Granite Taps Viasat, Mavenir Vet to Strengthen Western Channel Sales

New England-based Granite Telecommunications is strengthening its western sales presence with appointment of Viasat and Mavenir alum Eric Stark.

Stark has joined the network services provider and aggregator as director of regional channel sales for the West. That role puts him in charge of the company’s western region channel management team. He’ll take responsibility for partner acquisition, training and revenue generation. He’ll report to Granite vice president of channels Charlie Pagliazzo.

Granite’s Eric Stark

“I’m excited to join Granite Channels and work with Charlie Pagliazzo and his stellar channel team,” Stark said. “Granite offers partners a single source for a full range of managed network, voice, mobility, and security services deployed and supported at enterprise scale.”

The appointment comes as Granite Telecommunications expands its channel sales team. The company, along with other aggregators, see a strong opportunity to position itself to customers that are facing steep copper line price increases. The company in 2021 bought POTS replacement provider Epik.

Background

Pagliazzo said Stark has built a reputation of commitment to the channel, evidenced by his work building partner programs at Viasat and Mavenir.

“Granite Channels continues to increase both its commitment to our partners’ experience and the number of end-user solutions we deliver together, so we’re incredibly excited to have Eric Stark join our channel team,” said Pagliazzo.

Granite’s Charlie Pagliazzo

Viasat hired Stark in 2015 as its national sales manager, tasking him with launching a channel program. The company’s business unit ultimately grew beyond $40 million in annual revenue during his tenure. Stark in early 2022 joined communications software provider Mavenir as vice president of channel engagement, enterprise connect. That role involved him building Mavenir’s first CX and CCaaS-focused channel programs. According to Stark, Mavenir also grew revenue with Apple, Google and Meta thanks to his efforts.

Stark has won Top Gun 51 and Channel Influencer awards from Channel Futures. 

He worked for six years as a global account director at AT&T before working in telecommunications and information at the U.S. Department of Commerce.