UPSTACK, a profitable, fast-growing platform that transforms the architecture and sourcing experience for businesses seeking cloud and internet infrastructure solutions, announced today that it has acquired Open Communications LLC, an IT consulting firm specializing in network, contact center as a service (CCaaS) and unified communications as a service (UCaaS) for businesses of all sizes — from SMB to enterprise. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
UPSTACK’s acquisition of Utah-based Open Communications is part of its strategy to accelerate the growth of its industry-transforming platform, which combines leading internet infrastructure advisors with proprietary software and dedicated support resources.
The growth strategy is supported by a $50 million equity investment from Berkshire Partners, announced in April, which will enable UPSTACK to continue to scale its platform through technology expansion and partner acquisitions.
As part of the deal, Open Communications founder Amanda Heinritz will join UPSTACK as a Partner and a true equity stakeholder. She will serve as an advisor to business customers that are sourcing data center, colocation, cloud, network connectivity and other technology solutions through the UPSTACK platform.
“Open Communications is an exciting addition to UPSTACK,” said Christopher Trapp, CEO of UPSTACK. “Amanda and her team have grown Open Communications steadily through their hard-earned relationships and vast referral network. UPSTACK gives them the platform and processes to grow even faster. We look forward to working together.”
Heinritz founded Open Communications in 2012 after two years as a Senior Account Executive at Integra Telecom (now AllStream), where she was named Rookie of the Year. Heinritz made the decision to venture out on her own as a sales agent so she could sell to enterprise accounts without commission splits, accelerating her revenue potential.
Open Communications signed with master agency Carrier Sales, earning President’s Club honors multiple years in a row. The company experienced significant growth, and as a result, expanded its team to better serve businesses of all sizes.
Open Communications’ success caught the attention of an IT firm that was acquiring agent customer bases. While that offer wasn’t the right fit, it got Heinritz’s wheels turning about avenues for scale and her long-term goals. That is when she met UPSTACK.
“UPSTACK not only had a clear understanding of what my business is and how much it’s worth but provided a game-changing technology platform that literally cuts out five steps of our sales process, saving my team tons of time,” said Heinritz.
“Every agent knows that getting quotes from providers can be time-consuming. Through UPSTACK’s platform, I can submit a deal and generate multiple quotes without having to have conversations with each supplier that I select to bid. All the information is provided to them through the platform, allowing those suppliers to turn around pricing quickly. From a customer experience standpoint, our clients will receive faster, higher-end support and more streamlined processes through UPSTACK.”
For more information about the UPSTACK Advisory Partnership, visit upstack.com/for-advisors or contact partners@upstack.com.
About Open Communications
Open Communications was founded in 2012 to provide businesses with professional design and sourcing of their mission-critical voice, Internet and cloud solutions. While their vendor representatives come and go, businesses can count on our telecom consultants to deliver vendor-neutral advice on the best solutions to meet their requirements even as they change over time. The company’s expert staff includes specialists in a range of technologies, such as network, SD-WAN, security, mobility, voice, cloud, colocation, contact center and IoT from more than 250 providers worldwide. We offer one point of contact for quoting, selecting a provider, provisioning services and resolving service issues. For more information, visit us at https://opencomm.net/.
About UPSTACK
Launched in 2017 in New York, N.Y., UPSTACK is transforming the way cloud and internet infrastructure is sourced and sold. The company uses advanced technology to enable an extensive team of cloud infrastructure advisors to offer customized solutions for businesses of all sizes. With UPSTACK, business buyers streamline IT procurement by tapping into a single source for mission-critical technology services from hundreds of proven providers along with the professional guidance to identify and evaluate the best solutions. UPSTACK’s service portfolio includes colocation and data center, network connectivity, SD-WAN, unified communications, cloud contact center, private and public cloud, security, mobile, business continuity, IoT and more. For more information, visit us at http://www.upstack.com.
