Bob Zimmermann is no stranger to working with clients all around the world during his 25-plus years in AV integration.
From his early days during the “heyday” of PictureTel in the early 1990s, where he was introduced to video communications and part of a call that featured 1,000 end points including Tokyo and another call to a space station, to his new job as Whitlock director of managed services sales, “I’ve always been interested in how these technologies come together to create a solution.”
Meanwhile, his AV industry experience has come full circle. Zimmermann’s AV career started in 1991 with PictureTel, where he spent almost eight years before becoming VP of customer service for ViewTech in July 1999.
He became channel sales manager for SpectraLink in June 2001; served as director of wireless operations for Polycom from 
January 2007 to September 2009; worked as VP of managed service at AVI-SPL from December 2009 to September 2013; and was VP of global channels at Prysm until last December.
Since becoming director of sales in the “fastest-growing part of Whitlock’s business in global support services,” Zimmermann has “jumped knee-, waist- and chest-deep into a number of opportunities” with executive VP John “Jack” Steinhauer.
“He’s worked with Whitlock as a partner in the past, so he is already aware of our culture and familiar with our leaders and many of our team members nationwide,” says Steinhauer. “I’ve been his customer, he’s been my customer and we’ve even competed on work at times.”
Zimmermann’s newly created role at Whitlock includes a close partnership with the company’s service delivery team and VP of IT Chris Jamison, who oversees managed services delivery and professional services.
“Bob will help us further enable seamless, customer- centric solutions across the sales, implementation, support and services lifecycle. His role will serve as a liaison between leadership, sales and delivery, which will help us drive more profitable growth from our services,” says Jamison.
Let’s go Back Stage to find out more about Bob Zimmer-mann.
Commercial Integrator: Why have so many integrators become so focused on going global?
Bob Zimmermann: As these tools become more ubiquitous in the workplace, you have to have them available anyplace at any time. Whitlock’s leadership in the Global Presence Alliance [GPA] makes a great launching pad for expanding our global story with large enterprises. Customers are looking for
partners more than vendors. That’s where I see the next generation of integrators going.
CI: What are some of the keys to a successful global managed services program?
BZ: The GPA provides levels of service and consistency around the world. Whatever technology we’re bringing to the market, we have to make sure it’s universal. As we become more global at the enterprise level, you get a greater understanding of what people in other parts of the world want and need to be successful.
CI: What are the metrics that measure your success in your new role?
BZ: Consistency in deployment is becoming more important. It’s a place where this industry really used to fall down. People today are all on the same hymn book.
