Colleague Spotlight: Andrea Barrow
Meet Andrea Barrow, Manager, Invent Program and Partners. Andrea has been an essential part of the team for the past 13 years, assisting vendors in the industry who want to partner with ConnectWise through integration. She’s responsible for fostering vendor relationships and managing each facet of the ConnectWise Invent program relationship, from integration readiness to visibility, marketing, and sales.
Getting started at ConnectWise
What did you do before joining ConnectWise?
After my bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida (Go Gators!), I began what I thought would be my long-term career in advertising. I worked for a boutique advertising agency in Tampa, Florida, serving luxury lifestyle brands and high-end real estate. My role primarily focused on client account management and relationship building, where my responsibilities ranged from media planning, PR, and social media strategy development to content creation and event planning. It was the perfect blend of experiences to get me ready for the exciting world of ConnectWise, the cool and growing tech company a college associate referred me to.
Being a ConnectWise colleague
What different roles have you had with the company?
My ConnectWise journey started in 2010 on the IT Nation Team (previously the Community Team). I focused on building and developing our regional ConnectWise User Groups™ meetings for our partners worldwide to connect, collaborate, and grow. Additionally, I was part of our road warrior crew that traveled to tradeshows globally to represent ConnectWise and our suite of solutions.
After leading the User Group team for several years, I transitioned to learn a new side of the business and jumped into the exciting world of application programming interfaces (APIs) and integrations. I now lead the Invent program with a fantastic team. We work with all vendors in the industry who are interested in partnering with ConnectWise through integration. Drop me a line if you want to learn more about Invent!
As a bonus, I am a member of the company’s DEIA council and help lead our philanthropic efforts. These two initiatives are passions of mine, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to participate in meaningful activities to give back.
What do you enjoy about working at ConnectWise?
The people! From colleagues to partners to vendors, I’ve had the pleasure of working with and meeting people across the globe. I have ConnectWise to thank for providing me with the avenue to do that. The networking, connections, and relationships built are irreplaceable.
What’s something about your job that makes you feel accomplished?
One of the most satisfying parts of my role is seeing the success vendors experience through the Invent program. When they increase user adoption of their integrations because it has been certified, when they receive new business from the ConnectWise Marketplace™ because of our collaborative marketing efforts, or when I see a jam-packed booth at one of our IT Nation events because partners and prospects are interested to learn more about their solutions and certified integrations—that’s what’s exciting for me.
What’s something that you want people to know about ConnectWise?
We are more than a software company! We create innovative solutions to support our IT solution providers (TSP), but it doesn’t stop there. We have learning and enablement opportunities for our partners to use our tools to get the maximum output for greater business impacts. We have the IT Nation, our incredible community of partners full of subject matter experts from diverse backgrounds who want to share and collaborate with each other.
We have a thriving ecosystem of vendors who develop powerful and valuable integrations into our platforms to provide even greater business efficiencies for our mutual partners. It amazes me to see how we empower TSPs to achieve their most ambitious vision of success.
What’s a big win that you’re proud of?
The day I graduated with my bachelor's degree, I said I would never go back to school. Never say never. Fast forward to 2019, I took on the challenge of earning my MBA. I’m proud to say I graduated in 2021 with my MBA from the University of South Florida while working full-time and navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. I was able to achieve this huge personal milestone through the assistance I received from the ConnectWise Master’s Assistance Program and the support of an incredible leadership team.
And now for some fun!
If you can have any superpower for 24 hours, what would it be and why?
Teleportation, for sure. I love to travel. I want to see everything and go everywhere in the world. Time and treasure can be barriers to that. If I could teleport for a day, I could do a quick world tour to get a taste of each end of the Earth.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It by Will Smith. Seriously.
What’s one bucket list item you’re looking forward to?
Climbing Machu Picchu! Traveling is one of my favorite hobbies, along with staying active through various activities—one of those being hiking. Machu Picchu is one of those destinations I’ve always wanted to experience—the sacred history, the scenery, the architecture, the culture, the adventure—I want to be immersed in it all.