ScanSource CEO Mike Baur 'Not in a Hurry' to Find New Intelisys Leaders

ScanSource CEO Mike Baur says the hybrid distributor is taking a patient approach to identifying the people who lead the Intelisys tech services distributor (TSD) business in the long term.

Baur in an interview with Channel Futures said that ScanSource is making more investments into Intelisys and putting more emphasis on the TSD as ScanSource fills key Intelisys leadership positions.

Open positions include Intelisys president, which John DeLozier vacated in late August, and Intelisys sales leader, which Chandler Legarreta recently left. ScanSource president John Eldh was serving as the interim president, but he has also resigned, ScanSource confirmed to Channel Futures.

ScanSource’s Mike Baur

Baur said a team of leaders is overseeing the Intelisys business and reporting to Baur and the ScanSource leadership team.

“They’re meeting with me every week to make sure we’re making decisions fast and we’re able to move very quickly on any opportunities ahead. Right now we’re running the company with this leadership team concept, but we have a very deep and talented pool to choose from for our future leader for Intelisys,” Baur told Channel Futures.

Mike Baur: ScanSource, Intelisys Have Talent

But in the meantime, Baur said ScanSource and Intelisys possess both the talent and the time to keep the lights on.

“We are not in a hurry, and that’s the beauty and benefit that we have being part of this bigger ScanSource machine,” he said.

Baur in a candid interview with Channel Futures shared his perspective on the Intelisys business and what ScanSource needs to do to meet sales partners’ (technology advisors) needs. He also talked broadly about the process of finding new leaders and where his team may be looking.

The transcript has been edited for clarity.

Channel Futures: Is there anything you want to say to start?

Mike Baur: At Intelisys we are at an important time in the history of the company. We bought Intelisys seven years ago, and we couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity ahead. With Channel Connect coming up in a little less than three weeks, we’ve been planning for a lot of really cool things to talk about with our sales partners. That’s why there’s been a whole lot going on at Intelisys and ScanSource. We are getting ready to talk to our customers about the opportunities they have to grow. Really, this is about positioning our Intelisys business for growth, as I mentioned on our earnings call last quarter.

CF: So there are things to finalize before you go up in front of partners and customers?

MB: That’s right. We expect to have a couple thousand people, including suppliers and customers, and this is our annual opportunity to really position the company as a true, trusted partner for our customers and suppliers. And we believe ScanSource and Intelisys have a unique story to tell. I think it’s a growth story that our industry is not doing a great job telling. And so I wanted to share with you why I’m excited about the future and the growth opportunities at Intelisys.

CF: How would you describe that story?

MB: ScanSource bought Intelisys seven years ago, and ScanSource is a $3.8 billion public company. So a lot of the things we do are much more visible. And we’re not afraid of that. We are absolutely a company that’s committed to transparency and trust with our employees and our partners. What’s really been great for me is to see we have an incredibly strong, deep pool of talent. Today, running the Intelisys business is a team of leaders. And these leaders have been with the company in some cases 10 years or more. These leaders are working directly with my leadership team and [me]. So I’ve been meeting with the Intelisys leadership team weekly, for the last month, to make sure that they have everything they need to provide our partners opportunities to grow. We’re going to tell more of that story at Channel Connect coming up in a few weeks. But the big news is, we’re hiring: We’re actually looking to add people to the Intelisys team because of the massive growth opportunities ahead.

For everyone who historically knows the Intelisys story, they may have seen us in some cases de-emphasize the Intelisys brand. So we made a decision last quarter on our earnings call to specifically say that we’re going to be talking more about Intelisys in the future because it’s the highest-growth part of our company.

See our slideshow above for the rest of our Q&A with Baur, including his thoughts on the future of the Intelisys brand, the “hybrid distribution” message, and the qualities he’s looking for in new Intelisys leaders.