ChannelVision Magazine

ICYMI AireSpring Adds SVP of Channel Sales John Young has assumed the role of senior vice presi - dent of channel sales at AireSpring. In this role, Young will be responsible for leading the global channel sales team and will spearhead management of current and future channel partnerships, overseeing existing and new relationships with master agencies, MSPs, VARs and sub-agents. Prior to joining AireSpring, Young spent more than 13 years at NetFortris where he was promoted to executive vice president of global sales and global channel chief. In this role, his broad range of responsibilities included both enterprise and channel sales, channel marketing and account manage - ment. He joined NetFortris as a result of its acquisition of Fonality in 2018. During his time with NetFortris/Fonality, Young was responsible for building the North American and international sales teams and program from the ground up where he managed a large team of global enterprise, chan - nel and account management sales reps, directors and vice presidents. He was also instrumental in personally developing many unique partnerships with VARs, master agencies and sub-agents, said the company. “AireSpring’s 100 percent channel focus and devotion to service and product excellence, its channel partners and cus - tomers aligns very nicely with my personal philosophy and the legacy I have built throughout my career,” said Young. Commissioner O’Rielly, Congressman Veasey to Keynote WISPAmerica WISPA has announced that FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly and U.S. Congressman Marc Veasey (D-Fort Worth) will be keynote presenters at WISPA’s WISPAmerica 2020, Thursday, March 19, 2020, starting at 11 am (CST) in Dallas, Texas. WISPAmerica is an annual three-day event for the WISP ecosystem, featuring more than 60 interactive sessions on a wide range of WISP issues, including policy and regula - tion, network design, sales and marketing, and human re - sources, among others.  Additionally, the event showcases 100-plus exhibitors, demonstrating the latest in network hardware, software and related services. Commissioner O’Rielly is expected to touch upon topics of interest to WISPA’s diverse membership, such as bridging the rural digital divide, creating fair and effective broadband subsidy programs, access to unlicensed spectrum and the effect of regulation on small businesses. O’Rielly was nomi - nated for a seat on the FCC by President Barack Obama and was sworn into office in November 2013. In January 2015, he was confirmed and sworn into office for a second term, which extends until June 30, 2019. Prior to joining the agency, Com - missioner O’Rielly spent almost 20 years working in prominent Republican communication policy and leadership positions for the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.  Congressman Veasey will likely address such matters as communications issues before the Energy and Com - merce Committee, the affordability of broadband for all Americans, spectrum as infrastructure and access to quali - fied labor in a tight labor market. Veasey was first elected to Congress in November 2012. He represents Texas’ 33rd Congressional District and serves on the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Small Business. Rep. Veasey is a member of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, Congressional Black Caucus, the Blue Collar Caucus and the New Democrat Coalition.  WISPA has an active presence in Washington, working to affect positive policy outcomes for its 850 members.  The association’s policy focus works for: balanced spectrum ap - proaches, ensuring that small and rural providers have a fair shot at accessing airwaves that are critical building blocks for fast, reliable broadband; targeted subsidy programs that expedite broadband deployment to unserved locations in a technology-neutral and cost-effective manner; fast and fair access to infrastructure for broadband deployments no mat - ter the location, whether federal, state, municipal, or private; and keeping small businesses competitive by making sure regulatory burdens are appropriately calibrated for those who have the least ability to shoulder them. Telesystem Expands Master Agent Focus Telesystem recently realigned its channel program to provide added support and simplification at the master agent level. Going forward, the program will be aligned around two national channel managers, each with statically assigned master agent relationships throughout the United States.  Channel-focused account executives will be populated in tar - get markets around the country to both assist with customer sales presentations and to enhance Telesystem’s relationship with sub agents. Raymond Belair (Denver, Colo.) and Brian Buchman (Philadelphia, Pa.) will become the organization’s inaugural national channel managers, each having been with the orga - nization and having great success in regional channel roles. Telesystem currently has account executives in the mid- Atlantic, the northern Midwest, and will be adding positions in Louisville, Kent., and Springfield, Ill., in the near future, fol - lowed by positions to be determined in the western U.S. Sales staff and agents are supported by a team of sales support analysts and a geographically diverse team of sales engineers spread throughout the country. 78 CHANNEL VISION | March - April, 2020