Meet the Chiefs: Max Pruger, nGenx
This week in Meet the Chiefs we sat down with Max Pruger, chief sales officer at nGenx, a cloud-based application delivery solutions provider focused on desktop as a service and application virtualization solutions.
Max Pruger, chief sales officer at nGenx
Pruger: I was around 11 and working on weekends as a waiter at my parent’s restaurant for the breakfast and lunch shifts. Weekends were pretty slow so it was just my dad and me. He did all the cooking and I “ran the front of the house.” I remember pouring draft beers and serving mixed drinks at the age of 11. I sure hope the statute of limitations for minors serving alcohol is less than 30 years; otherwise, ignore what I wrote above.
The VAR Guy says: We won't tell if you won't … Oh wait, everyone knows now. Never mind.
Pruger: I’d love to be one of the first owners of the Moller Skycar 400. Ok, on second thought maybe one of the 10th, as I’d prefer for Moller to work out the kinks before I bought one. For a car that primarily stays on the ground, I’ll go with a 1958 Corvette Convertible.
The VAR Guy says: We wouldn't mind riding around in one of these futuristic-looking planes ourselves! It would certainly make all the constant conference travel that much more convenient (and fun).
Pruger: Myrtle Beach. My family is down there so we like to visit about twice a year. It’s a great beach and we get to save money on hotel fare.
The VAR Guy says: Sun, surf and family—what more could you ask for?
Pruger: Henry Hazlitt’s "Economics in One Lesson," followed by Thomas Sowell’s "Basic Economics," then just about anything from Rothbard, Mises or Tom Woods.
The VAR Guy says: Call us crazy, but we think you might be interested in economics. In all seriousness though, Hazlitt's 1946 classic still rings true for today's modern business leaders or anyone interested in learning about economic policy.
Pruger: Financially, I grew up pretty poor (to my parents' credit, we couldn’t tell) so I’m not one to splurge. However, my last and biggest splurge was when I bought a company with my brother in 2002. I took out a second mortgage on my house, withdrew about $300,000 in credit card debt (yes, at that time I had that much available on credit cards but that’s a long story)—my brother did the same—and we purchased an underperforming business with 20 years of declining sales. The first year literally consisted of 80+ hour workweeks, seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. but we were able to repay all of our debt in two years and sell the business two years later for a nice profit. Since then I’ve canceled nearly all my credit cards and I really only splurge on my wife and kids.
The VAR Guy says: This may just be the smartest splurge purchase we have ever heard of. Good for you for making an investment that paid off in a big way!
Pruger: "The Walking Dead" (Still waiting for season 5 on Netflix). My wife and I are on season 2 of "Sons of Anarchy" and will pick up season 3 of "Orange is the New Black" once we’re done. Otherwise, I’m looking forward to season 2 of "Daredevil" and the upcoming season of "House of Cards." In case you’ve noticed a trend, I’m a big fan of Netflix. It’s an efficiency tool which allows me to watch a 60-minute program in around 45 minutes—a 25 percent efficiency increase.
The VAR Guy says: We love Netflix too, so no judgment on our part. Sometimes we'll throw a show on that we've seen a hundred times before just because its so readily available.
Pruger: Something in technology. I declared my computer science major as an incoming freshman in college. I recall speaking to my academic advisor my first semester and him asking me if I was sure I didn’t want to leave it open and try other things before I committed to a major and I said “no.” Because of my commitment, my advisor signed off to anything I wanted. I crammed up to 18 credits into two days (typically Monday and Wednesday from as early as 9 a.m. to as late as 8 p.m.) and then worked two full-time jobs on my non-school days. Those hours prepared me well for the IT space.
The VAR Guy says: We remember how many classes 18 credits comes out to, and its certainly a lot of work to pack into two days a week! And it looks like you were able to fit your love of technology into your career after all, now that you're a channel chief!
Pruger: "The Princess Bride." How could you not love a movie with so many great quotes? Plus, I can watch it with my kids and not have to worry about fast forwarding or muting scenes. The first time I went up to my wife’s apartment, I saw she had the limited edition version of Princess Bride and that’s when I knew she was “The One.”
The VAR Guy says: Don't even get us started on this one. It's pretty much perfect from start to finish, with more quotes than you can throw a fencing sword at. Cary Elwes is the perfect gentleman swordfighter, bar none.
Pruger: "The Princess Bride." How could you not love a movie with so many great quotes? Plus, I can watch it with my kids and not have to worry about fast forwarding or muting scenes. The first time I went up to my wife’s apartment, I saw she had the limited edition version of Princess Bride and that’s when I knew she was “The One.”
The VAR Guy says: Don't even get us started on this one. It's pretty much perfect from start to finish, with more quotes than you can throw a fencing sword at. Cary Elwes is the perfect gentleman swordfighter, bar none.
This week in Meet the Chiefs we sat down with Max Pruger, chief sales officer at nGenx, a cloud-based application delivery solutions provider focused on desktop as a service and application virtualization solutions. Although he doesn't bear the traditional channel chief moniker, Pruger is responsible for developing nGenx's MSP channel for the company's nFinity Workspace solution in addition to his work in managing sales operations.
What is Meet the Chiefs?
Meet the Chiefs shines the spotlight on the channel’s head honchos and offers an opportunity to learn a little bit about the person beyond his or her company profile. Click on each photo to learn more about the channel chief you’re viewing.
Want to be included in an upcoming Meet the Chiefs? Send an email to The VAR Guy Associate Editor Michael Cusanelli at [email protected] for more information. He’s really good at answering emails on time, we promise.
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