Colleague Spotlight: Louie Cocchiola
Meet Louie Cocchiola, our Ecosystem Marketing Director. With a wealth of experience in design over a range of industries, Louie has been a valuable team member who has contributed to various initiatives in ConnectWise—from the rebranding of ConnectWise Partner Summit to IT Nation, to most recently supporting PitchIT, our annual accelerator program.
Getting started at ConnectWise…
What did you do before joining ConnectWise?
I worked in various roles in marketing and print graphics, as well as production, with a focus on design, brand strategy and evolution, and advertising. I spent a lot of time leading teams across multiple industries. I then had the great fortune to work for a homebuilder and be part of a really strong team. We worked on everything from newspaper ads to billboards to collateral kits to full model centers. This was a great springboard for what I have done here at ConnectWise.
Being a ConnectWise colleague…
What different roles have you had with the company?
Wanting to migrate from print to digital, I joined ConnectWise as a graphic designer in March of 2010. LabTech had just joined the fold, so I worked on email and landing page design, as well as coding for both brands. I also partnered with our webmaster to overhaul our ConnectWise and LabTech websites.
I then moved to the role of Creative Director for both ConnectWise and LabTech Software, overseeing a team responsible for graphic design, copywriting, front-end development, video, and motion graphics. As we added Quosal and ScreenConnect, their brands became part of our charge as well.
My first summit here was when we rebranded ConnectWise Partner Summit to IT Nation (which is now known as IT Nation Connect, our flagship conference). My team and I were responsible for the overall themes, messaging, signage, booths, and mainstage presentations for Arnie Bellini and Matt Nachtrab.
From there, a new challenge that I found very intriguing emerged. I moved over to try extending our marketing strategies to our emerging ecosystem initiatives. Today, I get to lead marketing efforts for our ConnectWise Marketplace, ConnectWise Invent, and event sponsorship programs. This year, I was also part of our PitchIT program, which has been an absolute blast!
What do you enjoy about working at ConnectWise?
First and foremost, the people. Over my 12+ years here, I’ve gotten to collaborate with, learn from, mentor, and be challenged by hundreds of passionate, brilliant, and inspiring colleagues. I’ve had leaders who brought out the best in me, allowed me to grow, and taught me many, many lessons. Being part of the IT Nation events have also allowed me to learn a lot from great speakers like Simon Sinek, Daniel Burrus, and Jim Collins. I’ve been able to pass a lot of that along and help others along their career paths just as I’ve been helped in mine.
There’s also an entrepreneurial spirit in this company’s DNA, where colleagues are empowered to grow ideas and build this company for the better, while innovating to help our partners grow and succeed. I like solving problems, so being able to do that on top of being a part of this company’s evolution is very gratifying.
What’s something about your job that makes you feel accomplished?
I love the whole concept of ecosystem platform economies. Being able to see the process and transaction of software from both the MSP’s and the vendor’s perspectives puts me in a unique vantage point. I find it satisfying to play matchmaker and curate true win-win experiences—finding ways to connect solution providers to partners who need them. This strengthens how partners use our platform to run their businesses better.
What’s something that you want people to know about ConnectWise?
First off, I’m grateful to be part of this company. It has truly changed my life for the better in more ways than I can list here. I’m proud of the spirit of collaboration that ConnectWise has fostered in the industry. The IT Nation has pioneered this great cohort of men and women who live in technology and work together to help each other despite being in the same industry. Many companies have since replicated their own versions of this community, which is great because it reinforces the concept of the rising tide lifting all boats. It helps MSPs thrive and succeed, which ultimately, is our mission here at ConnectWise. I told you—I love a win-win!
What’s a big win that you’re proud of?
From 2016 to 2017, I was fortunate enough to lead our masterbrand initiative, where we moved from a “house of brands” to a “branded house” migrating our product names from ConnectWise, LabTech, Quosal, and ScreenConnect to ConnectWise-centric names (Manage, Automate, Sell, and Control, respectively). It was a huge initiative that involved great efforts from many colleagues across our entire organization.
And now for some fun!
If you can have any superpower for 24 hours, what would it be and why?
It’s probably cliché, but I’d say flight. I love to travel, so to get someplace far away quickly would be a great power. Also, seeing the world from that vantage point is always breathtaking!
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
I’d say either “Are You Gonna Go My Way” by Lenny Kravitz, or “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi. I’m not saying I’d be good at it. My lack of singing voice was one of the motivations to learn guitar and drums!
What’s one bucket list item you’re looking forward to?
I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to some great places with my family. Our kids are enamored with Japan, and we’re planning on taking them there when they graduate high school in three years. I am excited about giving that to them and seeing it in person as well.
