Consolidation among telecom service providers is shrinking channel partners' supplier pool and, in some cases, resulting in programs that are less than partner-friendly. Join carrier and partner executives as they discuss the changing competitive landscape, evolving attitudes about the value of the channel and ways the channel can remain a vital partner for both carriers and customers over the long term.

Speakers:

	Ken Bisnoff, senior vice president of strategic opportunities is a founding member of the TelePacific executive team with 17 years of telecommunications experience. Bisnoff has senior management responsibility for corporate development, channel sales, human resources and real estate facilities. Prior to joining TelePacific, Bisnoff was vice president of carrier sales for CallManage Inc., a developer of least-cost routing technologies for the business market. Bisnoff began his telecommunications career with AT&T, where he was a national account manager.
	Jim Delis, Jim Delis is president of indirect sales at XO Communications. In this role, he oversees the company's sales efforts through its national network of agents and indirect channel partners. Delis has more than 15 years of management and sales experience in the telecommunications industry. Previously, Delis was vice president of channel marketing for XO where he oversaw marketing programs for the company's commercial, carrier and indirect sales organizations.
	Greg Praske, co-founder and CEO of ARG, spends most of his time building and maintaining relationships at the highest levels with executives of telecom companies across the country. In his role as chief negotiator for ARG, Praske makes sure that ARG has the best and most competitive products and services possible to offer our clients. A CPA, Praske's vision and perspective in business development provides unparalleled leadership within the company.
Stephen M. Rowley was named as the vice president of indirect partners channels in August 2005. In this role, Rowley is responsible for managing the partners organization for Sprint Nextel in delivering Sprint Nextel’s entire portfolio of products and solutions to new and existing business partners throughout the United States. Rowley started his career with Sprint in 1999, in the Broadband Wireless Group (BWG) where he held the position of assistant vice president of sales.
	Geoff Shepstone, president and owner of Telecom Brokerage Inc., started his professional carrier in 1983 with Heritage Communications while earning a BBS in marketing from Iowa State University. In 1993, Shepstone began a management position in the Alternate Channel Division of LCI International (Sold to Qwest). In 1999, Shepstone joined Telecom Brokerage Inc. Shepstone's leadership has been instrumental in building TBI to become one of the country's largest master agencies. TBI holds premier contracts with more than 50 vendors including ATT, MCI, Sprint and Qwest.

General Session: Regulatory Review
Location: Palladian Ballroom
Recent FCC actions/inactions as well as a pending rewrite of the nation’s telecommunications laws are changing the service provider landscape, impacting indirect sales organizations’ sources of supply. Find out how these regulatory changes -- past and proposed -- could affect your business.

Speaker: Earl Comstock is president and CEO of COMPTEL. Prior to joining CompTel/ALTS in June 2005, Comstock was a partnerat Sher & Blackwell, heading up the firm's telecommunications practice and representing ISPs, back one providers, wireless cable operators, CLECs and others before Congress, the FCC and Executive Branch agencies. Prior to joining Sher & Blackwell, Comstock spent 10 years working in the U.S. Senate. He served as a special counsel for telecommunications for the Senate Commerce Committee in 1995-1996, during which time he was one of the principal staff responsible for negotiating and drafting key provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996. From 1992 to 1997, he was chief counsel and legislative director for Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, chairman of the Committee on Appropriations and a senior Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee. During this period, he participated in every major piece of communications legislation enacted by Congress, from the Cable Consumer Protection Act in 1992, through the Internet Tax Freedom Act in 1997-1998.

Track One: CSP Certification
Module A1: Sales Track — Seven Attributes of Successful People
Location: Palladian Ballroom
Take a full module of the new CSP Certification curriculum -- a $149 value FREE.
Continue with the other five modules online to attain your certification.

Learn the critical attributes of successful people and how to incorporate them into your life. Encompassing these seven attributes feeds into the way you act as an individual and as a professional. These key characteristics will fuel your ability to increase sales and obtain peak performance.

Speaker: Dale Stein is co-founder and director of strategic planning and business Development for TAG National, a national organization of independently owned telecommunications providers. Stein holds responsibility for developing TAG's strategic planning and guiding its business development. Until the spring of 2000, Stein served as CEO of INET Inc., one of the country's most successful telecommunication companies. Under his leadership, INET achieved more than $3 million per annum in internal sales growth and became the No. 1 distributor of Mitel products in North America.

Track Two: Wireless
Wireless: The Missing Plank in Your Platform
Location: Cabinet Room
There is no way around it -- you have to have a mobility play to serve today's business customers. It's more than voice dialing; it's a lifeline to e-mail, and critical business and productivity applications. Find out about the profits and pitfalls of positioning wireless services -- fixed and mobile -- as complements to your existing wireline portfolio.

Speaker: Vince Bradley is CEO of master agency World Telecom Group (WTG). Prior to graduating from UCLA, where he majored in business, in 1992, Bradley worked for various sales organizations. After running the sales force at Addtel Communications from 1993 to 1996, Bradley founded the master agency, WTG, with Addtel co-worker, Paul Armenta. Together, they have built WTG into the most diverse master agent portfolio with the best automation in the industry for more than 750 agents nationwide. WTG provides solutions for National LEC, CLEC, VoIP, long-distance, data/Internet, wireless and associated equipment.

Track Three: VoIP
IP Trunking: That's the Ticket
Location: Governor's Room
For partners who are looking for a way to migrate customers to VoIP systems, IP trunking may be the answer. It is an ideal first step in the evolution toward hosted IP services and offers a cost-effective way to carry voice and data over the same connection while still using customers' existing key or PBX systems.

Speakers:

Pete Accetturo has been developing the agent/reseller program in the Southeast for Shared Technologies. Accomplishing what no other National Elite Nortel vendor has accomplished, a national authorized agent program to sell, service and maintain convergent technology solutions from Nortel. More than 107 agencies have joined since the inception date of November 2004. Accetturo comes to the Channel Partners show with more than 25 years of sales experience. His background in technology started in 1986 with MicroAge computers, specializing in data communications and sales management. In the 90s, Accetturo joined MCI where he held a variety of leadership positions, including with the company's local service launch. He was recruited to specialize in wholesale network services by Williams/WilTel where his team consistently led the nation in sales for more than five years.
Michael McCue is the national sales director for CommPartners. McCue handles channel sales for CommPartners wholesale IP services. CommPartners is a CLEC in 48 (soon to be 50) states. The company provides carrier services, wholesale hosted IP PBX services, IP trunking and managed IP connections to service providers nationwide. McCue has more than 20 years of experience in the sales, marketing and deployment of enhanced communications technology and services including Class 4/5 softswitch technology, hosted IP PBX, and other IP and TDM based enhanced communications services.
	Michael Robinson, CEO of Citel Technologies, is a 21-year veteran of the telecommunications and IT industry. He joined Citel Technologies in 2000 as director and CTO and was appointed CEO in March 2003. Prior to Citel, Robinson spent more than 12 years with the Active Voice Corp., where he managed software development and advanced technology products from the company's startup phase through its IPO. Later, Robinson served as director of corporate business development at Active Voice until just before the acquisition of Active Voice by Cisco Systems.

Speakers:

	Michael G. McLaughlin, CEO of UNASAT Communications LLC, has been instrumental in developing and advancing telecommunications in North America for more than 20 years. His career started at IBM in the ROLM division where he participated in the deployment of some of the first digital networks for companies including Sears, GE, MCI and IBM’s national network which became Advantis. McLaughlin left IBM and founded TMGI a network consulting firm. His firm was instrumental in developing and implementing Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN) Mediation with many of the various switching vendors and their carrier customers. Presently, McLaughlin serves as CEO of UNASAT Communications LLC where he is charged with the overall design and development of the company’s technology and vision. UNASAT was co founded by McLaughlin and Solarus (formally Wood County Telephone Company) to provide wholesale terrestrial and satellite network services to independent telephone companies throughout North America. The company was the first carrier to peer with Level 3’s VoIP Core to provide Tier 1 VoIP and IP peering services in the United States. McLaughlin has been actively working with many leading softswitching vendors including Cisco, MetaSwitch, CopperCom and NexTone to advance VoIP services and peering capabilities.
	Mike Mudd is president and founder Broad Sky Networks LLC. Broad Sky is a reseller of business-class broadband satellite services. Mudd’s responsibilities include all aspects of sales, marketing and management. Before founding Broad Sky in 2003, his previous 16 years of strategic telecom sales experience included voice, data and managed VPN services in roles as national account manager, marketing and senior level channel management positions with WorldCom, Covad Communications Group and MegaPath Networks. Broad Sky integrates a wide variety of fixed and mobile VSAT broadband access technologies for building data networks that reach 100 percent of all U.S. business locations. Customers include business enterprises, telecom carriers and other communications providers.
Billie Sims is the telecommunications sector leader at SES Americom’s Managed Solutions Group. Sims brings a decade of experience in satellite services to SES’ clients, and is responsible for her group’s reseller and channel partner programs. She has managed the sales and implementation of more than $50 million in satellite and fiber services for major domestic and international clients. Prior to joining SES, Sims held several senior positions at Verestar, the satellite division of American Tower Corporation. Sims holds a B.A. in Communications from George Mason University.

Track Three: VoIP
Beyond Spin: Real-World Success With VoIP Applications
Location: Governor's Room
It's easy to get caught up in VoIP hype, but this session brings the discussion back to reality with a case study of an actual commercial deployment. Not only will you hear from the application developer who created the solution and the partner who sold and deployed it, but also the national retail store customer who is using it. (That ought to keep the spin in check.) Discover the true challenges and rewards of creating a new revenue stream with VoIP applications.

Speakers:

	Kevin Brown is president and CEO of IPcelerate Inc. Brown is responsible for the strategy, go-to-market execution and business operations for IPcelerate. He has 24-plus years' experience in executive and management positions in the voice and data communications market. He is a pioneer in the VoIP market with a longtime focus on business-impacting applications. Brown headed up the market development organization at Cisco Systems Inc. in the Enterprise Voice Video Business Unit from 1998-2002. He joined Cisco Systems as part of the 1998 acquisition of Selsius Systems, where he was vice president of sales and marketing. Brown was recently selected as one of the “Top Managers to Watch in 2006” by Business Week magazine.
	Les White, owner and operator of 27 Subway stores, started his entrepreneurial ventures at the young age of 13 by mowing lawns & hauling hay. Having put himself through college working at UPS, working in the securities industry post college, trying his hand at building homes in Albuquerque, N.M., and moving on to a family catering truck business in California, White ventured out to make his own mark in the world. Finding the opportunity to be a part of the Subway family in 1995 was his stepping stone to implement his own ideas and dreams. With the motto of, “An entrepreneur creates more opportunity than he finds," White has developed a team of managers and area directors in his company that has helped him take a small five-store operation in 1995 to the 27-store multimillion dollar success that he has today. White believes that if he provides leadership and guidance to the individuals with the willpower and the right heart, they will believe in the system, themselves and their dreams. White’s success is based on building a “family," not a “company."
	Jay O'Callaghan is director of partner alliances for Calence LLC, a $300 million network integration services company based in Tempe, Ariz. In his current capacity, O'Callaghan is responsible for the company's strategic alliances, business development and partner programs. O'Callaghan has more than 15 years in the technology industry, holding marketing, corporate communication and public relations staff positions with Fortune 500 technology distributors MicroAge and Avnet. He also has held corporate communications positions in both the finance and health care industries. O'Callaghan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from Northern Arizona University.

Speaker: Ken Mercer, senior vice president of Telecom Brokerage Inc., began his professional career in technology in 1993 with V-tech industries and was quickly promoted to selling the flagship of the Vtech computer line. In 1995, a subsidiary was created specializing in part sales and custom configuration servers. Mercer was promoted to vice president of what is now known as Motherboard Express Co. and helped grow it to a multimillion-dollar sales organization providing custom computing solutions nationwide. Mercer became a senior account executive at LCI/Qwest Communications in 1998 and was very successful providing hosting, data and voice solutions to many large corporations. In 2000, Mercer became a national account manager with Fujitsu. Mercer designed SONET network solutions for many government and educational institutions. In 2002, Mercer became a senior account executive for Sprint Communications. He closed many large data and voice solutions for corporate customers in the Chicago area market. Joining TBI in 2003, Mercer focused on CLEC and local service support for TBI's agents. In 2004, Mercer was appointed senior vice president of TBI.

Track Two: Business Development
TEM: Separating Fact From Fiction
Location: Cabinet Room
Telecom expense management solutions are not created equally. Some center on billing, others on inventory. Some are for large clients; few are for small. Some are premise-based while others are Web-based. Understanding the options and how to sell and service them is central to building a successful TEM practice and a new recurring revenue stream.

Speaker: Scott Levy is director of channel sales for Telecom Solution Center, where he oversees all channel partner, agent and outside sales for telephony education, inventory and association products. Telecom Solution Center is the umbrella organization for TeleManage Training, Teledge Group and the Association of Telecom Management Professionals. Levy is a former vice president of sales for International Fibercom and General Fiber Communications, where he managed a sales staff selling fiber and structured cable as well as PBX and key systems from Nortel Networks and Avaya Inc. Prior to that, he was national sales director for Teletron Inc., a telephony costcontainment firm specializing in auditing, negotiation and consulting for more than 5,500 Fortune companies coast to coast.

Track Three: VoIP
Hosted PBX Shoe-in for VoIP Vote
Location: Palladian Ballroom
The hosted PBX market is poised for explosive growth over the next four years with revenue topping $1 billion. "Low TCO" and "Ease of Use" are convincing slogans, to be sure. But living up to this promise calls for sales and support before, during and after the transition. Find out how to earn customers' votes of confidence.

Speakers:

Geoff Drayton joined DecisionOne in May 2005 as vice president of business development. Prior to joining DecisionOne, he was vice president of sales and marketing for ThomasB2B. Drayton has extensive experience in sales and business development roles, specifically with Internet-based businesses beginning with VerticalNet as one of the first employees in 1996, moving on to Excite@Home and the Dow Jones Corp/Excite@Home joint Venture Work.com where he was vice president of sales.
Thomas W. Jacobs, CEO and co-founder of OPEX Communications Inc., is the  former president of the US Buying Group Inc. (USBG) as well as acting executive vice president of Sheffield Systems Inc. (SSI) since June 1995. The first is a communications company that specialized in discounted telecommunications services to the small business segment. The latter is the largest privately owned independent payphone company in the country. In these capacities, Jacobs was responsible for sales, marketing, information services, customer care and operations. During Jacobs' tenure, USBG grew revenue from $0 to $24 million annually and SSI increased its payphone base by more than 100 percent.
	Prakash Nagpal, director of product development, is responsible for strategy, new product development and product marketing at Covad. Nagpal has more than 15 years’ experience in technology, helping companies develop and launch products, create new markets, raise capital and ramp up channels. Nagpal has led software development efforts managing global teams to deliver complex enterprise applications. His experience spans companies like Netscape, KPMG and Philips Semiconductor. Prior to his high-tech career, Nagpal spent time helping raise capital to finance small businesses. Nagpal has an MBA from Cornell University, a master’s degree in computer science and an undergraduate degree in engineering.

Speaker: Brad Miehl is founder and CEO of MicroCorp Inc., one of the nation's leading Telecom Master Agencies. Under Miehl's direction, MicroCorp supports and manages more than 1,000 employees, agents and VARs nationwide. MicroCorp maintains carrier agreements with more than 29 vendors and supports its business via an internally developed Web-based application called Nautilus. In March 2005, MicroCorp became the first PHONE+ Premiere Master Agency. Miehl founded MicroCorp in 1986, and is headquartered in Atlanta.

Speaker: Bill Power is the president and co-founder of ARG, a 15-year-old Washington, D.C.-based telecom consulting and brokerage firm. ARG's 28-person staff provides voice and data solutions to small and medium organizations in both the D.C. area and throughout the country. The firm currently counts on its customer roll of more than half of the Washington-based national trade and professional associations as well as a number of large construction firms, banks, government contractors and other consulting organizations. Power is a native of Alabama and Mississippi, but has spent the last 30 years of his career in the Washington area, coming to D.C. in 1978 as a summer intern for a national aviation trade association. In 1991, after 14 years with that association, rising to the position of vice president of government affairs, Power and his long-time business associate, Greg Praske, left to form ARG to focus on serving the association and business community.

Track Two: Business Development
Marketing Bill of Rights & Wrongs
Location: Cabinet Room
Small businesses must market their services right alongside of the big guys. Find out how to avoid common mistakes entrepreneurs make and discover ways to maximize your marketing budget.

Speaker: Darius C. Gavris is the president and founder of Cosmin Consulting. A graduate of Denison University with degrees in psychophysics and economics, he continued his graduate studies in the field of industrial organizational psychology. Gavris' research focus is on studies in the area of motivation and leadership development. His research encompasses employee motivation and its influencing factors with works such as “Work Motivation Influence by Economical and Psychological Factors." He is serving in various capacities on advisory boards of private and public organizations.

Track Three: VoIP
Open-Source Opens New Doors
Location: Palladian Ballroom
While at the center of "The Great Software Debate," the availability of open-source software and CPE creates new opportunities for channel partners to design and implement custom phone systems for their customers. They require some expertise, but can open doors to new revenue-generating opportunities.

Speaker: Robert Messer is the president and founder of ABP International Inc. As an expert in market development and product distribution, Messer saw the need for a technology distribution company to help create momentum in emerging technology niches like VoIP by aggregating “best-of-breed” products, technical support, training and focus marketing to VARs and systems integrators. Messer studied computer science and business administration in Germany, and in 1993, Messer graduated Harvard Business School’s Owner/President Management (OPM) program. Messer had been instrumental in starting many businesses and was involved in more than a dozen startups in six ccountries and three continents.