Granite Telecommunications Adds Frontier, Windstream Vets to Channel Team

Granite Telecommunications, a provider of communications services to multilocation businesses and government agencies, has expanded its nationwide channel team and added another layer of partner support.

Granite’s Richard Hunt

Granite’s Bill Dehoop

Since the last update in September, Granite has added three new regional channel managers:

• Bill DeHoop, previously with Frontier Communications, as regional channel manager for the Northwest.
• Rich Hunt, previously with RH Consulting and Windstream, as regional channel manager for Southern California.
• Bill Tookoian as senior regional channel manager of software VARs

Granite’s Brian Thomas

In addition, Granite promoted Brian Thomas to national channel manager. He previously was senior regional channel manager for the Southeast.

The team now includes 14 regional channel managers who work in collaboration with four national channel managers.

“At the highest levels of our organization, we recognize that channel partners are playing a larger role than ever before in businesses’ technology decision-making processes around advanced technologies like UCaaS, SD-WAN and mobility,” said Charlie Pagliazzo, Granite’s vice president of channels. “We’re investing energy, talent and money into creating strong relationships with partners who appreciate Granite’s value proposition. It’s one source, one point of contact and one bill — not only for POTS, but for a range of advanced services, such as internet access, SD-WAN, wireless WAN, hosted PBX, SIP trunking, mobile voice and data, mobile device management, managed security, network integration and much more.”

The strategy is working as Granite Channels has grown as a percentage of the overall business over the last several years, and in 2019 it grew at a higher rate than direct for new business added.

In addition to its expanded channel sales and leadership teams, the company has invested in layers of support for partners, including teams for partner sales support, client solutions development, sales engineering, project management, account management and customer service. Granite also has a “break glass” option to escalate issues to the highest level of the organization.

New in 2020, Granite is adding a partner sales development team composed of liaisons between channel partners and Granite’s internal teams.

“Partner sales developers will ensure that partners are kept up to date from start to finish — from order to commissions,” Pagliazzo said. “We want our partners to have visibility and clarity on their activity and revenues with Granite.”