You in trouble nah...

You done landed on Mr. Gilmore's property.

In case you haven't heard, and you probably haven't... I wouldn't be making any big announcement either. Last week, at TechData's TechSelect 10th Anniversary Partner Conference at the Contemporary Resort (Disney World) Hotel in (or at least near) Orlando, Florida...they made me President of the Advisory Council. Yeah...me?

What does that mean? Well, the only thing that I know for sure is, I don't get to vote...or maybe that was just something we made up for Sam? Speaking of Sam...my friend, my cohort, "my partner in crime", Sam Ruggeri stepped down to the position of Past President, which he will hold for a year. Talk about a hard act to follow... Sam is probaly one of the most well-liked people in IT today. You'll never find anyone who is as personable and gives so much of himself to the IT community. Seriously, a guy who would give you the shirt off his back. Now...they have me to contend with. :)

Of course, a few minutes before the big announcement, they asked me if I would be OK saying a few words up on stage. I said, "sure...no problem". So they called my name, I said a few nice things about Sam (knowing I could draw some additional applause) and then I fumbled threw a few quick words and sat down. I'm surprised the crowd didn't start chanting, "Sam... Sam... Sam", and demanding an encore performance. But they didn't, and now they are, for the most part, stuck with me.

I think we're going to to great things with TechSelect in the coming years. The first ten years saw its infancy stage, some growing pains, and some great accomplishments. As we enter it's second decade, it's time to step-it-up once more and drive even greater value to the membership. I'd like to see an organization that is heavily driven by its membership and continues to propel TechData as a leader in the industry. I think the PeerSelect groupings at the 10th Anniversary Conference was just one of many thing to come to promote the sharing of best practices and camaraderie among the membership.

I'm looking forward to being a part of it all of it...and, I'll do my best not to piss off too many people along the way. No promises... :)

- R