Re: PROMAX out of business?

Place was just not the same after Charles died. Who knows but that there were many reasons for them to close. Shipping was a major expense when gas went up. Keeping a decent inventory in stock while the makers keep changing models every couple months probably didn't help. If they had a lot of long-term employees the salary and benefits probably ate a big chunk. The VAR's knowledge base remains valuable but they never made much money on that part of it, only on actual sales and service.

In the Chicago area we felt it very deeply when we lost Swidersky, and before that, Victor Duncan (before it changed). The number of VAR's that are of decent size and that know their stuff, is dwindling. For our shop, it makes it ever-harder to find enough competitive bidders for any big purchase. The VARS that remain seem to be tending towards narrower specialties, likely driven by whatever hardware and software brings in the best margin, not necessarily what is the best fit for a particular client's needs. Unless the economy blossoms forth again, I think you'll see the sad trend continue. Only the strong and the quick will survive.