Ramsey, NJ, Feb. 18, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta) announced today that CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named Laura Blackmer, Senior Vice President, Dealer Sales to its 2021 list of Channel Chiefs. The prestigious CRN® Channel Chiefs list, released annually, recognizes leading IT channel vendor executives who continually demonstrate outstanding leadership, influence, innovation and growth.

Laura Blackmer joined the executive team at Konica Minolta in December 2017 and is responsible for the sales and management of its extensive dealer network that represents and sells Konica Minolta’s award-winning products and managed IT Services. Blackmer’s notable experience includes various roles in both sales and executive leadership within the technology industry. This honor represents Blackmer’s second consecutive year on CRN’s Channel Chiefs list, and she is a three-time honoree of CRN’s Women of the Channel list.

“I am honored to again be recognized by CRN as a Channel Chief. The challenges of the past year have shown the strength and resilience of our dealer community, and I truly feel we have been more engaged with them than ever before,” said Laura Blackmer, Senior Vice President, Dealer Sales, Konica Minolta. “Our dealer partners have embraced the acceleration of digital transformation to maintain business continuity for themselves and their customers through these unprecedented times, and I could not be more proud to be part of their continued success.”

“Congratulations to Laura for this well-deserved honor. Her proven leadership ability helped guide our dealers through the unexpected circumstances we encountered in 2020,” said Rick Taylor, President and CEO, Konica Minolta. “Laura’s unwavering dedication to the success of our partners truly shined through as she provided the support they needed to not only keep business going but be well positioned for the future.”

The 2021 Channel Chiefs are prominent leaders who have influenced the IT channel with cutting-edge strategies, programs and partnerships. All honorees are selected by CRN’s editorial staff based on their dedication, industry prestige and exceptional accomplishments as channel advocates.

“CRN’s 2021 Channel Chiefs list includes the industry’s biggest channel evangelists, a group of individuals who work tirelessly on behalf of their partners and drive growth through the development of strong partner programs and innovative business strategies that help bring business-critical solutions to market,” said Blaine Raddon, CEO of The Channel Company. “The Channel Company is proud to recognize these channel influencers and looks forward to following their continued success.”

CRN’s 2021 Channel Chiefs list will be featured in the February 2021 issue of CRN® Magazine and online at CRN.com.

About Konica Minolta

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the Workplace of the Future^™. The company guides and supports its customers’ digital transformation through its expansive office technology portfolio, including IT Services (All Covered), ECM, managed print services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been included on CRN’s MSP 500 list nine times and The World Technology Awards recently named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for fourteen consecutive years, and received Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year Award and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Award for its bizhub i-Series. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for nine consecutive years and has spent four years on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list. Konica Minolta partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and work to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter.

About The Channel Company

The Channel Company enables breakthrough IT channel performance with our dominant media, engaging events, expert consulting and education, and innovative marketing services and platforms. As the channel catalyst, we connect and empower technology suppliers, solution providers and end users. Backed by more than 30 years of unequalled channel experience, we draw from our deep knowledge to envision innovative new solutions for ever-evolving challenges in the technology marketplace. www.thechannelcompany.com