Ingram Micro Inc. (NYSE: IM) today announced the expansion and reopening of its East Coast Solution Center. The innovative and industry-leading facility now offers solution providers in the U.S. and Canada access to a multitude of hands-on demonstration areas, including home theatre, digital signage, unified communications, remote office, mobility and IP surveillance. The investment is part of the distributor's ongoing efforts to provide channel partners with the tools, resources and support necessary to generate demand and drive more solution-centric sales.

Based in Buffalo, NY, the 1,000-sq.-ft. build-out, which includes a new demonstration area and conference space, enlarges the East Coast Ingram Micro facility by nearly 30 percent and features more than 100 suppliers, multiple market categories and four full-time engineers. It also offers solution providers more resources for learning about specific solutions, as well as emerging and in-demand technologies.

As a result of the expansion, Ingram Micro expects traffic in the East Coast Solution Center to increase by 20 to 30 percent year over year as thousands of solution providers, IT manufacturers and end users are welcomed physically and virtually to the innovative lab.

"Our East and West Coast Solution Centers facilitated $2 million worth of closed sales and another $7 million in the pipeline last year, which is a tremendous benefit and incentive to participating IT manufacturers and our solution provider partners," says Anne Wilcox, vice president, customer solutions marketing, Ingram Micro U.S. "We've designed the Solution Centers to be interactive and encourage our solution providers to bring their end-user clients into the center to see firsthand what specific technology solutions can do for their company."

Serving as coastal hubs for the IT industry's emerging and in-demand technologies, Ingram Micro's East and West Coast Solution Centers were the first to feature digital home and digital signage solutions. Both offer partners a chance to preview breakthrough technologies and test-drive new technologies before recommending them to clients.

"Ingram Micro's Solution Center has become a standard ingredient in our sales process, and on any given week we rely on it to gain firsthand knowledge about a new technology or demonstrate product features for customers," says Jon Leach of Annese & Associates, an Ingram Micro solution provider based on the East Coast. "Our ability to close sales has increased significantly since we began using the facility. It's great because now our customers can try before they buy."

Ingram Micro operates two Solution Centers in the U.S. The first facility opened in Santa Ana in 2001 and the second in Buffalo in 2005. The facilities are available to Ingram Micro solution providers in the U.S. and Canada at no cost, and provide a comfortable and interactive setting for live and remote-access product training, education and technology demonstrations.

"Ingram Micro's Solution Centers are, hands-down, two of the most powerful sales resources we offer to partners," concludes Peter DiMarco, vice president, VAR sales, Ingram Micro U.S. "The highly anticipated expansion of our Buffalo Solution Center is evidence of our strong commitment to providing top-tier sales support to our resellers, as well as our manufacturer representatives on the East Coast."

For more information or to arrange a tour of a Solution Center facility, contact an Ingram Micro sales representative at (800) 456-8000, or contact the Solution Center directly at (800) 759-3003, ext. 23340, or , or visit

About Ingram Micro

As a vital link in the technology value chain, Ingram Micro creates sales and profitability opportunities for vendors and resellers through unique marketing programs, outsourced logistics services, technical support, financial services, and product aggregation and distribution. The company serves more than 150 countries and is the only global broadline IT distributor with operations in Asia. Visit .