Time to Celebrate the Latest IT Hall of Fame Induction – VTN Founders

This is the first of a two-part article commemorating the latest members of the IT Hall of Fame, who will be inducted April 11^th at the CompTIA Annual Member Meeting in Chicago. The first honorees are the solution provider founders of Ingram Micro’s Venture Tech Network (VTN), represented by Jane Cage, Steve Harper and Ted Warner.  

From my first encounter with the VTN (VentureTech Network) community at their invitational meeting several years ago, the importance of the peer group to its solution provider members was crystal clear. They share business-enhancing best practices and strategize on overcoming IT industry challenges, but they also forge relationships that may last for decades. And the original pillar that the community was built upon still remains: gaining a greater voice with manufacturers and software vendors.

VTN is recognized as a pioneer in the IT channel peer group concept, with its roots tracing back to a brief meeting 20 years ago at an annual Intelligent Electronics conference. During the event, a handful of franchisees suggested that company executives should create a peer group of small and medium-sized resellers to give them a greater voice with the IE management team and their vendor partners. Following several meetings, the group created the BTC (Business Technology Centers), which would later become VTN.

Solution providers who were present for those strategy sessions included:

• Jane Cage, chief operating officer and partner with Heartland Technology Solutions. She is based in Joplin, Mo.,


• Ted Warner, president of Connecting Point of Greeley, Colo.,


• Steve Harper, president and CEO of Network Management Group Inc. (NMGI) in Hutchinson, Kan., and


• Myles Schacter who left the industry many years ago.

The BTC fulfilled its intended mission, growing to 500 members in the first year and attracting the attention of a number of key vendors. Marketing and other resources flowed in for the group to share, helping members get into new markets and expand their business practices. In the early days of IT channel, establishing relationships with the leading vendors was crucial, but most manufacturers didn’t have the resources to work with the numbers of resellers they do today. BTC affiliation gave many members the opportunity to overcome those partnership obstacles and many credit their Compaq or Epson “partner medallions” to their community involvement.

When the BTC reseller organization was purchased by Ingram Micro and rebranded as the VentureTech Network (VTN), Cage, Harper and Warner played key roles in the transition. While the new organization held meetings in three different locations each year to engage more members, much of its mission remained intact. Ingram Micro dedicated a number of new resources to the community, but the solution providers are still responsible for managing and inspiring their groups.



After the changeover, the three remaining founders were asked to join the Ingram Micro Dealer advisory council, allowing them to help further shape the direction and future of the VTN community. Along with Ingram Micro’s Rick Sbrocca (the first director of VTN), the founders worked to solidify the community’s programs, and with a revitalized commitment to sharing and education, the group of approximately 130 resellers began to flourish.

During the formative years, all three members were actively involved in their positions on the VTN Advisory Council, with Harper and Warner each serving as chairman. Cage was the doer of the group, responsible for organizing many of the community’s events. The three members were actively involved in creating the programs, leading many of the sessions, and helping to shape the way products and services were brought and delivered to market. Their leadership was instrumental in the success of the VTN community and many of the resources it members continue to enjoy today. For more than 25 years, these three IT channel pioneers have remained true to the peer community philosophy—that the sum of the whole is greater than any individual.



Today, these three individuals manage IT businesses that collectively tally more than $25 million in annual sales employing more than 100 people throughout the mid-west and west. In addition to their VTN contributions, each donates unselfishly to organizations in their local communities and they all serve on the boards of directors for a variety of local business and philanthropic organizations.

This caring and giving attitude was most recently tested by the devastation created by the tornado in Cage’s hometown of Joplin, Missouri. She was quick to lend a hand in the cleanup efforts and continues to devote almost half her time helping the community get back on its feet.

Today, the three founder representatives serve as VTN Ambassadors, tirelessly recruiting and developing new leaders and contributing their ideas and expertise to help advance the community.