PHILADELPHIA, March 14, 2018 – Comcast Business announced today that CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Craig Schlagbaum, vice president of indirect channels, to its exclusive 2018 list of the 50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs. The executives on this annual list are part of an elite group drawn from the larger pool of Channel Chief honorees each year and represent the cream of the IT channel crop—leaders who drive the channel agenda and evangelize the importance of channel partnerships. This distinguished group is recognized for outstanding achievement in driving growth and revenue in their organization, as well as extraordinary leadership in the channel as a whole.

All Channel Chief honorees are selected by CRN’s editorial staff on the basis of their professional achievements, standing in the industry, dedication to the channel partner community, and strategies for driving future growth and innovation. Each of the 2018 Channel Chiefs has demonstrated loyalty and ongoing support for the channel by consistently promoting, defending and executing outstanding partner programs. However, only 50 of these were selected for the Most Influential list, each singled out for his or her prominent role in guiding and shaping the IT channel itself.

Schlagbaum has led Comcast Business’s continued investment in the channel with the addition of new tiers to its Master Agent program, focused support teams for escalations and customer moves, and increased headcount resources in the indirect channel team. In addition, he has added more innovative support allowing Comcast’s partners to sell more solutions that enable digital transformation for their customers including its Metro Ethernet services and ActiveCore SDN platform. This is the seventh straight year that he has been named a CRN Channel Chief and the fifth consecutive year that he has been named one of CRN’s 50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs.

“The executives on CRN’s 2018 Channel Chiefs list stand out for their exceptional leadership, vision and commitment to the channel,” said Robert Faletra, Executive Chairman of The Channel Company. “These individuals deserve special recognition for their development and support of robust partner programs, innovative business strategy, and significant contribution to the overall health of a vigorously growing channel. We applaud each Channel Chief’s impressive record of accomplishments and look forward to their future successes.”

“It’s an honor and a true validation of all our channel efforts to again be named one of CRN’s 50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs,” said Schlagbaum. “Coming into 2017, we had three goals: add more qualified partners, increase partners’ customer satisfaction ratings, and continue to increase ease of doing business with Comcast; we met all three of those goals and, in addition to our business success, this award is a great recognition of the entire channel team’s accomplishment.”

The 2018 CRN Channel Chiefs list, including the 50 Most Influential Channel Chiefs, is featured online at www.crn.com/channelchiefs and will appear in the February 2018 issue of CRN.

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About Comcast Business
Comcast Business offers Ethernet, Internet, Wi-Fi, Voice, TV and Managed Enterprise Solutions to help organizations of all sizes transform their business. Powered by an advanced network, and backed by 24/7 customer support, Comcast Business is one of the largest contributors to the growth of Comcast Cable. Comcast Business is the nation’s largest cable provider to small and mid-size businesses and has emerged as a force in the Enterprise market; recognized over the last two years by leading industry associations as one of the fastest growing providers of Ethernet services.

For more information, call 866-429-3085. Follow on Twitter @ComcastBusiness and on other social media networks at http://business.comcast.com/social.

About The Channel Company
The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelco.com

CRN is a registered trademark of The Channel Company, LLC. All rights reserved.

Comcast Business Contact:

Matt Helmke, Senior Director of Communications
Comcast Business
215.286.8666
matt_helmke@comcast.com

The Channel Company Contact:

Melanie Turpin
The Channel Company
508.416.1189
mturpin@thechannelco.com