful career as an entrepreneur
that has spanned over 30 years. Prior to starting FusionStorm in 1994, he was
co-founder of The Concorde Group, one of the largest resellers of Sun
Microsystems refurbished hardware. He has also launched many successful
syndications, including: Meris Laboratories, the largest physician owned
clinical laboratory in the nation, and Zephyr Park, Ltd., one of the earliest
wind-parks in Southern California.
John has also performed successful
turnarounds in the manufacturing, broadcast and distribution industries. His
passion for protecting the environment and concern for global warming has led
him to consciously practice this lifestyle, by living off-grid, on a
sustainable farming plantation in Waihee, Maui, with his wife Angie.
The
Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program celebrates its 22nd
anniversary this year. The program has expanded to recognize business leaders
in over 135 cities in 50 countries throughout the world.
Regional award
winners are eligible for consideration for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The
Year national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well
as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award winner,
will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California on
November 15, 2008. The awards are the concluding portion of Ernst & Young's
Strategic Growth Forum, the nation's most prestigious gathering of high-growth,
market-leading companies.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst &
Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year awards are pleased to have the Ewing
Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America as national sponsors.
In Northern
California, sponsors include NYSE Euronext, HSBC, Marsh, RR Donnelley, Scherzer
International, The Big Picture Film and Video Arts, SmartBusiness and The Summit
Group Communications.
About Fusion
Storm FusionStorm -- "Making
Technology Work" -- is a national provider of IT products, professional
services, support contract services and 24x7 managed services for enterprises
of all sizes. The company assists organizations by providing complete
solutions for system infrastructure, storage, networking, voice-over-IP
communications, security, database, disaster recovery, managed hosting and
remote managed services, both on-site and in the data center. FusionStorm is
The VARBusiness, VAR of the Year for 2006-7. FusionStorm offices include San
Francisco (HQ), Santa Clara, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego, Seattle,
Phoenix, Las Vegas, Denver, Albuquerque, Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas, Cincinnati,
Bethesda, Boston, Tampa, Phoenix, New York City and Shrewsbury, New Jersey.
The company's web site is www.fusionstorm.com and the toll-free phone is
800.228.TECH (8324).
Contact:
Josh Krasnegor
joshk@fusionstorm.com
415.623.2623
FusionStorm Key Technology Partners Include
Alert Logic, AMD, APTARE, Avnet Technology Solutions, Avocent Corporation, Belkin,
Cisco Systems, Citrix, Credant Technologies, Dataram Corporation, Diligent Technologies
Corporation, EMC, Emerson Network Power - Liebert, F5 Networks, Force10
Networks, Guardium, Inc., Hitachi Data Systems, Hewlett Packard, Hewlett
Packard/Opsware, Info X, Ingram Micro, Isilon Systems, Juniper, Kingston
Technology, Nimsoft, Oracle, ProStor Systems, Qlogic, Quantum, Red Hat,
Samsung Electronics America, SonicWALL, Sun Microsystems, Symantec
Corporation, Teneros, VMware and Websense.
About Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur
Of The Year
Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year is the world's most
prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The award makes a difference
through the unique way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those
with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with
their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global
award of its kind, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those
who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses,
recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more
than 135 cities in 50 countries.
About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young is a
global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide,
our 130,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering
commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our
clients and our wider communities achieve potential.
For more information,
please visit www.ey.com. Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of
member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate
legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee,
does not provide services to clients.