Carahsoft's Abod says 'community' is critical success factor
By
Nick Wakeman
This year's FCW Eagle Award recipient, Carahsoft CEO Craig Abod was recognized for the ways his company has made it easier for customers to buy technology. He also sees being in the government IT community as a critical contributor to his company's success.
As this year's FCW Eagle Award recipient, Carahsoft founder and CEO Craig Abod was recognized at the annual Fed 100 gala Friday for the many strides he and his company have made to make it easier for government customers to buy the technology they need to meet their missions.
One recent example includes the Carahsoft Cloud Purchasing program launched last year to simplify cloud purchases and give government buyers access to more than 90 cloud-related vendors.
But in accepting his award, Abod didn’t talk technology or process breakthroughs. His speech centered on community.
“This industry is really a community,” he said. “One that is unique and vibrant... and everyone in this industry contributes to our joint successes.”
Abod founded Carahsoft in 2004 and it has since grown into one of the largest value-added resellers and technology product distributors in the market. Carahsoft ranked No. 30 on the 2021 Washington Technology Top 100 with $1.2 billion in prime contracts, up 10 spots from the year before.
Abod cut his teeth in the market working for people such as Dendy Young, former CEO of GTSI and one of the pioneers of the reseller business.
“He gave me my first job and my second job in this industry,” Abod said. Young sat at Abod’s table during the Fed 100 gala Friday night.
“I truly believe that this award -- that tonight’s gala -- celebrates the intersections and synergies among these community members,” he said. “And as our community continues to evolve, each of our roles become more important.”
He included small businesses, large systems integrators, emerging companies and large technology firms as those in the community.
“We all exist, grow and partner together to serve the greatest customer in the world,” he said.
He urged the government officials in attendance to push their industry partners and to leverage them as more than sources of technology.
“Push us to be advocates for your important missions, push us to listen to your needs and bring the best solutions to bear…. So you can better serve your constituents,” he said.
In accepting the award, Abod thanked the Carahsoft team, which now includes his daughter Carah. She lent her name to the company and joined it three years ago. Abod’s son Connor now works for another emerging technology company, founded coincidentally by two former Fed100 winners.
He also recognized his wife Kim, “who has supported me throughout this journey and has put up with decades of late nights and long weekends.”