CHANNEL PARTNERS CONFERENCE AND EXPO — Four Nitel partners working in the technology advisor channel earned partner of the year awards from the connectivity services provider and carrier aggregator.

Nitel named Telarus its tech services distributor (TSD) partner of the year based on 2022 sales. The company also acknowledged three partners on the customer-facing side: 212 Communications, TierOne Solutions, and Sumo Communications (One Source Communications).

The Nitel partners accepted their recognitions Tuesday night at a private event run in conjunction with the Channel Futures Conference and Expo.

Nitel’s Mark Dickey

“We are fortunate to have a great set of partners and want to say thank you for their support and for pushing the envelope in driving customer success,” Nitel chief revenue officer Mark Dickey said.

Telarus has grown into one of the largest TSDs in the channel, with an investment from Columbia Capital helping it acquire firms like TelAdvocate and TCG. Telarus has touted the level of scale it has achieved, evidenced in part by its recent platinum elite recognition from AT&T.

However, Telarus’ success with Nitel predates its M&A activity. The companies have been partnering with one another since 2005, three years after Telarus launched. The TSD reached $1 million in monthly billings with the provider in 2017.

Telarus’ Richard Murray

“We thank Nitel for this wonderful recognition,” Telarus chief commercial officer Richard Murray said. “Nitel has consistently shown their commitment to our success through our partnership over many years. We appreciate their dedication to the channel and to the success of our partners.”

Krista Saumsiegle, a former member of Nextlink, XO Communications, Clover Communications, founded consultancy 212 Communications in 2016. She serves as a strategic partner for Innovative Telecom Solutions.

212 Communications’ Krista Saumsiegle

“We are very excited about this recognition and feel strongly that we share it equally with our amazing team at Nitel,” Saumsiegle said. “We’ve enjoyed our partnership with Nitel over the years, and we look forward to their continued attention to the needs of partners and customers into the future.”

TierOne, self-styled as a multi-carrier solution provider, launched in 2014.The company also landed 1,525th on the latest Inc. 5000, registering 421% three-year growth.

TierOne’s Richard Reding

“We value and appreciate the accessibility and relationship we have with Nitel’s leadership and the commitment Nitel has demonstrated to TierOne and our clients,” TierOne managing partner Richard Reding. “This award says a lot about that working relationship.”

Bret Hickenlooper’s Sumo Communications consistently scored at the top of Telarus’ annual partner awards. Sumo sold to One Source last year.

One Source Communications’ Tim Meng

“This award represents two teams, Sumo/One Source and Nitel, coming together to provide brilliant solutions and exceptional experiences for our customers,” One Source CEO Tim Mengsaid. “We appreciate the recognition by Nitel and know that we are only as strong as the teams we surround ourselves with, so a huge shoutout to the Nitel team for all the fun and success in 2022.”

Nitel has expanded its partner program in a variety of ways. Approximately a year ago the company added former CenturyLink and Masergy channel leader Jim Glackin as its executive vice president of channel sales. At the time Nitel was driving approximately 60% of its revenue through channel partners and 40% through wholesale.

London-based private equity firm Cinven is investing in the company.