Bull`s Eye Awards: Channel Community of the Year - CONTENDER

The ASCII Group
No other community got more nominations for this award than The ASCII Group. Its members were rabid in their enthusiasm and support for their collaborative organization. And they should be, since many are receiving many multiples in returned value for their annual membership investment.

The ASCII Group, an organization that’s more than 25 years old, is the largest independent group of value-added resellers and solution providers in the world. The primary mission of this community is to foster collaboration between resellers and pool their collective resources for the common good. It’s the collective strength of this community to earn discount rates on liability insurance, marketing programs, shipping and auto rentals. The same collective buying power earns The ASCII Group the ability to negotiate special rates for its members with vendors, distributors and master service providers. Even the smallest solution provider can feel bigger when doing business through The ASCII Group.

But The ASCII Group isn’t just about insurance discounts. It’s a business and collaboration enabler. It brings solution providers together on a regular basis for seminars, training and peer-to-peer collaboration. It works with vendors to help develop new channel programs and foster relationships with resellers. And it uses the collective power of its membership to open new business opportunities, such as its recent partnership with Cetrom Information Technology to deliver seamlessly integrated and customized cloud computing services that solution providers can brand and resell as their own.

Here’s what a few of its members had to say about The ASCII Group:

“For many years, they've been the one organization that brings together resellers of all types from across the country. With services ranging from in-person boot camps to an online discussion list, I find this to be an invaluable group and well worth the membership dues.”

“I never feel bad sending in my membership dues. It's some of the best money I spend. I get back $20 to every $1 spent in value, easily.”

“They are constantly bringing forward new ideas, programs, vendor initiatives and trainings for the membership, things that the small technology company normally could not leverage for themselves.”

As a matter of full disclosure, Channel Insider and The ASCII Groups are strategic partners. However, our relationship had no influence on this award.

The ASCII Group is more than an association or a community; it’s a home where resellers and solution providers can find the support they need to build and operate vibrant businesses. For all that The ASCII Group does for its members and the example it sets for the rest of the industry, it has earned the Channel Insider Contender Bull’s Eye Award for Channel Community of the Year.