News Details

Windstream's Garofano Voted a Channel Partners Top Channel Manager

August 24, 2011

CHICAGO, Aug. 24, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Channel Partners magazine, the resource for the telecommunications indirect sales channel, on Wednesday announced Windstream's Vin Garofano of Raleigh, N.C., as a Top 15 Channel Manager.

And, thanks to a tie, the 2011 contest, like last year's, features 16 winners. Each Top 15 Channel Manager recipient was honored today during the general session of the Fall 2011 Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Chicago. For a full rundown of the results, check out the Channel Partners website at www.channelpartnersonline.com. Winners also will be profiled in the October issue of Channel Partners magazine and online in an exclusive photo gallery.

Each year, Channel Partners asks readers to nominate and vote for their favorite channel managers. Competition is always tight. This year, nearly 1,000 Channel Partners readers – master agents, subagents, independent agents and others – nominated and then chose their top telecom professionals. Garofano was chosen from among 80 candidates.

Garofano has worked as a dealer manager for Windstream for eight years; that's the same amount of time he's served in the channel as well. Garofano said his strengths lie in his organization, passion for the job, relationships with partners, and willingness to exceed expectations.

"My dealers' success is my passion," he said.

This marks the first time Garofano has been voted a Channel Partners Top 15 Channel Manager.

"Several winners made the Top 15 because of write-in votes," said Khali Henderson, Channel Partners editor-in-chief. "Such close margins show just how much all of the nominated channel managers mean to their agents. Today, we are honored to recognize the Top 15 for their excellence."

About Windstream

Windstream Corp. (Nasdaq:WIN), headquartered in Little Rock, Ark., is an S&P 500 communications and technology solutions provider with operations in 29 states and the District of Columbia and about $4 billion in annual revenues. Windstream provides IP-based voice and data services, MPLS networking, data center and managed hosting services and communication systems to businesses and government agencies. The company also delivers broadband, digital phone and high-definition TV services to residential customers primarily located in rural areas and operates a local and long-haul fiber network spanning approximately 60,000 route miles. For more information about Windstream, visit www.windstream.com.

The Windstream Corporation logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=7044

About Channel Partners

Channel Partners magazine is the country's leading publication for communication distribution channels. For more than two decades, Channel Partners has been the undisputed leader in providing news and analysis to alternate distribution channels serving the communications industry. It is the unrivaled resource for resellers, aggregators, agents, brokers, VARs, systems integrators, interconnects and dealers that provide network-based communications and computing services and associated CPE, applications and professional services. Channel Partners includes a monthly print publication, a Web resource and a weekly e-newsletter.

About the Channel Partners Conference & Expo

Hosted by Channel Partners magazine, the Channel Partners Conference & Expo is the telecom industry's only event exclusively for the channel. The fall event is taking place this week in Chicago. The spring conference is set for March 27-29, 2012, at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. For more information, visit www.channelpartnersconference.com.

CONTACT: Media Contacts:
         Windstream
         Alice Hartnett, 704-845-7381
         alice.hartnett@windstream.com

         VIRGO Publishing
         Marly Little, 480-990-1101, ext. 1288
         mlittle@vpico.com