ConnectWise President David Bellini Takes Leave of Absence

David Bellini

ConnectWise President David Bellini has taken a leave of absence from the IT management software company, according to statement from the Tampa, Fla.-based firm today.

In a prepared statement, Jason Magee, chief operations officer for ConnectWise, said:

“On February, 11, 2018 ConnectWise executive management became aware that David Bellini, co-founder and President of International, is facing health issues associated with the use of prescription and non-prescription pain medications. David has been suffering chronic pain for several years and has unfortunately fallen prey to overuse of these substances, resulting in potential charges – the outcome of which we cannot predict.

Our hearts go out to David and his children during this difficult time. The entire ConnectWise family looks forward to David’s return to health and well-being.

David will be taking an indefinite leave from the company. In the meantime, Gregg Lalle, VP of International Sales, will continue in his role as the executive sales leader for our International Division. He will report to Arnie Bellini in that capacity.

The ConnectWise executive team is broad and deep. We will continue delivering on our vision to provide the industry’s most comprehensive software ecosystem for technology teams.”

The “potential charges” to which Magee refers involve David Bellini’s drug-related arrest on Sunday in Tampa. He was released on his own recognizance on Monday, according to Tampa police.

David and brother Arnie Bellini co-founded ConnectWise in 1982 as an IT consulting firm. The company spun-off a sister company — focused on IT automation software — in the 1990s. More recently, the company has acquired and built a suite of software to help MSPs and technology solutions providers automate their businesses and manage customers’ IT systems.

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10 Comments

Comments

    Dave Cava:

    David is one of the good guys and my prayers go out to him and his family. I hope as a big extended channel family we can first and foremost show grace and goodwill towards a guy who is going through something no one would ever want to go through. No judgment here, get straight and get on your feet, David. You’ll find out who your real friends are and be more grateful for them than you were before. Pulling for you, brother!

    Brian Sherman:

    Sending best wishes to David and his family.

    Anton Ruighaver:

    I echo what Dave Cava said wholeheartedly. David has always been a friend and mentor. You and your family are in our prayers!

    Loni zardus:

    I think it is awesome that they are being up front about his adfiction. We need more of this exposure to help lose the stigma of addiction. Pain pills have been so over prescribed, and so many have had this demon take over. Best of luck to David, andGod d bless his family.

    James Riley:

    David, our prayers go out to you and your family in this difficult time. CW, you, as a team, have always been up-front and honest, thank you for continuing that tradition.

    Stuart Bryan:

    Prayers for David and his family. Excellent guy, genuine and caring. Pulling for him to come through this healthier and better.

    Amy Kardel:

    Our thoughts are with David and his family for his full recovery. The transparency of this annoucement is helpful to him and others. There is no place for stigma here or anywhere. There is forgiveness and power in life’s darkest suffering and tragedy by God’s grace.

    MJ Shoer:

    I echo these supporting comments to David and his family. Good for ConnectWise to issue such a supportive and transparent message so no one will take this in a direction it should not go. Pulling for you David. You’ve always been a stand up guy and I look forward to finding myself next to you on a treadmill at IT Nation again soon.

    Joe Panettieri:

    A heads up: ChannelE2E has removed a comment from this thread that included unsubstantiated claims about another MSP industry executive. Yes, our comment boards are open to all readers — including comments that include constructive criticism. But we don’t permit comments that include unsubstantiated claims, and we continue to monitor our comment boards accordingly.

    I can be reached directly for additional questions.

    Joe Panettieri
    EVP, After Nines Inc.
    ChannelE2E & MSSP Alert
    [email protected]

    Joe Panettieri:

    UPDATE: David Bellini’s name has been cleared and he faces no charges related to the story above.

    I can be reached directly for additional questions.

    Joe Panettieri
    EVP, After Nines Inc.
    ChannelE2E & MSSP Alert
    [email protected]