Nortel and Paragon

Paragon has been chosen by Nortel to be an Authorized Certified Remanufactured partner based on its 10-year reputation as one of the country’s largest suppliers of refurbished telecom equipment. Headquartered just outside of Boston, MA, sales exceeded $40 million in 2007. They currently have more than 100 employees and a 200,000 square foot facility, including a test/repair laboratory and warehouse. Nortel also acknowledged Paragon’s commitment to customers by providing a high level of technical expertise, customer support and on-hand inventory of Nortel equipment.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Nortel,” said Mike Prefontaine, President. “Our experience in the industry and existing business model are firmly in place to fully support the Nortel Certified Remanufactured program. As a supplier our trained sales team understands the many challenges facing our customers today. Whether we are helping existing Nortel customers maintain their networks or reaching out to new ones, Nortel Certified Remanufactured equipment allows us to offer complete solutions at excellent prices.”

Paragon distinguishes itself with its technically savvy and highly-trained sales force, understanding the issues technicians are facing in the field. Each member of the sales team must pass a rigorous exam to become a Nortel-certified Quality Sales Professional (QSP). They act as problem-solvers and ultimately save customer resources by understanding the complexities of their situations and offering the best solutions. Prior to any product delivery or installation, all remanufactured products must pass stringent technical and cosmetic testing to meet the exacting standards that make them Certified Nortel Remanufactured.

To further support the channel, Paragon offers its resellers a competitive displacement buy-back program. They offer trade-in solutions on any remarketable manufacturers’ products to help resellers be more competitive. The buy-back program allows companies to salvage legacy technology investments with a solution that better fits their needs.

Paragon was founded in 1999 by Mike Prefontaine, a telecommunications sales professional turned entrepreneur. Frustrated by the disconnect between wholesalers who were simply parts suppliers with no technical background and distributors (certified and independent) who demanded more technical expertise, he recognized an opportunity to bridge the gap.

“In my experience, wholesalers needed to be more than just parts providers in order to deliver the best solutions to customers. You need the technical expertise, product knowledge and understanding from an installation perspective. Our business model is based on this concept.”

More at ParagonCertified.com.