Minnesota firm acquires Annese & Associates

Annese & Associates, Inc., an information-technology (IT) firm with offices in DeWitt and Utica, has a new owner.

ConvergeOne, an Eagan, Minnesota–based IT firm, has acquired Annese & Associates, according to a news release issued Tuesday.

Annese is headquartered in Clifton Park, north of Albany.

ConvergeOne didn’t release any financial terms of its acquisition agreement with Annese & Associates.

“Effective immediately,” the local firm will be known as “Annese, a ConvergeOne company,” and will work alongside ConvergeOne to “fully integrate” by the end of 2018.

Locally, Annese operates offices at 5000 Campuswood Drive in DeWitt and at 421 Broad St. in Utica.

ConvergeOne maintains more than 30 offices nationwide and has more than 1,280 employees, a figure that will grow to more than 1,400 with the addition of Annese’s employees.

Annese & Associates currently employs about 150 people, including 30 at the office in DeWitt and 10 in its office in Utica, Christina Nordquist, marketing and communication associate manager for Annese, said in an email response to a BJNN inquiry.

Annese was founded in Herkimer in 1970.

About the acquisition

The acquisition “solidifies ConvergeOne’s position as a leading provider of collaboration and IT enabled solutions in the market today,” the firm said in the release.

Growth through acquisition is an “integral” part of ConvergeOne’s long-term business strategy to develop a portfolio that “provides one of the broadest and deepest solution offerings in the industry,” the company contended.

Since 2005, ConvergeOne has acquired and integrated 12 companies.

“This acquisition is an ideal addition to ConvergeOne and represents a natural progression in our ongoing strategy to develop and grow customer relationships by providing comprehensive solutions, services, and support,” John McKenna Jr., chairman and CEO of ConvergeOne, said in the release.

“With the acquisition, Ray Apy will continue to lead Annese as senior VP, reporting to Paul Maier, president and CEO of solutions at ConvergeOne.

“At Annese, our focus has always been on the longevity of our business and doing right by our employees,” Apy said in the ConvergeOne news release. “As part of a much larger company, this acquisition will provide our employees with unparalleled professional growth and development opportunities. Through ConvergeOne’s broad reach and manufacturer portfolio, our customers will gain more flexibility coupled with the same great customer service approach they’ve come to expect from Annese.”

ConvergeOne services more than 5,700 customers, including 52 percent of the Fortune 100 and 40 percent of the Fortune 500 customers across the healthcare, finance, manufacturing, education, and energy industries, the Minnesota firm said. It has existing relationships with more than 200 technology partners.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com