Curt Hicks Named to SMB 150 List

Curt Hicks, President and CEO of Centaris, has been voted one of the top 150 worldwide SMB IT Channel Influencers.

Troy, MI - May 2, 2012 - Over the past several months, hundreds of IT professionals from around the world have been engaged in the SMB 150 Channel Influencers contest. The SMB 150, a collaboration between SMB Nation and SMB Technology Network, is an annual list of the SMB channel’s 150 most influential members.

On April 17, 2012 Curt Hicks was confirmed as a Channel influencers list member. Hicks joins a group of esteemed colleagues who were chosen during a two-phase voting process. In the initial stage, channel community members voted on 400 nominees at SMB150.com. Following the community vote, a panel of industry experts evaluated each nominee. The community vote made up 40% of each nominee's overall rating, with the expert panel's decision contributing the remaining 60%.

On being featured in the SMB 150 List, Hicks commented, “It is truly an honor to be recognized with such a distinguished group of individuals that share a lifelong passion to provide technology solutions for the SMB Market. This award really belongs to the entire team at Centaris as without them we would not have been able to service thousands of clients over our 30 year history.”

Hicks joined Centaris in 1992 and through his visionary and leadership has grown the company into one of Michigan’s top IT companies. Hicks has transformed Centaris into a company that specializes in providing Microsoft-specific solutions, bagging numerous awards along the way.

Hicks and his fellow SMB 150 influencers have been invited to attend the SMB 150 Awards Gala on May 16, 2012, at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles. The event is hosted by SMB Nation and SMB Technology Network and sponsored by BlackBerry, OKI Data Americas and Quest Software. Each SMB 150 winner will receive a personalized award plaque, recognition in the SMB Nation magazine and other media outlets, and a 64GB BlackBerry PlayBook.

In a blog post on SMB Nation Harry Brelsford, Chairman and Founder of SMB Nation, said, "I encourage everyone in the SMB channel community to join me in celebrating the accomplishments of the men and women who have made the SMB 150 list." He continued, "Each and every one of them has spent countless hours growing our community and deserves every accolade we can give them. I can't wait to toast to them in Los Angeles."

About Centaris

Founded in 1981, Centaris aims to help businesses in southeastern Michigan get the most out of their business technology. Utilizing strong relationships with key players in the industry, CCR offers technology tools that businesses need to compete. By providing affordable technology designs based on business requirements, Centaris helps cut costs and puts companies in a position to prosper. For more information on Centaris please visit www.ccr1.com/.

About SMB Nation

SMB Nation is a media integration and events community, targeted at the small and medium business (SMB) channel partner/reseller/consulting/VAR community. SMB Nation spreads the knowledge of SMB technology trends through its conferences, books, print magazine, online services, and worldwide seminars, workshops and accredited Pocket MBA certificate (an academic partnership with Aspen University).

As an active participant in the technology community, SMB Nation has a long history of enthusiastic advocacy and evangelism. The SMB Nation tribe exceeds 54,000 followers worldwide. For more information, visit www.SMBNation.com, www.CloudNation.co and www.Telephonation.com.

About SMBTN

The SMB Technology Network (SMBTN) has its roots in partner groups focused on IT solutions and services for the SMB (Small Medium Business) space. Their focus includes Windows platforms including SBS (Small Business Server). In 2005 they combined a series of independent IT Professional groups in Southern California and around the U.S. into a single umbrella group, consolidated as SMBTN. Each group holds monthly meetings to discuss the latest IT business trends.

In addition, the group has partnered with Microsoft at various events, further penetrating the SMB space. The SMBTN group continues to expand into new regions, chapters and members across the U.S. For more information, visit www.smbtn.org.

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