GTDC Announces 2010 'Rising Star' Award Winners

Fifth-Annual Awards Program Spotlights How Strong Partnerships Forged Between Technology Vendors and IT Distributors Improve Sales Results and Extend Market Reach


NEWPORT BEACH, CA--(Marketwire - September 22, 2010) -  GTDC Summit -- In recognition of outstanding sales growth through U.S. IT distributors, the Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC) today conferred 12 technology companies with its prestigious 'Rising Star' award. Winners were selected from hundreds of IT manufacturers and publishers who rely on GTDC distributors to supply inventory to technology solution providers worldwide. Members represent more than $100 billion in annual worldwide 'channel' sales.

Gold, Silver and Bronze Rising Star award winners were chosen based on their U.S. revenue or market share rankings as reported by The NPD Group's Distributor Track®. Results were tabulated across four categories including:

$500 Million+
Based on highest year-over-year market share growth
Company Rising Star Ranking
Sony Gold
Lenovo Silver
Apple Bronze
 
$100 Million - $500 Million
Based on highest year-over-year revenue growth
Company Rising Star Ranking
Hitachi Gold
F5 Networks Silver
Samsung Bronze
 
$20 Million - $100 Million
Based on highest year-over-year revenue growth
Company Rising Star Ranking
Riverbed Technology Gold
Dell Silver
Brocade Bronze
 
Software Vendor Category
Based on highest year-over-year revenue growth
Company Rising Star Ranking
VMware Gold
Red Hat Silver
McAfee Bronze

GTDC Vendor Summit Today
The GTDC Vendor Summit conference -- the industry's premier gathering of IT distribution leaders, channel executives and research analysts -- continues today with a broad range of panels, presentations and breakout sessions focused on key trends, issues and opportunities. This year's featured keynote speaker is McAfee President and CEO Dave DeWalt. For more information on the Summit and other GTDC events, go to www.gtdc.org/events.php.

Rising Star Awards Methodology
Sales results for Rising Star award winners are based on actual U.S. revenue over the past year, as reported by industry research organization The NPD Group using its Distributor Track® service. Available by subscription, the Distributor Track aggregates actual distributor sell-through data to enable sharp insight into channel sales and pricing trends with the ability to drill down into specific product subcategories, including detailed attributes based on specific areas of interest. To be eligible for a Rising Star award, vendors are required to have sold corresponding products through IT distributors for a minimum of one year.

About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group is the leading provider of reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries. Today, more than 1,700 manufacturers, retailers, and service companies rely on NPD to help them drive critical business decisions at the global, national, and local market levels. NPD helps our clients to identify new business opportunities and guide product development, marketing, sales, merchandising, and other functions. Information is available for the following industry sectors: automotive, beauty, commercial technology, consumer technology, entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, foodservice, home, office supplies, software, sports, toys, and wireless. For more information on The NPD Group and Distributor Track, visit www.npd.com.

About The Global Technology Distribution Council
The Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC) is a worldwide industry association dedicated to defining and promoting the role of wholesale distribution in a successful and healthy information technology channel. The Council is comprised of the computer industry's top wholesale distributors dedicated to serving "the channel," a network of skilled value-added resellers and retail stores focused on providing hardware, software, and services to businesses and consumers around the globe. GTDC members include AB. S.A (WSE: ABPL), ABC Data, Actebis, ALSO (VTX: ALSN), Arrow Electronics (NYSE: ARW), Avnet (NYSE: AVT), Computer Gross Italia, DCC SerCom, D&H, Esprinet, Ingram Micro (NYSE: IM), Intcomex, Magirus AG, Redington (BSE: REDI), SiS Technologies (HKSE: 0529), ScanSource (NASDAQ: SCSC), Synnex (NYSE: SNX), Tech Data (NASDAQ: TECD), Westcoast LTD and Westcon.

Contact Information:

GTDC MEDIA CONTACT:
Chuck Miller
(727) 939-1562