Apr 15, 2009 08:00 ET
Acer Announces Its Latest K-12 Seed Unit Channel Initiative, Last Quarter’s Winners, and Receives Industry Recognition for Its Channel Support
SAN JOSE, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- Apr 15, 2009
Acer, the world’s third largest PC vendor(1), today announced
updates to its highly successful channel initiative, the K-12 Seed Unit
program, and named the winners of last quarter’s program. In addition,
Acer announced that its leading channel efforts were recently recognized
by CRN at the publication’s annual Channel Champion Awards
Ceremony.
“Despite the tough economic climate, we continue to focus on channel
partnerships and programs that lead to our combined success,” said
Richard Black, director of channel marketing, Acer America. “The
overwhelmingly positive response and participation in our last program
and CRN’s recognition demonstrates our success in bringing these unique
programs and growth opportunities to our channel partners.”
Acer K-12 Seed Unit Program Exposes Educators to Netbook Benefits
Based on the overwhelming success of last quarter’s K-12 Seed Unit
program, Acer is again offering schools the opportunity to “test drive”
an Acer Netbook for use in the classroom through a free, no-obligation
30-day trial.
Running now through August 31, 2009, any K-12 school or school district
in the United States is eligible to enter. The only requirement is that
they use an Aspire® AOD150-1165 Netbook free for 30 days and
participate in two short conference calls with Acer to provide feedback
about their experience with the product. Schools can also purchase their
trial netbook at a 50 percent discount or return it to Acer without
further obligation.
In September, just in time for the new school year, Acer will hold a
random drawing(2), where one participating K-12 school or
school district will win a computer lab, while three other schools will
receive 30 Acer Netbooks. The computer lab consists of 30 Aspire®
One Netbooks; 30 Veriton® Desktops; and 30 Acer 17” V Series
LCDs.
VARs who sign up an approved school or school district will be eligible
to win one of five powerful Acer Predator gaming desktops.
More information can be found at www.acer.com/us/k12.
Schools and VARs Win Big in Last Quarter’s Program
Proving to be a huge success, Acer’s last K-12 Seed Unit program drew
participation from more than 1,200 education customers and VARs.
The grand prize winner, Barren County School District in Glasgow,
Kentucky, took home the grand prize, winning an entire computer lab for
their school -- 30 Aspire® OA150-1126 Netbooks; 30 Veriton®
L460-ED5200C Desktops; and 30 Acer 17” V Series LCDs.
“The ability to actually use a netbook for 30 days in a variety of
classroom scenarios at the school was instrumental in helping us
understand how we can make student life more productive at significantly
less cost,” said Benny Lile, District Technology Director, Barren County
School District. “Acer offered an outstanding level of commitment in
seeing us succeed with these new tools. Having the added bonus of
receiving a fully equipped computer lab is just a dream come true and
will make a big impact in our students’ lives.”
In addition, three runner-up schools each received 30 Acer netbooks:
Keystone Local Schools in Lagrange, Ohio; Frederick County Public
Schools in Walkersville, MD; and Graceland Christian School in New
Albany, NY.
Value-added reseller Kitty Freeman with Office Automation Center in
McComb, MS, walked away with the VAR grand prize, consisting of airfare
and a luxury vacation for two at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in
the Bahamas.
Three runner-up prizes consisting of a powerful Acer Predator gaming
desktop and LCD were awarded to lucky VARs Geoffrey Miller with PC
University Distributors, located in Valley Stream, NY; David Walker with
Charter Consulting Group in Lake Worth, TX; and Ryan Coultas with
Microchip Computer Solutions, located in Springfield, IL.
CRN Award Recognizes Acer’s Channel Commitment
Taking the top spot for Financial Performance in the Netbook category,
Acer’s channel program that increased revenues for PC resellers won top
honors from CRN at the 2009 Channel Champion Awards Ceremony.
Acer was presented with the award during the March 10th ceremony in New
Orleans, LA at the 2009 XChange Solution Provider Conference.
The annual CRN Channel Champions study is one of the largest
technology integrator market studies in the IT industry. Completed
anually, the study measures IT solution providers’ overall perceptions
of vendor products and services. The results of the survey are used by
solution providers and technology integrators to evaluate vendors and
their programs.
“This is a great honor,” said Black. “It is especially rewarding to see
our commitment to reseller growth and profitability is valued by our
channel partners, and that we are truly contributing to their success
through our efforts.”
About Acer
Since its founding in 1976, Acer has constantly pursued the goal of
breaking the barriers between people and technology. Focused on
marketing its brand-name IT products around the globe, Acer ranks as the
world's No. 3 vendor for total PCs and No. 2 for notebooks, with the
fastest growth among the top-five players. A profitable and sustainable
Channel Business Model is instrumental to Acer's continued growth, while
the successful mergers of Gateway and Packard Bell complete the
company's global footprint by strengthening its presence in the U.S. and
enhancing its strong position in Europe. The Acer Group employs more
than 6,000 people worldwide. 2008 revenues reached US$16.65 billion. See www.acer.com
for more information.
1. Source: Gartner data, 4Q 2008
2. The drawing is subject to the terms and conditions of the program,
which can be reviewed at http://www.acer.com/us/k12/seed/Q2_2009/EndUsers.htm
All offers subject to change without notice or obligation and may not be
available through all sales channels. Prices listed are manufacturer
suggested retail prices and may vary by retail location. Applicable
taxes extra.
© 2009 Acer Inc. All rights reserved. Acer and the Acer logo are
registered trademarks of Acer Inc. Other trademarks, registered
trademarks, and/or service marks, indicated or otherwise, are the
property of their respective owners.
Acer Incorporated
Alison Williams, 408-533-7746
Alison_Williams@Acer.com