On the eve of its biggest annual partner event, Intelisys dropped big news this week: thanks to the financial largesse of its new parent ScanSource, Intelisys can now offer millions of dollars more in financial assistance to partners to help them grow and transition their businesses.

“It’s a big deal,” deadpanned Intelisys co-founder Rick Dellar in an exclusive interview with Penton. Mere days before the Petaluma, Calif., telecom distributor was scheduled to host its annual Channel Connect event, Dellar sat for an interview and shared his thoughts on the company’s recent acquisition, its new financial assistance programs and the future of the channel.

For perspective on its financial programs, consider the following: in the six years since Intelisys launched its twin financial assistance programs, Partner Investment and Advanced Commissions, the company has allocated $5 million to help partners grow and change their businesses. With the backing of ScanSource, it now has access to $300 million in capital to work with. My math isn’t great, but I believe that’s a big jump.

It’s a game changer, said Dellar. “ScanSource’s willingness to invest speaks to the strength and potential of our Sales Partners and the commitment ScanSource is making to help us enable partner success,” Dellar said in an interview. His sentiments are almost word-for-word what the company said in its official press release. Dellar on message?

If you’re familiar with the Intelisys co-founder, you know that Dellar is anything but scripted. (He’s famous for flying across the country simply to have breakfast with anyone that matters to him.) In particular, he’s passionate about helping partners at a time he believes is critical to the industry. Many partners, Dellar noted, want to make a transition to cloud sales, recurring revenue and op-ex based financials. But they struggle to convert their legacy, transaction-oriented hardware sales, which are dependent on cap-ex spending.

_{Intelisys Co-founder Rick Dellar}

That’s why Intelisys’ Partner Investment and Advanced Commissions programs, which provide solution providers up-front commissions on long-term deals and other assistance, are so important.

As for life with Intelisys’ new parent ScanSource, Dellar says things are operating very smoothly. The difference from before, he said, is that now Intelisys now has access to new thinking, financial realities and opportunities “to strategize with folks who have different perspectives and who have fought different battles than we have fought.”

As for organizations that Dellar expects to make the transition to new business models, innovations, business buyers and services capabilities, he believes progressive and flexible companies share two common traits: adaptability and fearlessness. In particular, he believes that the frenzied merger activity well underway in the market has reduced the ranks of the solution provider community. But he also sees rejuvenation right before his eyes.

In this audio segment, Dellar describes the new companies he sees coming to fore and the impact they are likely to have on the market: