By Jennifer Bosavage, CMP Channel
3:54 PM EST Thu. Jan. 31, 2008

When you talk with Bob Venero, you get a feeling that something positive is about to happen. Venero has a relentlessly energetic outlook, even in an economy that's lackluster at best. He began Future Tech Enterprise (VARBusiness 500 rank 298) in his basement in 1996 and just three months later he moved to a 2,600-square-foot office in Holbrook, N.Y. Still in Holbrook, Future Tech now occupies a 65,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility and has more than 80 people nationwide. Venero's proud of the family atmosphere he's cultivated over the years, one with an open-door policy and staff pizza lunches. He spoke recently to CMP ChannelWeb about the economy, what's in the future for his business and its relationship with Dell Computers.

What is your overall outlook for the tech sector for this year?
We are starting to see less focus on technology and more on operating efficiencies. Customers are taking advantage of what technology is out there today and are utilizing partners to help turn what they've spent into something more profitable. Companies are asking us to come in and take a full look, and then to come back with recommendations on how to best use what they've already invested in. There are a lot of these consultative requests; they want to know, 'How can we be more efficient?' There is no question that ROI [return on investment] is going to be one of the strongest drivers in 2008, rather than anything else. Other projects will be at the bottom of queue.

Do you think we are in a recession?
No. But there is a perception of that and that is a challenge in the market. People are starting to believe what they read and hear. They become scared and then they run their businesses that way: Perception becomes reality.

How do the next several months look for Future Tech?
We went from 2007 to early 2008 going from six field reps to 16. We're having an incredible year. We've been seeing very strong growth: We hired a CIO and we're hunting for a COO. We've launched an IT staffing division. We have 4,000 accounts across the country that need staffing support.

You recently met with Eliot Spitzer. What was that conversation about?
He met with a small group of Long Island companies. We talked about bringing additional funding to the Island to attract companies and eliminate some economic challenges. We need a marketing campaign for the Island. We have great things here: biotech industries and the best universities, and [Long Island] is a center of excellence for wireless and software engineers. Spitzer told us he's committed to help support investment here by lowering taxes, and looking at workforce housing.

What are some tech trends you see?
One of the big tech trends is virtualization. Not from just the server side, but also from the desktop perspective. There's also an uptick in thin clients. Customers want to do more with less -- it all goes back to ROI.

Are you seeing more customers being environmentally conscious? Is that part of the virtualization trend?
We have customers that are building into their RFPs a green initiative. Often we are asked for pricing for a standard solution and a "green" one. At the end of the day, there are a lot of hidden costs that crop up that you don't realize: For instance, an LCD may cost more initially, but it uses less energy and is easier to get rid of than a CRT.

What's your relationship with Dell?
Dell is part of the partner community now. The value to us is that we can leverage the relationship across platforms. It's even more of a value to customers, because I can offer Dell notebooks, desktops and servers. We have a dedicated Dell channel rep, and we're one of eight large accounts on the east coast. We have a planning session next week, and Dell is flying in an entire team to meet with us. They are definitely engaging with us.

Being a native Long Island firm, you saw many tech companies pack up and go south. Did making such a move ever cross your mind?
Honestly, no. We're dedicated to Long Island. From a location perspective there is no better place to be. We've got a wonderful coastline, beaches, and there are 80,000 companies on Long Island. The Island's culture is one that is based on the entrepreneur. I was born here, I live here and I will croak here!

Your employees must feel very stable.
Our culture is family oriented. We have an open-door policy. There are no real lines drawn within the organization. Our CFO will talk to the person who does the mail, the garbage; everyone is on the same plane. We do a lot of events together, including the spouses and children. We have a gym, and often we have bagels and pizza for entire staff. We play hard, but we work hard too.