Search past winners/finalists


  • MESA logo

iolo technologies

How to EnterCompany: iolo technologies, Los Angeles, CA
Company Description: Crowned the Fastest-Growing Company in the United States from 2009-2011 by International and American Business Awards, iolo technologies produces award-winning software that repairs, optimizes, and protects Windows computers. Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Los Angeles with market presence in 33 countries, iolo has nearly 40 million users worldwide and hundreds of awards.
Nomination Category: Sales Awards Individual Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Sales Manager of the Year

Nomination Title: Marina Totalca, Channel Sales Executive

Tell the story about what this nominee achieved since the beginning of July 2010 (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

Total 516 words used. If the word count is more than 25 words over the limit, please deduct one (1) point from your score.

With more than 7 years of retail experience, Marina Totalca is responsible for
managing all Canadian retailers and key U.S. retailers for iolo technologies,
LLC (www.iolo.com) a 13-year-old, privately-held PC performance software company
with more than 38 million users and presence in 18,000 stores worldwide. This
includes driving revenue, growth, and maintaining partner relations.

Ms. Totalca was selected Employee of the Year in the Stevie Awards for Women in
November 2010 and National Accounts Manager of the Year in the Stevie Awards for
Sales and Customer Service in February 2011. She has achieved the following
successes:

1) Increased market share: Maintained iolo’s market share in the system utility
category in Canada at 98 percent, having increased it the year before from 75 to
98 percent, as measured by NPD. This dramatic market share was sustained thanks
to Totalca’s effective work in maintaining relations with partners, distributors
and retailers and her skillful efforts at driving revenue and growth, through
creative and innovative promotional retail campaigns, positive net bookings,
extensive ROI analysis, and detailed quarterly business reviews.
2) Increased revenue: In addition to growing iolo’s overall market share, Marina
Totalca led iolo to some of the highest sales growth percentages in history.
Canadian sales achieved 80% growth in 2008, over 30% in 2009 and 303% in 2010.
That means that iolo’s Q4 2010 sales were 394% higher than its Q4 2008 sales. At
the same time, Ms. Totalca achieved equally impressive growth in revenue, with
an average increase of 23% last year alone.
3) New product launches: Marina Totalca also successfully - and single-handedly
- launched three new products in the Canadian market. The successfully
introduced new products, which immediately showed impressive sell-through
numbers and became a key source of revenue for iolo, included bilingual
French/English packaging for System Mechanic Premium, PC Totalcare and System
Shield.
4) Awards: Marina Totalca won two prestigious accolades last year alone. In
November 2010, she won Employee of the Year (2010) award in Stevie Awards for
Women and in February 2011, was crowned as National Accounts Manager of the Year
(2011) in Stevie Awards for Sales and Customer Service. Winning these two
prestigious awards amidst strong competition was testament to Totalca’s
excellent management, professionalism and top-notch client service.
5) Key account growth: With effective management, successful relationships and
innovative initiatives, Marina Totalca grew iolo’s key accounts in Canada
exponentially. Under her management, sales in Wal-Mart, one of iolo’s largest
retail accounts, grew by an impressive 71% units and 69% revenue year-over-year
and PC Treasures showed 851% increase in units and 1295% increase in revenue,
despite the continuing challenging retail sales environment.
6) Charity / environmental work: Marina Totalca also actively advocated
environmentally conscientious campaigns. As part of the green initiative, iolo
continues to donate copies of its software to non-profit materials reuse
organizations, complimenting sales in the retail channel and increasing
awareness of iolo’s products.

Ms. Totalca plans further market share and sales growth, new product launches
and an even stronger focus on vendor satisfaction and green campaigns in 2012.

List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

List of top coverage on iolo and its products, incl. many award-winning reviews:
http://www.iolo.com/company/news.aspx

List of top awards won by iolo in its 13-year history:
http://www.iolo.com/company/awards.aspx

LAPTOP magazine recommends System Mechanic, 5/5/11:
http://blog.laptopmag.com/fix-your-laptop-34-tips-apps-and-gear/3

iolo featured as an expert on KCAL-9 TV, 2/14/11:
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2011/02/14/have-a-heart-this-is-also-clean-out-your-computer-day/

Windows IT Pro names System Mechanic Business one of the Editors’ Best Products
of 2010, 12/1/10:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/article/review/2010-Windows-IT-Pro-Editors-Best-and-Community-Choice-Awards/6.aspx

PC Magazine names System Mechanic 10 one of Best of the Year 2010 products,
11/19/10:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2372780,00.asp

PC Magazine awards System Mechanic 10 its Editors’ Choice award, 10/19/10:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2371043,00.asp

New York Times highly recommends System Mechanic as a painless way to keep
computers in shape, 9/14/10:
http://gadgetwise.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/an-easy-painless-way-to-keep-a-pc-in-shape/

Exec Digitial (UK) names iolo technologies one of the five fastest-growing
companies on Earth, 8/29/10:
http://www.execdigital.com/business/leader/fastest-growing-companies-earth

Government Computer News awards System Mechanic its Reviewer’s Choice award,
8/10/10:
http://gcn.com/Articles/2010/08/16/Review-System-Mechanic-9.5-Keeps-PCs-Running-At-Speed.aspx?Page=1

WIRED magazine praises System Mechanic’s speed improvements, 7/11/10:
http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/07/system-mechanic-nice-product-especially-for-younger-computer-users/

Fox Business recommends System Mechanic as a cost-saving solution for small
businesses, 7/2/10:
http://www.foxsmallbusinesscenter.com/entrepreneurs/2010/07/02/make-business-computers-run-faster/


Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the nominee:

As channel sales executive at iolo technologies, a 13-year-old PC tune-up
company with more than 38 million users worldwide, Marina Totalca manages all
Canadian retailers and several key U.S. retailers in a two-tier distribution
model. Having started her career at iolo technologies 11 years ago, Ms. Totalca
is currently the longest tenured employee at the company after the CEO/founder.

Marina Totalca recently received National Accounts Manager of the Year (2011)
award from Stevie Awards for Sales and Customer Service; Employee of the Year
(2010) award from Stevie Awards for Women; and Vendor of the Year (2009) award
from Eurpac. Born in Portland, Oregon, Marina Totalca holds a BA in English
Literature (cum laude) from California State University, Northridge.