‘You talk about a person that goes in and just adds energy and life to all the conferences and is always helping the channel, that was Bob. … He was willing to go beyond to make sure that people were engaged. I think everybody needs that kind spokesperson to lead their communities,’ said Paul Benson, president of Virtual Communication Specialists.

Bob Stegner, who solution providers laud for the work he has done building up partner communities at the IT industry’s top two distributors, is planning to hang up his hat—and his habit of wearing silly costumes on stage—by retiring from TD Synnex.

Stegner plans to continue as senior vice president of marketing at TD Synnex until March 3 of next year.

“You talk about a person that goes in and just adds energy and life to all the conferences and is always helping the channel, that is Bob,” said Paul Benson, president of Virtual Communication Specialists, an Athens, Texas-based solution provider, calling Stegner an icon in the industry. “How many outfits do you think that guy wore? Good heavens, we have pictures of him in all sorts of costumes. He was willing to go beyond to make sure that people were engaged. I think everybody needs that kind of spokesperson to lead their communities. And Bob defined that. … There’s not another one like Bob.”

Stegner will be missed, said Michael Kanan, chairman and CEO of Inacomp, a Southfield, Mich.-based solution provider.

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“Everyone says, ‘It’s good to be friends with Bob,’” Kanan told CRN. “He’s a joy to be around.”

At 70 years old, Stegner said he is retiring to spend more time with his grandchildren, noting that he and his wife have been talking about planning his retirement for some time.

“Between two airlines, Delta and American, I’m well over 5 million miles,” he said. “It’s time to stop flying that much. I think the best thing that I can look back on is, while I traveled a lot, I never missed the important things the kids had. I’ve always said, ‘Children don’t always remember what you went to, but they don’t forget what you didn’t go to.’”

The timing was right to retire given that the merger of Tech Data and Synnex which formed TD Synnex is complete, he said.

TD Synnex and Stegner declined to say who would take over for him, but they said a replacement is expected to be unveiled this week.

Stegner—best known in IT distribution as the biggest cheerleader when it comes to solution provider community groups—called working with SMB-focused partners “a passion of mine.”

“I was the son of an SMB,” he said. “I grew up with my dad being a small reseller. And one of my favorite stories that I always tell that makes me relate to them is the time my dad came home and said to my mom, ‘Mary Lou, I got good news and bad news. The good news is we made payroll this week. The bad news is we’re not on it.’ So I think I’ve always related to our customers like that, and that’s how I got so close to them, because I lived and breathed it. That’s why it’s always been a passion of mine to work with these

guys.”

He joined TD Synnex via the merger, having joined Synnex in 2007 as its senior vice president of marketing.

Before that he spent nearly 11 years at TD Synnex rival Ingram Micro in multiple roles, most recently vice president of worldwide market development.

Prior to his career in IT distribution, Stegner worked at several solution providers, including Inacomp.

The push for a distributor to build up a widespread partner community began in earnest when Ingram Micro in 1997 acquired Intelligent Electronics, which had a group of about 70 partners called the Business Technology Centers, Stegner said. Ingram Micro at the time had a group called ISG. The two were merged into Venture Tech, which is when Stegner first got involved with SMB-focused resellers.

At the time Stegner joined Synnex, it had a small partner community.

“They only had one meeting before I joined,” he said. “It wasn’t a structured thing. It was just something they kind of put together. I then technically came up with Varnex. My actual first meeting at Synnex was with Optima Arizona. And as I’m ready to step down, my last big meeting officially at TD Synnex will be the CommunitySolv meeting in Fort Lauderdale. So I started with the SMBs, and I’m ending with the SMBs. I’ve had quite a career at TD Synnex.”

Those communities and events are the most visible impact Stegner said he has had at TD Synnex.

“I’ve always said, people like to deal with people, and it’s about the relationships,” he said.

Inacomp’s Kanon, in an emailed response to CRN, wrote, “It’s sad, but it’s to celebrate the remarkable retirement of Bob Stegner, a true icon whose years at TD Synnex have left an indelible mark. Bob’s visionary marketing genius has transformed TD Synnex, leading with creativity and strategy that inspired those around him. Beyond his professional accomplishments, Bob’s heart and dedication shone brightest through ‘Share the Magic,’ his labor of love that brought hope to so many and rallied our entire community to make a difference. His tireless commitment to giving back made him more than a leader; it made him a beacon of compassion and integrity.

“On a personal level, Bob is one of my dearest friends. Though I may not see him at the events and gatherings where his energy lifted us all, I know our laughter will carry on, just as it always has. His spirit, his friendship, and his unmatched legacy of service will forever be a part of TD Synnex. Thank you, Bob, for everything —your vision, your kindness and the memories we’ve created along the way.”