Lighthouse, founded in 1995 by former IBM executive Tom Mrva, doubled its revenue each year selling IBM hardware and related services to Fortune 500 enterprises in the New York/New Jersey area. Mrva realized in 2003 that sustaining that growth rate would require Lighthouse to move beyond hardware and integration services into consulting.

A market study found huge opportunities in five related practice areas: midrange servers; storage, backup and disaster-recovery services; IT regulatory compliance; networks and security; and Microsoft technologies. And in 2004, the company reorganized along those lines.

The $100 million Lincoln, R.I.-based company has benefited nearly as much as the charities it supports in New England enjoyed increased business. There it sponsors a number of local community events in conjunction with the New England Patriots football team and other sports organizations.

The resulting publicity helped the company grow its business faster than many other companies in its region. This and other reasons have made Lighthouse a standout among channel companies. For its efforts, VARBusiness has named it a VAR of the Year.