Why Is SurgeX Tripling Its Commercial Sales Force?

Heading into InfoComm 2019, AMETEK ESP / SurgeX is responding to demand for better power solutions and the need to demystify power misconceptions with expansion of its sales team and education initiative.

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Why Is SurgeX Tripling Its Commercial Sales Force?

SurgeX will be showing its Defender Series products at the InfoComm booth.

Just before InfoComm 2019, AMETEK Electronic Systems Protection (ESP) company SurgeX, a leader in advanced power protection, diagnostic intelligence, remote monitoring and cloud solutions, announced it was bolstering not only its products for the commercial AV market, but its sales team and resources – in a big way.

The company, exhibiting at booth #1620 during InfoComm, recently introduced its global Defender Series and Large Format UPS solutions.

Additionally, the company aims to put more power behind the dealers selling its power solutions by focusing on a strong education initiative backed by a variety of training support, plus an updated website that offers easier navigation and improved functionality.

To spearhead these moves, long-time SurgeX employee Rick Komendera, a former sales manager, has been promoted to director of sales. CI caught up with Komendera before the show to ask what commercial opportunities in particular are driving SurgeX’s expansion.

Huddle Spaces, Remote Workforce Key Drivers

“We’ve seen strong growth in corporate huddle rooms and flex spaces, which has opened up opportunities for conference technology installations. End users are demanding technology that simply works yet is BYOD-friendly so that anyone operating the system can share, present, and collaborate with ease,” he says.

“Continued growth of telecommuting/the remote workforce has placed increased emphasis on these spaces and demand on the technology installed within. Outfitting these spaces with proper power protection can serve to keep conferencing technology online, functioning, and reduce the risk of expensive downtime. We’re hard at work on the perfect solution for those spaces and are looking forward to spending some time discussing our plans with our valued dealer partners at the show.”

Komendera oversees a team that has tripled in size, going from three to 10 including recently promoted major account manager Scott Saltzman, who has worked to foster new partnerships that have grown into multimillion-dollar accounts across the different vertical markets SurgeX serves.

Cherian Jose, now consultant liaison, previously managed several departments for AMETEK Powervar over his 26 years with the company, including engineering, document control, compliance engineering, service, and sales engineering. He’ll work with AV consultants to develop business in new verticals and underperforming markets, according to the company.

Vince Luciani, previously an independent consulting engineer for SurgeX, now serves as senior sales engineer. His experience includes playing a crucial part in creating the HDMI cable testing protocol for independent testing agency DPL Laboratories.

Multi-Pronged Approach to Educating Dealers

“We’ve found that the industry tends to look at power availability but not necessarily power quality,” Komendera says. “Our goal this year is to take a multimedia approach – via webinars, training videos, and social media – to educating our dealers on demystifying power into digestible bites that they can understand, take away, and remember to prioritize in every installation.”

SurgeX commercial AV sales team (left to right, top to bottom): Line 1, Vince Luciani, Scott Saltzman, Christie Mitchell; Line 2, John Palaszynski, Rick Komendera, David Sansenbach; Line 3, Mike Morton, Cherian Jose, Julia Shams.

Also, five U.S. regional sales managers have been added to support customers with commercial projects: John Palaszynski, regional sales manager, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic; Mike Morton, regional sales manager, Southeast and Midwest; Christie Mitchell, regional sales manager, Central; David Sansenbach, regional sales manager, Southwest and Central; and Julia Shams, regional sales manager, Northwest.

“Our sales and marketing team has been connecting with and inviting our dealer partners to visit the SurgeX booth, meet with our team, and learn about all of the latest solutions including the SurgeX Defender Series,” Komendera says. “Our team has also been on various podcasts (and is scheduled for some post-show media discussions) and has been sharing news about our growth and laser focus on the commercial space.

“SurgeX is heavily invested in providing the market with power solutions that make installations easier and safer, all while helping to extend the life of connected equipment. As we’ve heard from our partners and end users, they want their solutions to ‘just work’ and that all starts with a solid power foundation.”

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