Telarus CEO Adam Edwards: Margin, Resources 'Not an Either Or' for Partners

Increased scale will help Telarus meet the diverse needs of the partner community, Telarus CEO Adam Edwards tells Channel Futures.

Telarus, the Utah-based technology solutions brokerage, has grown drastically in the last three years, stemming part from the investment Columbia Capital has poured into the company. That funding has allowed Telarus to buy companies such as Chorus Communications, TelAdvocate and TCG. The company has risen both in terms of its employee count – going over400 people – and in vendor recognition – having recently topped AT&T’s list of Alliance Channel partners.

Telarus CEO Adam Edwards

Telarus and the rest of the TSB/TSD market is going through a significant shift. Consolidation on one hand has helped create a select handful of large national TSDs that are wielding more scale at the supplier negotiation table than ever before, hiring at a fast pace and building tools. At the same time, many TSDs are reporting pressure to pass through a higher percentage of their vendor commissions to their partners in order to remain competitive.

Telarus CEO: Partners Are Savvy

Edwards said Telarus’ increasing size can allow it to stay competitive while increasing its resources.

“Partners are savvy businesspeople. They want value and they’re going to go to where they get value. The question to be answered is, what is it they value most? And my belief is, they want a healthy pass-through, and they want the added value. It’s not a question of either-or,” Edwards said in a wide-ranging interview with Channel Futures.

He fielded questions about vendor negotiation, commission pass-through, and the TSD value proposition.

Scroll through the 12 images above to read the Q&A with the Telarus CEO, which Channel Futures has edited for clarity.