CenturyLink Alum Joins Intelisys as Newest Channel Manager

**Editor’s Note: Click here to see which channel people were on the move in May.**

Intelisys has hired a senior channel manager for the Midwest region.

Gregory Birch, a seven-year veteran of CenturyLink Business, will work out of the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area to help the master agent’s sales partners. He’ll support partners in Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas and Nebraska.

Intelisys’ Gregory Birch

Intelisys says Birch has worked in the channel for 17 years with a variety of customers ranging from SMB to enterprise. He most recently worked at CenturyLink as a channel manager, and the position put him in a relationship with Intelisys and its partners.

Brandon Smith, Intelisys’ vice president of partner sales and business development for the Central region, said in the Thursday announcement that partners need support closing deals and bettering “their cloud close rates” as the master agent’s Midwest region grows.

“Greg’s deep understanding of the channel, trusted brand reputation within the channel community, and background with CenturyLink really stood out in the recruitment process,” Smith said. “He brings a tremendous commitment to supporting our sales partners’ success.”

Birch will report to Bob Farbak, Intelisys’ senior manager of strategic partner development for the Midwest. Birch says he will help partners navigate a “converging marketplace” for hardware, cloud and carrier services.

“At Intelisys, our sales partners have access to the best-in-class suppliers and solutions engineers to help them navigate the changing landscape and design the right solution to fit their customers’ unique needs, as well as access to a total technology solution through the vast resources at ScanSource,” Birch said. “As part of the Intelisys team, I want our partners to know that I am passionate about providing creative, repeatable business strategies that drive incredible sales growth. I also am a big proponent of training partners on new technologies that enable them to transform their businesses.”

Birch also previously worked as a sales representative for American Business Communication and Norstan Network Services.

Intelisys, which the distributor ScanSource bought in 2016 in a paradigm-shifting move, hired a regional channel manager for the Mid-Atlantic region in April.

It’s another departure for CenturyLink’s channel team, which saw channel chief John DeLozier move to 8×8 this week.