Redondo Beach – November 03, 2026 -- AT&T's Chad Townes was named Channel Executive of the Year at the 2026 Sandler Partners National Summit in San Diego, which drew more than 1,100 members of the technology distributor's partner community.
Summit pairs 65+ providers with 1,100 attendees across three tracks
The event combined educational panels, a keynote and sessions across Technology, Sales and Growth tracks. Attendees met more than 65 technology providers in the Exhibit Hall. Sandler Partners says its portfolio spans 220+ providers.
Eight provider managers take national Channel Manager of the Year honors
The national recipients were Kevin Bednarz (Granite), Stevie Heap (Comcast Business), Patrick Cupp (CallTower), Jennifer Rutherford (Zayo), Sarah Manley and Brett Harman (both AT&T), Nikki Beck (Front) and Matt Winterburn (Lumen).
AT&T and Comcast Business were the most frequent honorees across the program. AT&T had four winners: Townes, Manley, Harman and Kirsten Bonnesen in the Midwest. Comcast Business had five: Heap, Tom Mezzapella, Connor Cook, Nicole Brungardt and Chris Risse.
Regional awards span East, Midwest and West territories
East Region winners were Kyle Michaels (Vonage, New England), Mezzapella (Comcast Business, New York/New Jersey), Cook (Comcast Business, Mid-Atlantic), Kristina Pagano (Five9, Georgia and the Carolinas) and Henry Cruz (Telesystem, Florida).
In the Midwest Region, Sarah Macdonald (Five9) won for Great Lakes and Peter Gasparro (Zultys) for Central. Bonnesen (AT&T) took the Midwest territory. Mark Merritt III (Spectrum) and Brungardt (Comcast Business) won in Mountain, and Risse (Comcast Business) in the Pacific Northwest.
West Region honorees were Yvette Bratt (Broadvoice, SoCal), Brad Pepper (GTT, NorCal) and Max Howell (NHC, AZ/NV/UT).
Managing Partner Alan Sandler ties awards to partner outcomes
Managing Partner Alan Sandler said channel managers are often the first point of contact for partners, and that the winners work side by side with them to build trust and solve problems.
The summit also featured The Surfrider Foundation as designated charity partner, with an on-site exhibit on ocean and coastline protection.