The new VAR program is designed to expand HCI Energy’s reach by partnering with experienced integrators and service providers who understand the realities of deploying and maintaining power systems in remote, high-risk, and mission-critical environments. The agreement with SMD marks the first step in that expansion and underscores HCI Energy’s momentum as industry leaders prioritize operational efficiency, system visibility, and proactive asset management across telecom, broadband, public safety, and remote infrastructure networks.
Led by Founder and CEO, Shawne MacDonald, SMD brings more than three decades of hands-on telecom and broadband experience to the partnership, with deep expertise in designing, building, and operating networks in extreme and logistically challenging conditions across Canada and the Caribbean. MacDonald’s background includes hurricane recovery in the Bahamas; remote mountain head-end and microwave sites in Whistler, British Columbia; and broadband infrastructure in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. He has also held leadership roles with Whistler Cable, Shaw Communications, and the 2010 Winter Olympics.
“When I first learned about HCI Energy’s products, I was super excited. I’ve experienced firsthand how critical this kind of zero-glitch, intelligent power is,” said Shawne MacDonald. “After years of supporting broadband, wireless, and remote sites, I’ve dealt with countless outages that led to costly emergency truck rolls and helicopter flights that could have been avoided. HCI Energy offers clean, practical power solutions that just make sense for telecom, with strong applications across Canada and the Caribbean.”
Under the VAR agreement, SMD is authorized to promote, deploy, and support HCI Energy’s power solutions across a defined territory that includes Canada, Alaska, and multiple Caribbean markets. The partnership enables customers in those regions to work with a trusted local provider while gaining access to HCI Energy’s advanced power architecture, monitoring capabilities, and long-term system flexibility.
“This program represents an important step forward for HCI Energy,” said Joe Kessinger, Chief Executive Officer of HCI Energy. “As our customer base grows and power requirements become more complex, we are building a partner ecosystem that reflects how our solutions are deployed in the field. Shawne and the SMD Technical Solutions team bring exactly the kind of real-world experience, technical credibility, and customer focus we want as the foundation of our VAR program.”
The launch of the VAR program follows HCI Energy’s recent leadership expansion announced in November 2025 and continues the company’s broader evolution toward supporting a larger, more distributed customer base with intelligent, serviceable power solutions. As HCI Energy continues to grow, partnerships like this one play a key role in ensuring customers receive both advanced technology and expert local support.
Additional VAR partnerships are expected to be announced in the coming months as HCI Energy continues to expand its channel strategy. If you are interested in exploring a partnership, please contact [email protected].
About HCI Energy
HCI Energy delivers intelligent power solutions that improve the efficiency and reliability of critical networks. By combining resilient power architecture with system visibility and actionable insight, HCI Energy helps network owners and service providers reduce downtime, simplify operations, and proactively manage power assets across telecom, public safety, and remote infrastructure environments. Learn more about the company’s products: the Zero-glitch Power Module (ZPM) and the Hybrid Power Shelter.
About SMD Technical Solutions
SMD Technical Solutions is a Canada- and Bahamas-based telecommunications services firm specializing in the design, build, operation, and maintenance of broadband and telecom networks in remote, extreme, and logistically complex environments. For more information, contact Shawne MacDonald, Founder and CEO: [email protected].
SOURCE HCI Energy
