“When I first started in this business, Anthony Kubek and Jack Brumlow took me under their wing,” says In-Telecom CEO Shawn Torres, discussing the acquisition of RealmConnect, at which the two are co-owners. … That’s where it all started. So, it’s kind of come full circle—I’m essentially buying my mentors’ company.”
While most acquisitions are rooted in business, for Shawn Torres this one is personal.
“When I first started in this business, Anthony Kubek and Jack Brumlow took me under their wing,” Torres, CEO of Slidell, La.-based In-Telecom, told CRN in an exclusive interview. “I’ll never forget Anthony telling me, ‘Shawn, if you don’t have MRR [monthly recurring revenue], you’re going to go out of business.’ That’s where it all started. So, it’s kind of come full circle— I’m essentially buying my mentors’ company.”
In-Telecom, No. 32 (in a tie) on CRN’s 2025 Fast Growth 150 list, has acquired Atlanta-based RealmConnect, at which Brumlow and Kubek are co-owners, in a move to expand across the Southeast. RealmConnect, which has been in business for 35 years, specializes in security, networking and telecom integration services across Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Florida and South Carolina. The company’s 18 employees will join In-Telecom, bringing the combined team to 155 people, and expanding its physical footprint to seven offices across the region. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Brumlow is retiring following the acquisition. Kubek will join In-Telecom as executive vice president of strategy and client growth.
In a letter to RealmConnect employees shared with CRN, Brumlow recalled meeting Torres and Jimmy Burns, COO of In-Telecom, 15 years ago, remembering they were “driven, creative and full of ideas about how to make technology more accessible for businesses.”
“They had the energy, the work ethic and the vision,” he continued. “We did what we could to help, supplying product, offering technical support and giving a little guidance along the way.”
It reminded him of himself when he first started his business.
“I really believe this is more of a thoughtful transition, one focused on ensuring that our team and customers continue to be cared for well into the future,” he said. “As I began looking toward retirement, I wanted to make sure that our people had a home where they could continue to grow and succeed and I wanted our customers, many of whom we’ve served for decades, to know they’d still receive the same level of dedication and service that RealmConnect has always been known for. Both RealmConnect and In-Telecom share a deep belief in doing things the right way with honesty, accountability and personal attention.
“RealmConnect’s clients and employees alike are poised to benefit from expanded resources, broader technical expertise and the same small-company care that started it all,” he added. “I think it is rare in business to find people you trust completely. Shawn and Jimmy have been those people for me. I couldn’t think of a better team to carry our story forward.”
Torres said RealmConnect’s strong telecom and security base made it a natural fit for his MSP’s acquisition strategy, which focuses on acquiring telecom and VAR businesses and layering managed services onto them.
“It’s much easier to cross-sell managed services into a solid telecom company than to fix a broken MSP,” he said. “RealmConnect already has great recurring revenue from telecom, networking and security contracts. By migrating them to our all-voice platform next quarter, we’ll not only give their clients more features but also add about $55,000 per month to our bottom line.”
The deal is part of a deliberate push by In-Telecom to grow through acquisition, particularly in the health-care vertical and across the Southeast.
“We plan to do at least three acquisitions in 2026,” he said. “We’re hyper-focused on regions like Florida, South Carolina, Alabama and Texas.”
He added that In-Telecom’s independence is central to its culture and appeal for potential partners.
“We’re a privately held company; we’re not [private-equity]-backed,” he said. “What we offer is different—a strong culture, long-term relationships and an understanding of what we’re building. We want to be the largest privately held MSP in the country, and that’s the goal we’re driving toward.”
And the company is on its way.
“When I met Anthony, I was doing about $200,000 a year,” he said. “This year, we’re going to do $45 million. It’s pretty incredible to look back and see how far we’ve come and even more exciting to think about where we’re going next.”
