History of Zunesis
The founding eight members of Zunesis worked together at Avnet Technology Solutions (ATS) designing and implementing infrastructure solutions for customers. The Rocky Mountain District of Avnet was managed by Steve Shaffer and the team had produced consecutive years of solid growth and positive business results.
When Avnet, a multi-billion dollar IT distribution company, decided to get out of the end-user sales business and focus exclusively on being an IT distributor, key members of the Avnet Rocky Mountain District pursued the idea of forming their own company. Steve Shaffer presented the idea to senior executives at Avnet of spinning off a core group of employees to form a Value Added Reseller (VAR). This decision was ultimately supported and endorsed by Avnet and Zunesis agreed to purchase enterprise products from Avnet as their distributor. This created a win-win scenario for both organizations.
Zunesis was incorporated in July of 2004 by Steve Shaffer and the business officially started on October 1, 2004 when seven other individuals joined Mr. Shaffer and the company began operations. Zunesis decided to focus on selling and implementing enterprise infrastructure solutions as the core line of business for the organization. Zunesis rapidly obtained the necessary authorizations and certifications to make this business model a vibrant reality. Zunesis was extremely fortunate as 100% of their active Avnet clients made the smooth transition to Zunesis.
The company name “Zunesis” was proposed by one of the founding members Dana Gertsch. Zunesis is derived from the Greek word “Sunesis” which means “multiple sources of knowledge and understanding flowing together to create something greater than the sum of the parts”. The meaning of Zunesis captured the way the founding members felt about each other and their customers. The founding members of Zunesis believed that “together, we could accomplish great things”. From the very beginning, teamwork and synergy have been vital parts of the Zunesis culture.
Community Philanthropy:
Zunesis has selected Habitat for Humanity as our company Philanthropy. Since 2008, Zunesis has provided the funds necessary to build three Habitat homes for families in our community. Each year, Zunesis also sponsors an amazing, purpose-driven event called “The Night of Miracles.” This event is used to celebrate the mission of Habitat and create awareness in the community. Our commitment to Habitat for Humanity is rooted in our desire to have a positive, life-changing impact in our community. Habitat for Humanity provides a “Hand-UP” to worth families – families who work very hard in building their own home, learning the rigors of home ownership through comprehensive training and educations, and holding true financial accountability through interest-free monthly house payments. Our CEO Steve Shaffer, who sits on the Board of Directors for Habitat, contributes: “Our passion to support Habitat for Humanity is rooted in the empirical proof that this program enriches the lives of everyone it touches, and dramatically improves the likelihood of success for home recipients.”
