Telarus has hired a general counsel to help navigate complex supplier agreements.

Telarus’ Rich Goates

The Utah-based master agent hired Rich Goates for in-house legal representation. Goates in his new position will give Telarus subagents “an added layer of legal protection” and make it easier to partner with Telarus. He’ll handle the legal side of supplier agreements, agent contracts and base rolls.

Telarus chief operating officer Richard Murray said the company needs Goates to mitigate the frenzied M&A climate, which is affecting vendors, master agents and partners alike.

Telarus’ RIchard Murray

“With so much consolidation taking place in our industry, having someone of Rich’s caliber on our staff is essential,” Murray said. “Every time two vendors come together, they want to renegotiate a new contract with the surviving master agents. Every new vendor that wants Telarus to represent their services needs a new agreement. As we grow, so does our need for top-notch legal representation, and Telarus will spare no expense to make sure our sales partner’s interests are protected at the highest commission levels possible.”

Goates will see to the legal details of partners that haven’t received their due commissions. Several master agents have dedicated additional resources in recent years to helping partners recover lost commissions. Sandler Partners uncovered $1.3 million in unpaid incentives last year.

Goates specializes in contract law.

“Telarus’ valued sales partners should feel safe in knowing that I’m here to protect their interests as I continually work to strengthen existing supplier agreements while negotiating new ones,” he said in Tuesday’s announcement. “Our mutual safety is ensured with ironclad agreements coupled with our ability to enforce them legally when required.”

Goates doesn’t have an IT or telecommunications background, but he has worked for one type of technology company. He legally represented multiple home alarm and security companies – most recently Vivint – before joining the master agent. He wrapped up his job at Vivint on March 20.

“I am excited and eager to join the Telarus legal team,” Goates said. “Here in Utah and the technology channel, Telarus has built up a tremendous reputation of innovation and ethics.”

Many master agencies pride themselves on providing subagents with frictionless interactions with vendor partners; for example, Stacey Pompei is a corporate attorney who has served as vice president of supplier management and general counsel for Intelisys since 2015.

Telarus hired a senior partner development manager in December. The company recently celebrated winning a Channel Influencer award.

Check out our recent recap of all the happenings among master agents.