Press Release from our friends over at D&H . . .
For Immediate Release:
D&H ADDS NEW BUSINESS UNIT FOR GAMING, INTEGRATED COMPONENTS, & ESPORTS, INVESTING IN NEW LEADERS, TRAINING, & ENABLEMENT
— The Addition of Seasoned Esports Personnel and Specialized Resources Will Help D&H Partners Capture a Wide-Open Market of Opportunities —
HARRISBURG, PA – April 27, 2021 – D&H Distributing, a major provider of SMB, mid-market, and consumer technologies to the North American channel, announces it has organized a new “Components and Gaming” Business Unit around its esports, PC gaming, and integrated components for customized PCs and computing systems. This new initiative involves investments such as the hire of sales leaders and industry authorities to support escalating opportunities in these areas, especially in the education vertical. The new leaders to spearhead D&H’s Components and Gaming Business Unit include former Samsung sales veteran Chris Geiser; Esports Sales Specialist Brandon Beyer; industry Esports Consultant Bubba Gaeddert, Founder of the Varsity Esports Foundation; and Esports Program Manager Logan Hermes, of the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE). This market is significant, since total esports viewership is expected to reach 646 million in 2023, according to Business Insider, which translates to considerable green-field opportunities in this emerging area.
Other offerings encompass installation and pre-/post-sales support from the distributor’s comprehensive Professional Services and Sales Enablement teams, plus partner opportunities such as an esports solutions panel at the April THREADcast virtual engagement, which was hosted by D&H along with Xbox, Dell, and ASUS. In addition, D&H has developed a step-by-step “Playbook” on launching an esports business, plus customizable marketing collateral. D&H’s solutions specialists have real-word experience discovering, marketing, and deploying successful gaming installations. These tools and services will be available throughout the US and Canada.
D&H’s esports portfolio includes a growing list of offerings, including prebuilt systems, gaming consoles, broadcast equipment, professional design and install services, and furniture; plus components, peripherals and accessories such as high-performance motherboards, graphics cards, controllers, keyboards, and joysticks. The categories encompass high-end embedded components that add value for custom-built computers and integrations in a range of verticals.
This is in addition to the distributor’s portfolio of proAV solutions such as digital LED displays, videowalls and kits, and content management software. D&H will help partners secure tournament licenses that will allow schools to compete in organized events—everything partners need to implement full-fledged gaming programs on the high school and collegiate levels.
“As it stands, only 10 percent of K-12 schools are competing in Varsity-level esports tournaments, yet the sport itself is growing exponentially,” said Peter DiMarco, vice president of VAR sales at D&H. “This creates a ground-floor opportunity, where 90 percent of the education community is open for deployments. D&H is directing considerable resources to help partners add this discipline to their core competencies including VAR, retail, and DMR partners. We’ve gone into the esports community to align ourselves with organizations with expertise in this area, and are proud to welcome more of those professionals into the fold at D&H. Together, we’ll help our partners profit and expand as the category accelerates.”
D&H’s New Esports Leadership:
Chris Geiser, Senior Director of Components and Gaming Sales: Geiser will lead a team of sales experts focused on driving sales initiatives and enhanced customer focus in the PC gaming and components marketplace. He comes to D&H from a sales director position at Samsung, where he was responsible for B2B SSD sales. Geiser launched Samsung’s system integrator business development and sales team, targeting custom PC builders, DMRs, resellers, and integrators. He has worked with a strong list of system builders and integrators as well as leading vendors and OEMs including Veritas, Google, Dell, and CyberPower.
Brandon Beyer, Senior Sales Specialist: Beyer will support the gaming and components sales initiative with impressive business development and account management skills spanning areas such as esports, IT solution sales, networking, public sector business, technical support, and customer service. This includes previous sales positions with gaming laptop manufacturer MSI and a global IT solution provider. He is currently an EEN-certified esports specialist with a “relationship-first” sales strategy.
Bubba Gaeddert, D&H Esports Ambassador: Gaeddert is the Executive Director and founder of the Varsity Esports Foundation, where he partnered with D&H Distributing and other industry associations to establish the channel’s first esports certification program for partners. He continues to support the scholastic esports ecosystem through education, grants, literacy, networking, and advocacy. He has coordinated with D&H creating online video and on-demand esports certification courses exclusively for D&H partners. Gaeddert’s contacts extend to educators, administrators, athletic directors, student athletes, scholastic esports leagues, vendors, and channel partners. He will deliver market insights and support to help D&H’s specialists meet the unique and evolving esports needs of the K-12 and higher ed sectors.
Logan Hermes, Esports Program Manager: In this newly-created role, Hermes will execute D&H esports growth strategies and relationships, forging partnerships within the channel and manufacturer communities. His background includes a wealth of B2B experience and extensive work in program strategy, planning, budgeting, and execution. He will spearhead efforts in emerging markets to foster new growth. Hermes has worked with the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) chairing their eligibility enforcement committee. He is also head of operations for Minnesota Esports Club in Minnesota.
D&H has specialized in the education segment for close to two decades, through efforts like the K-12 Advisory Group, in which the distributor’s top education partners share best practices and feedback. Esports has been gaining momentum in the marketplace, leading D&H technical experts to gain an early foothold, developing real-world expertise in everything from small classroom gaming rooms to full-fledged esports arenas.
“The potential for esports and gaming has applications beyond just the education sector. The market will continue to expand as it aligns to the massive growth of virtual engagement across the public and corporate sectors. Many organizations are leveraging gaming solutions for engaging associates, testing, and attracting new customers.” said Chris Geiser. “We’ll be initiating sales through channels including VAR, system builder, DMR, retail, and consumer electronics. These are markets where D&H has had a traditional stronghold, bringing this prospect to a greater range of partners. I look forward to accelerating D&H’s momentum in this category.”
“D&H’s new business unit is positioned for success like few other sales organizations in the channel. The company has built-up a profound amount of resources for partners, earning a head-start by aligning with organizations in the field so early in the esports lifecycle,” said Brandon Beyer. “I’m excited to join the team at D&H, continuing my work in developing this high-potential market. I’m truly looking forward to working with the company in a vertical where leadership has devoted such an admirable focus.”
“Esports is a fantastic opportunity for channel partners and educational institutions to collaborate on something that goes beyond just competitive gaming,” said Bubba Gaeddert. “The creation of an entire curriculum around esports can engage team members in all aspects of this category, from hardware to branding and marketing. I’m ready to engage more closely with D&H to drive adoption at the high school and college level from a more practical and technological standpoint.”
“D&H’s rich portfolio of resources will deliver everything required to serve as a strategic, knowledgeable esports advisor for partners in this space,” said Logan Hermes. “Our Sales Enablement and Professional Services teams have real-world expertise and industry prowess that will help education and commercial partners not only assemble cutting-edge solutions, but teach them how to create demand, leverage available funding, and navigate this vertical’s sales cycles, supporting them right through to the installation phase.”
D&H solution providers can visit www.dandh.com, or visit the distributor’s Facebook and Twitter feeds, https://www.facebook.com/DandHDistributing/ and @dandh. Call 800-877-1200 in the US or 800-340-1008 in Canada to speak to an account representative.
About D&H Distributing
D&H Distributing supports resellers and MSP partners in the corporate, small-to-midsize business, consumer, education, and government markets with endpoints and advanced technologies, as well as differentiated services. D&H is ready to fill new market needs created by the recent consolidation in the marketplace. As the company enters its 104th year, its vendors and partners can be confident in its ability to provide a wealth of enablement resources, multi-market expertise, credit options, and consultative services. D&H is agile in response to the needs of its VAR and MSP partners, demonstrating resilience through decades of industry mergers and market disruption, overcoming everything from wars and recessions to pandemics.
The company works to expand the competencies of its partners in areas such as cloud services, ProAV, collaboration, UCC, mobility, esports, digital displays, smart home automation, video surveillance, digital imaging, and server networks across a range of markets. Its value proposition includes highly lauded training opportunities and partner engagement events, dedicated Solutions Specialists, certifications, professional marketing resources, and an expanding digital Cloud Marketplace.
The distributor is headquartered in Harrisburg, PA, in the U.S. and Brampton, Ontario, in Canada with warehouses in Atlanta, GA; Chicago, IL; Fresno, CA; and Vancouver, BC, Canada. Call D&H at (800) 877-1200, visit www.dandh.com, or follow the distributor’s Facebook and Twitter feeds, https://www.facebook.com/DandHDistributing/ and @dandh.
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