host posted on February 02, 2012 14:24
SMB Nation has teamed up once again with the SMB Technology Network to bring the SMB 150 back to the channel for its second year. Sponsored by Blackberry, this year’s SMB 150 will honor the channel’s top 150 professionals later this spring at a Hollywood-themed awards dinner in Los Angeles. Honorees will also receive public acknowledgement in SMB Nation Magazine, as well as on SMBnation.com and SMBtn.org.
The SMB 150 List acknowledges those professionals or “influencers” who have had the largest impact on the SMB IT channel within the past year. Individuals from vendors, partners, service providers, trade associations, media companies, and other communities serving the channel are all eligible for nomination. Channel organizations may also be nominated. Community members should submit nominations—for either themselves or others—at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/W6SXLZ2.
Last year’s SMB 150 event proved popular with channel members, who nominated over 900 peers from around the world. Awardees ranged from leaders of the most well-known MSPs to rarely acknowledged small business heroes.
Harry Brelsford, founder and chairman of SMB Nation, hopes to field even more nominations this year, and offered this encouragement to potential nominees: “The SMB 150 is a community event where channel members have come together to choose and celebrate the top dogs in the field. What better professional acknowledgement could there be than being named top geek by a group of established geeks?”
Community voting for SMB 150 finalists will commence in late February. Anyone can vote, with one vote per IP address allowed per 24-hour period. Community voting will count for 40 percent of the final selection process, with a panel of industry experts accounting for the remaining 60 percent. This year’s panel of judges includes Chip Reaves (former CEO, Computer Troubleshooters); Jeff Connally (CEO, CMIT); and Josh Peterson (Sr. Management Consultant, Taylor Business Group).
Brelsford encourages as many channel members as possible to participate in this year’s event: “The SMB 150 is the most community oriented of SMB focused awards, so let’s make sure the channel’s voices are heard. I encourage anyone who cares about the channel to take a few minutes to acknowledge the guys behind the scenes who make the IT world work.”