CNY Executive Q&A: Talking to TERACAI’s Tim Duffy

Editor’s Note: CNY Executive Q&A is a feature appearing regularly (about every month) in The Central New York Business Journal, authored by guest writer Jeff Knauss who is president of his own digital-marketing firm. In each edition, Jeff chats with a different executive at a Central New York business or nonprofit, with the interview transcript appearing in a conversational Q&A format.

In this edition, I speak with Tim Duffy, vice president at TERACAI, where he is responsible for all aspects of sales, product management, solutions architecture, and services delivery. TERACAI, which spun off from CXtec in 2009, says it provides businesses with core-networking infrastructures, which enable virtualization, unified communications, and cloud applications. The company is headquartered at 217 Lawrence Road East in the town of Salina. Duffy lives in Camillus with his wife, Renee.

JEFF: How did you end up at TERACAI and in the position you are right now?

TIM: I've been with TERACAI since 2010, and was working for our sister company CXtec for 6 years before that. Prior to that, I was in a management position working for a retailer. I had resigned from that job, and my roommate at that time was working for CXtec. I applied for a sales position at CXtec, got the job, and 12 years later, I'm here.

JEFF: Did you have a background in information technology? 

TIM: No, I joked with the people that interviewed me that I had to be the worst interview that they had ever done but luckily, I＊m a sales guy. I didn＊t have any experience selling IT. It was something that I＊ve always been interested in but it＊s a sales job, so it＊s about building relationships, being able to talk to people, making connections, and being able to build a business.

I think I was in a sales role for around nine months and then I progressed into sales management. I was responsible for a team of 10 salespeople covering the Midwest. After that, I picked up the local sales team and then the engineering resources.

JEFF: That’s a pretty quick rise to management. What do you think your superiors saw in you to place that kind of faith in your leadership skills?

TIM: I'm definitely a driver type personality, but coming into the organization, I had 15 years of sales management experience. I was managing eight locations between Syracuse and Rochester with dozens of employees in each location. Managing people was not new to me and I do have to thank my old bosses. They were very much numbers-driven people. I needed to know my sales numbers every day, so it was natural for me from the time that I got here to want to know what was going on. I knew my forecast, and I knew the forecast of every person on my team. I think part of my success is also just being in the right place at the right time.

JEFF: What do you feel really differentiates TERACAI from its competitors?

TIM: It's our approach and our interactions with customers. It's not about selling them the next coolest or a brand new piece of technology here. We focus on trying to understand their issues, what they are trying to solve in their organizations, and show how certain technologies could help them achieve those goals. Those goals could include enabling a sales force that's mobile, fostering better communication between multiple locations, or explaining how to take a piece of technology that they may not have used before, but can start using in a very purposeful way.

It's really looking at the business process and trying to understand what someone is trying to accomplish. It＊s more than talking to just the technical people. We want to know what issues the sales department is having. What issues do the finance or other operational groups within that organization have and how do they want to better interact to drive revenue for that company?

JEFF: How many people does TERACAI employ?

TIM: About 40.

JEFF: What do you look for when you’re hiring employees?

TIM: I may have some engineering roles open as well as sales. From an engineering perspective, they have to be technically competent in the areas that we would need them to support. They also have to be able to have conversations with business-level leaders in a fashion that＊s not all technical. You have to be able to bridge the gap so that people can understand what they are discussing.

From a sales perspective, I＊d like to hire four more people in 2015. I'm a perfect example of somebody that has been able to come into the organization and be successful without understanding the technology at first. They have to be able to understand what business drivers are and then be able to connect it back. You have to be able to think on your feet and have a proven track record of success in sales. We＊re also looking for people that have some connections and can network. Being a good networker is a must.

JEFF: How would you describe your leadership style and how has that evolved over the years through the course of your career?

TIM: My leadership style is probably more hands off. I know what's going on and I set expectations for my people, but I expect them to take ownership and drive forward. I'm here to support them. How has it evolved? In the past, I probably did more micromanaging of people than assisting them. I would try to show people, This is the way you＊'ve got to do it.§ Now, I've learned you have to let your team make decisions and execute. 

JEFF: Have you taken any major career risks? 

TIM: Well, the first one was my transition here. It was time for a move and I left my prior job before I had another job. Today, I＊m not sure many people would do that. I'd say the biggest transition since I＊ve been with TERACAI was probably leaving the sales-management role and going into a strictly technical-management role. I'm not an engineer by trade. I understand enough to be dangerous when it comes to that stuff, but I was managing a bunch of engineering resources and to me, it was about managing the people. Probably, the bigger leap was outside of TERACAI and some things that I'm doing personally to try to raise money for good causes. That was more of a leap for me than it was for what I do at work.

JEFF: That’s a great transition. I know that both TERACAI and you personally are very passionate about different causes and nonprofits. Please tell us about TERACAI’s charitable activities, as well as your own.

TIM: From a TERACAI perspective, one of our core values is being committed to our community. We believe strongly in helping our employees get involved with local organizations. It doesn't have to be financial. It could be volunteering time, but we want people out, engaged in the community and giving back. We see great benefit in that. We＊ve worked with organizations like the Salvation Army and the Samaritan Center. 

I've always kind of had that same belief. I think it grew more and more as I've worked here and seen how involved we were in the community. Four years ago, my wife Renee and I founded an event locally, called Philanthropic Foodies. The event ties together things that we enjoy, food and a good glass of wine, to giving back. The message there is eat, drink, and give back. It's a one-day event for four hours, this year held on Aug. 2 at SKY Armory. We bring in multiple chefs for a tasting experience. Each chef is paired with a spirit — wine, beer, and other items. All of the proceeds go back to local charities. The goal is to assist smaller, underserved charities that don't necessarily have large staffs or large budgets. They are helping in the community, but don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars rolling in for them to deliver the services they are trying to deliver. This year, we've selected three charities for the event: Friends of Dorothy House, the First Tee of Syracuse, and Stupid Dumb Breast Cancer.

JEFF: What does this year look like for TERACAI and Tim Duffy?

TIM: It's definitely a growth year for TERACAI. We＊re looking to grow the organization and grow the number of people working here. For me, as the vice president of the group, I'm really tied to that growth. From a work perspective, success for me is making sure that we're achieving the goals that we set forth and the people that are working here are successful.                    

About the author: Jeff Knauss is managing partner & president of a digital marketing firm, DigitalHyve.com, and has always been interested in hearing successful executives’ stories. He lives in Camillus with his wife Heta and son Max. For more, check out his blog at www.CnyCeo.org

Editor’s Note: CNY Executive Q&A is a feature appearing regularly (about every month) in The Central New York Business Journal, authored by guest writer Jeff Knauss who is president of his own digital-marketing firm. In each edition, Jeff chats with a different executive at a Central New York business or nonprofit, with the interview transcript appearing in a conversational Q&A format.

In this edition, I speak with Tim Duffy, vice president at TERACAI, where he is responsible for all aspects of sales, product management, solutions architecture, and services delivery. TERACAI, which spun off from CXtec in 2009, says it provides businesses with core-networking infrastructures, which enable virtualization, unified communications, and cloud applications. The company is headquartered at 217 Lawrence Road East in the town of Salina. Duffy lives in Camillus with his wife, Renee.

JEFF: How did you end up at TERACAI and in the position you are right now?

TIM: I've been with TERACAI since 2010, and was working for our sister company CXtec for 6 years before that. Prior to that, I was in a management position working for a retailer. I had resigned from that job, and my roommate at that time was working for CXtec. I applied for a sales position at CXtec, got the job, and 12 years later, I'm here.

JEFF: Did you have a background in information technology? 

TIM: No, I joked with the people that interviewed me that I had to be the worst interview that they had ever done but luckily, I＊m a sales guy. I didn＊t have any experience selling IT. It was something that I＊ve always been interested in but it＊s a sales job, so it＊s about building relationships, being able to talk to people, making connections, and being able to build a business.

I think I was in a sales role for around nine months and then I progressed into sales management. I was responsible for a team of 10 salespeople covering the Midwest. After that, I picked up the local sales team and then the engineering resources.

JEFF: That’s a pretty quick rise to management. What do you think your superiors saw in you to place that kind of faith in your leadership skills?

TIM: I'm definitely a driver type personality, but coming into the organization, I had 15 years of sales management experience. I was managing eight locations between Syracuse and Rochester with dozens of employees in each location. Managing people was not new to me and I do have to thank my old bosses. They were very much numbers-driven people. I needed to know my sales numbers every day, so it was natural for me from the time that I got here to want to know what was going on. I knew my forecast, and I knew the forecast of every person on my team. I think part of my success is also just being in the right place at the right time.

JEFF: What do you feel really differentiates TERACAI from its competitors?

TIM: It's our approach and our interactions with customers. It's not about selling them the next coolest or a brand new piece of technology here. We focus on trying to understand their issues, what they are trying to solve in their organizations, and show how certain technologies could help them achieve those goals. Those goals could include enabling a sales force that's mobile, fostering better communication between multiple locations, or explaining how to take a piece of technology that they may not have used before, but can start using in a very purposeful way.

It's really looking at the business process and trying to understand what someone is trying to accomplish. It＊s more than talking to just the technical people. We want to know what issues the sales department is having. What issues do the finance or other operational groups within that organization have and how do they want to better interact to drive revenue for that company?

JEFF: How many people does TERACAI employ?

TIM: About 40.

JEFF: What do you look for when you’re hiring employees?

TIM: I may have some engineering roles open as well as sales. From an engineering perspective, they have to be technically competent in the areas that we would need them to support. They also have to be able to have conversations with business-level leaders in a fashion that＊s not all technical. You have to be able to bridge the gap so that people can understand what they are discussing.

From a sales perspective, I＊d like to hire four more people in 2015. I'm a perfect example of somebody that has been able to come into the organization and be successful without understanding the technology at first. They have to be able to understand what business drivers are and then be able to connect it back. You have to be able to think on your feet and have a proven track record of success in sales. We＊re also looking for people that have some connections and can network. Being a good networker is a must.

JEFF: How would you describe your leadership style and how has that evolved over the years through the course of your career?

TIM: My leadership style is probably more hands off. I know what's going on and I set expectations for my people, but I expect them to take ownership and drive forward. I'm here to support them. How has it evolved? In the past, I probably did more micromanaging of people than assisting them. I would try to show people, This is the way you＊'ve got to do it.§ Now, I've learned you have to let your team make decisions and execute. 

JEFF: Have you taken any major career risks? 

TIM: Well, the first one was my transition here. It was time for a move and I left my prior job before I had another job. Today, I＊m not sure many people would do that. I'd say the biggest transition since I＊ve been with TERACAI was probably leaving the sales-management role and going into a strictly technical-management role. I'm not an engineer by trade. I understand enough to be dangerous when it comes to that stuff, but I was managing a bunch of engineering resources and to me, it was about managing the people. Probably, the bigger leap was outside of TERACAI and some things that I'm doing personally to try to raise money for good causes. That was more of a leap for me than it was for what I do at work.

JEFF: That’s a great transition. I know that both TERACAI and you personally are very passionate about different causes and nonprofits. Please tell us about TERACAI’s charitable activities, as well as your own.

TIM: From a TERACAI perspective, one of our core values is being committed to our community. We believe strongly in helping our employees get involved with local organizations. It doesn't have to be financial. It could be volunteering time, but we want people out, engaged in the community and giving back. We see great benefit in that. We＊ve worked with organizations like the Salvation Army and the Samaritan Center. 

I've always kind of had that same belief. I think it grew more and more as I've worked here and seen how involved we were in the community. Four years ago, my wife Renee and I founded an event locally, called Philanthropic Foodies. The event ties together things that we enjoy, food and a good glass of wine, to giving back. The message there is eat, drink, and give back. It's a one-day event for four hours, this year held on Aug. 2 at SKY Armory. We bring in multiple chefs for a tasting experience. Each chef is paired with a spirit — wine, beer, and other items. All of the proceeds go back to local charities. The goal is to assist smaller, underserved charities that don't necessarily have large staffs or large budgets. They are helping in the community, but don't have hundreds of thousands of dollars rolling in for them to deliver the services they are trying to deliver. This year, we've selected three charities for the event: Friends of Dorothy House, the First Tee of Syracuse, and Stupid Dumb Breast Cancer.

JEFF: What does this year look like for TERACAI and Tim Duffy?

TIM: It's definitely a growth year for TERACAI. We＊re looking to grow the organization and grow the number of people working here. For me, as the vice president of the group, I'm really tied to that growth. From a work perspective, success for me is making sure that we're achieving the goals that we set forth and the people that are working here are successful.                    

About the author: Jeff Knauss is managing partner & president of a digital marketing firm, DigitalHyve.com, and has always been interested in hearing successful executives’ stories. He lives in Camillus with his wife Heta and son Max. For more, check out his blog at www.CnyCeo.org