Alex Laporte | Why Implementation Makes or Breaks an Industry Partner

After graduating from Kenyon College with a political science degree, Alex LaPorte spent his time coaching tennis and chasing down startups, determined to learn a business from the ground up. That search eventually led him to Wilmac, where he's now VP of Implementation and Customer Success.  In this episode of The Wilmac Wire, hosts Emily McNulty and Steve McDonnell sit down with Alex less than a month into his tenure, covering his path from customer support rep to VP, what actually separates an industry partner from a vendor, and what he's already rebuilding in his first few weeks on the job.  Here's what you'll hear about:  Chasing down startups after college, and how tennis shaped his approach to leading a team  The acquisition at Vonage that taught him trust is won or lost during implementation  Why he calls himself a "servant leader," and how that shows up in how he runs a team  What actually separates an industry partner from a vendor, in his own words  What he's already rebuilding in his first month at Wilmac  Episode Breakdown:  0:00 Welcome and introducing Alex Laporte  2:36 Icebreaker: This or That  8:04 How political science at Kenyon led him into telecom  11:18 What tennis taught him about leadership  14:26 What Vonage taught him about implementation and trust  19:33 What drew him to Wilmac  23:24 What surprised him about Wilmac's speed and culture  30:22 What actually separates a partner from a vendor  34:49 What he's building in his first weeks at Wilmac  Connect with Alex LaPorte on LinkedIn  Listen to more episodes of The Wilmac Wire:  Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | iHeart | Riverside