Leading solution provider CEOs reveal how they foster innovation, inspire their teams, and create a foundation for business growth.
As the 2026 CRN Best of the Channel Gala in October approaches, we will be spotlighting some of the awards finalists over the next several weeks, taking a look at their achievements, what inspires them and what advice they have to share with others in the channel.
The gala will honor the winners of the second-annual CRN Best of the Channel Awards—spanning nine company categories and 6 individual awards—aiming to spotlight the executives, teams and companies who have demonstrated excellence, innovation, and leadership throughout the channel ecosystem in 2026.
The finalists were revealed on July 24, and the winners will be disclosed live at the gala on Oct. 13 in Atlanta (tickets are available here).
Here, we look at the finalists for the Best Solution Provider CEO, which recognizes executives that led a solution provider business over the past 12 months. CEOs of MSPs, VARs, systems integrators, consultants or other solution providers headquartered in North America are eligible.
The finalists shared in their awards applications how they foster a culture of innovation and growth within their organizations.
More from this series:
Mr. Boudria believes that culture is strategy, and BCN’s award winning workplace culture is the evidence. BCN was recognized as a Best Places to Work honoree in 2025, reflecting an environment where long tenured employees are valued, new executives are empowered, and the entire organization is aligned around a shared sense of mission. Programs such as BCN Health and Wellness and the BCN Team Excellence program, which rewards individuals and teams for contributions to the BCN Experience, reinforce accountability and recognition at every level of the organization.
Externally, Mr. Boudria has invested in thought leadership as a vehicle for both cultural identity and market visibility. BCN’s “Beyond The Network” podcast, its Tech Edge Blog, and active participation in major industry conferences position BCN and its team as experts shaping the future of connectivity and managed technology. This visible leadership attracts talent, deepens partner loyalty, and reinforces BCN’s standing as one of the most respected independent global solution providers. BCN’s commitment to guiding partners and customers toward AI-ready network architectures further cements its role as a strategic advisor, not just a service provider, in an era where network infrastructure is increasingly foundational to business competitiveness.
Ultimately, Mr. Boudria fosters innovation not through mandates but through a model of trust: trusting his executive team to lead with autonomy, trusting partners to grow together, and trusting customers with a level of personal engagement and reliability that defines the BCN brand.
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Culture is built in decisions & behaviors, not slogans. Our four core values are at the heart of everything we do at Abacus.
1) Act with integrity: We act with honesty, respect, accountability and pride. In a high-stakes, highly regulated environment, doing the right thing isn’t optional – it’s how we earn trust and prove that clients, colleagues, and regulators can rely on us every day. By holding ourselves to the highest standards, we deliver excellence in both our work and our character.
2) Work and win together: We succeed as one team – supporting each other with trust, respect, and transparency. By working side by side with colleagues and partnering closely with clients, we create shared success. Collaboration drives results, and when we lift each other up, we not only meet goals – we excel.
3) Keep learning and growing: We challenge ourselves to keep moving forward – expanding skills, embracing new ideas, and stepping outside our comfort zones. By investing in our growth and pushing our potential, we build the expertise and resilience that fuel client success and shape our own careers.
4) Turn disruption into direction: Technology never stands still – and neither do we. We embrace change and apply forward-thinking solutions with agility – solving problems and staying ahead in a rapidly evolving world.
As CEO, the decisions I make are always backed by our values, allowing us to innovate, protect curiosity, encourage growth, and work honestly as a team. Innovation in our industry is not disruption for its own sake. Our clients cannot tolerate experimentation that puts their compliance posture or operational continuity at risk. We innovate in ways that respect the stakes: pilot before we deploy, ensure positive outcomes before we scale, and lead with security and governance rather than retrofitting them. That discipline is itself a form of innovation, and it differentiates us from competitors who chase headlines. I also lead from being visibly engaged; spending time with clients, engineers, new hires, and with people across both legacy organizations. I ask what is working, what isn’t, and their opinions on what we should do next. The best ideas in this company come from everyone on all levels. A culture of innovation depends on our employees knowing through experience, not just slogans, that what they think actually shapes what we do. This is how Abacus stays “Always Ahead.”
Jaime has always believed that culture is a leadership responsibility, not an HR program. The three core values he built Evolving Solutions around, Do the Right Thing, Be a Team Player, and Be Humbly Confident, are not slogans. They are the criteria by which people are hired, evaluated, recognized, and when necessary, separated from the company. That consistency over nearly three decades is what makes the values real to the team.
His employee-first philosophy shows up in how he runs the company day to day. Evolving Solutions has been named a Star Tribune Top Workplace four consecutive years, including 2025. That recognition does not happen without genuine commitment from the top. Jaime promotes workplace flexibility, invests in people, and has built a leadership team that understands their job is to create conditions where talented people can do their best work.
On innovation specifically, Jaime has modeled the behavior he wants from the organization. When the traditional VAR model faced disruption from cloud, he built a new practice rather than defending the old one. He has launched the Observability, Networking, Security, and now AIOps practices sequentially as client needs evolved, rather than waiting until clients asked. He engaged the EOS operating system to bring discipline to a growing company before the lack of structure became a problem. These are proactive leadership moves, not reactive ones.
Inside the organization, innovation is celebrated through regular recognition programs, quarterly company-wide kickoff meetings where teams share client successes and technical wins, and a culture of cross-practice collaboration that deepens with every new practice the company adds. Leaders across the company own specific objectives tied to innovation priorities, including AI adoption and new service delivery capabilities, ensuring the focus on tomorrow is distributed across the leadership team rather than resting solely with the CEO.
Jaime also gives back well beyond the walls of Evolving Solutions. His commitments through Genesys Works, Second Harvest Heartland, CaringBridge, and the Rogers community where he grew up reflect a leader who understands that building something great comes with an obligation to contribute to something larger. That spirit is woven into the culture he has built, and it is one of the reasons the team stays, grows, and does its best work here.
Fostering a culture of innovation and growth starts with creating an environment where people feel empowered to contribute, challenge ideas, and continuously improve. At Logicalis, I believe that innovation is not driven solely by technology, it is driven by people and their willingness to collaborate, learn, and adapt.
I place a strong emphasis on listening to our employees at all levels of the organization. Their insights are critical to understanding what is working, what needs to evolve, and where new opportunities exist. By creating open channels for communication and encouraging cross-functional collaboration, we can harness a wide range of perspectives that fuel innovation.
We also invest heavily in professional development, ensuring our teams have the skills and knowledge needed to stay ahead in a rapidly changing industry. At the same time, we reinforce a shared sense of purpose through our “Architects of Change™” mindset, aligning our teams around delivering meaningful outcomes for our customers. This combination of empowerment, investment, and shared purpose creates a culture where innovation and growth can thrive organically.
Stan Oliver, DigiFlight and Camelot Secure
Stan leads by example. His contributions to the local community and the government contracting industry have been profound, marked by a commitment to leadership and diversity that begins within his own organization. His companies have consistently demonstrated an unwavering dedication to fostering inclusive environments and developing innovative strategies that address diversity issues in executive leadership. Those efforts have been instrumental in promoting a culture of inclusion and excellence within the community and the industry.
Stan also spearheaded DigiFlight and Camelot Secure’s internship program – a bold and innovative initiative within the industry – designed to directly align with the evolving goals of their interns and the dynamic landscape of technology. By offering on-demand training courses tailored to the specific career aspirations of each participant, they ensure a personalized development experience. Interns have the unique opportunity to work on technology-driven projects alongside experts, gaining hands-on experience in cutting-edge fields.
The program facilitates the process for interns to obtain security clearances, significantly enhancing their career prospects by preparing them for crucial roles in government work. This commitment is underscored by an impressive track record, with interns transitioning into full-time positions within the organization. The program not only nurtures talent but also strategically contributes to expanding the pool of skilled, cleared professionals.
Stan has continuously expanded engagements and internships with HBCUs, Hispanic-based universities and tribal organizations. His companies are involved in university initiatives that allow interns to work with his companies for their Capstone program, and are incorporating technologies into university labs and cyber programs.
Anthony Romero, TOGA Technology
Innovation starts with culture, not technology.
We work hard to create an environment where teams are encouraged to challenge assumptions, move quickly, collaborate across departments, and continuously improve processes and customer experiences.
One of the biggest cultural changes we made was breaking down historical silos created through acquisitions and shifting the organization toward a “one company” mindset focused on shared accountability and collective success.
We also encourage innovation by:
* Giving teams visibility into company strategy
* Creating cross-functional collaboration opportunities
* Empowering leaders to make decisions
* Investing in leadership development
* Promoting operational transparency
* Formally recognizing adaptability and initiative
* Encouraging experimentation with new technologies and workflows
Our adoption of AI internally also helped reinforce a culture of innovation. Employees saw leadership actively embracing change and operational modernization rather than simply talking about it.
Most importantly, we try to create a culture where innovation is practical, operational, and connected to customer outcomes, not innovation for publicity purposes.
Again, our philosophy is simple: Never Settle. Always Improve.
Jennifer Roy, Nucleus Networks
Jennifer Roy fosters a culture of innovation and growth by setting clear expectations while allowing teams the space to question assumptions, raise issues early, and contribute ideas. She reinforces that progress comes from open dialogue and shared ownership, not top‑down directives, and encourages teams to speak up about what is working and what is not.
She supports innovation through structure and discipline, ensuring new ideas are tested thoughtfully rather than adopted for novelty alone. By using clear goals, defined ownership, and regular feedback, Jennifer helps teams experiment, learn, and refine without disrupting core operations. This approach allows innovation to translate into practical improvement instead of unnecessary complexity or burnout.
Equally important, Jennifer invests in people and leadership development. She actively listens to employee feedback, supports continuous learning, and balances accountability with empathy so teams can grow alongside the business. Her leadership creates an environment where innovation is purposeful, growth is intentional, and progress is sustainable.
Bryan fosters a culture of innovation and growth by anchoring the company in a clear, values-driven vision and then building concrete systems around it. This is not treated as a standalone initiative, but as a core operating principle that shapes how the business scales. He regularly articulates the kind of organization he wants PDT to be, one defined by great leaders, deep belonging, and a place “that celebrates the wins and learns from the losses,” where people feel their identity is elevated by their work.
That aspiration is reinforced through how decisions are made and how teams are expected to operate. As a family-owned, people-first business, PDT emphasizes integrity, accountability, and teamwork in every major decision, from hiring to partner selection to market expansion. Leaders are expected to operate with a high degree of ownership, while teams are given the autonomy to act in customers’ best interests without unnecessary friction.
Innovation is driven by proximity to real work. By keeping leadership closely connected to customers, partners, and delivery teams, ideas are shaped by practical application rather than theory. This creates an environment where continuous improvement is expected, and where teams are encouraged to challenge assumptions, refine approaches, and evolve how work gets done.
In combination, Bryan’s clear cultural north star, his investment in leaders, and his willingness to evolve the business model create an environment where people are both expected and equipped to innovate, with clear accountability for outcomes.
Culture, for me, isn’t a poster on the wall. It is the operating system the company runs on. Five practices are how I build innovation and growth into the way GDS works every day.
1. Anchor everyone to “the one thing.” GDS runs on the EOS / VTO framework, and I treat the Vision/Traction Organizer as a living document, not a quarterly ritual. Every employee can articulate the one thing GDS does: operate intelligence on behalf of our clients and how their role connects to it. Clarity at that level frees people to take initiative without waiting for permission, because they already know what we’re trying to win.
2. Build the org for autonomy and accountability. When I reorganized GDS into a pod-based, eight-charter operating model, I deliberately built in autonomy at the pod level — each pod owns its charter, its measurable outcomes, and a slice of the customer experience. I added an explicit “Culture Champion” role inside the People & Culture charter, because a culture of innovation needs a deliberate owner. The structural message to the team is simple: you don’t need to escalate every decision; you need to deliver every outcome.
3. Protect the right to experiment with the right to be wrong. Innovation dies the first time a team is punished for a smart bet that didn’t pay off. I chartered the AI Board specifically to hold this balance. Its job is to ensure every initiative maps to a measurable client outcome before it scales, which means low-risk experimentation is encouraged, not suppressed. The board governs the leap to production. Inside that perimeter, our teams are free to try, measure, and iterate.
4. Pay for the future, not the past. Re-inventing the new sales motion around an MIP motion: outcome-based pricing, vertical specialization, and AI-enabled services, is the highest-paid path in the company. We are invested in a structured retraining program for our part of the company, so they can grow with the new architecture rather than be left behind. And I stood up an AI Center of Excellence and rolled out Copilot, prompt engineering, and HubSpot intelligence training across the sales and delivery organizations. People grow when the company invests in their ability to grow.
5. Lead the behavior I want to see. I sat in the rooms where the AI Board was chartered, and the operating model was redesigned. I write the company letters that explain what we’re becoming and why. When the CEO is visibly accountable for the reinvention, the organization gives itself permission to be ambitious.
The result is a company where people understand the mission, own their outcomes, are trusted to experiment, are paid to grow, and watch leadership model the same standard — that is how innovation compounds, going from 2x to 10x.
