Looking Ahead: A Symple Summer & Exciting Fall
As we embrace the energy of summer, we’re also mindful of how quickly these warm months fly by. Between milestone celebrations and strategic initiatives, we’re reminding ourselves—and our community—to take a moment to pause, recharge, and enjoy the slower rhythms of the season. Whether it’s a walk downtown, a weekend lake retreat, or just a quiet cup of coffee in the sun, finding joy in the little moments matters.
Clarity is the word guiding much of our work this year. In a world that often celebrates speed and multitasking, we’re choosing to slow down and sharpen our focus—especially around vision, mission, roles, and results. Over the next few months, we’re intentionally creating space to align our team around a clear, compelling vision, a mission that fuels purpose, and well-defined roles and responsibilities that reduce friction and empower ownership. Just as important are the key performance indicators (KPIs) that bring accountability into focus—ensuring we not only dream big but deliver with precision. Clarity isn’t about perfection; it’s about direction, communication, and building a culture where everyone understands how their work connects to the bigger picture.
We’re also gearing up for some exciting events the next couple months:
- July – RingCentral Partner Advisory Board – I’m honored to join the board later this month, contributing to forward-thinking conversations that help shape the future of communications technology.
- September – Grand Rapids Tech Week – A major regional celebration of innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology. We’re proud to be part of this growing momentum.
- September – ArtPrize 2025 – Symplicity Communications is thrilled to be an official ArtPrize venue, connecting creativity with our downtown space and celebrating the vibrant cultural fabric of our city. We’re hoping to host 2–4 artists in our space—watch for more details on our social channels!
One of my favorite personal pastimes is consignment shopping for home décor. There’s something magical about wandering through curated shelves and dusty corners, discovering pieces that tell stories long before they find a new home. It’s not just about the thrill of the hunt—it’s about finding that one-of-a-kind treasure that speaks to your style, your history, or maybe just your mood that day. Whether it’s a vintage mirror, a quirky lamp, or the perfect accent chair with a little patina and a lot of personality, these small finds breathe character into a space and joy into the process. It’s where creativity meets sustainability—and where beauty is often hidden in plain sight, just waiting to be found.
So while we’re still running at a good clip, we’re also prioritizing moments of peace. Because sometimes, the best thing you can do for your business—and your brain—is to take a breath and let summer do what it does best: inspire.
Here’s to an intentional, joyful summer,
Catherine
Catherine Ripley
CEO & President
[email protected] | 616.588.8501
Symplicity Communications Honored Nationally for Best Deployment
Recently, it was announced by ChannelVision Magazine that Symplicity Communications, Inc. won the 2025 ChannelVision Visionary Spotlight Award (VSA) for Channel Deployment of the Year.
This annual competition is designed to highlight the business, service provider and overall contributions to communications and the channel, including products, services, deployments and channel-related achievements across multiple categories.
Symplicity Communications was determined to exemplify aggressive innovation within the communications industry, demonstrating a myriad of opportunities for channel partners to enhance their own roles as trusted partners for business success.
Read more here and here. Watch Catherine discuss the award below!
Erin Stewart Joins Symplicity Communications
Erin Stewart has joined the Symplicity team as our new Senior Director of Sales. Erin comes to Symplicity with a bevy of experience in technology and solutions sales, and a history of success and delivering results for clients and colleagues.
With over 15 years in technology solution sales, Erin Stewart has led commercial growth teams, built go-to-market strategies, and delivered results across AI, SaaS, and customer experience innovation. Her work consistently blends measurable impact with a passion for clarity, trust, and long-term partnerships.
Read more about our new Senior Sales Director, or reach out to Erin directly to say hello!
Catherine Ripley Named to Technology Advisory Board
Catherine Ripley, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Symplicity Communications Inc., has been appointed to the Channel Partners Technology Advisor Board. Ripley joins an elite group of industry thought leaders who provide strategic guidance for the Channel Partners Conference & Expo, the world’s largest independent channel event gathering thousands of agents, technology advisors, MSPs, and VARs.
Through their guidance of events and digital businesses including newsletters, social media sites and web-based offerings, the Board effectively serves as the voice of the channel partner community – guiding suppliers while influencing peers across the industry.
Read more about Catherine joining the Channel Partners Technology Advisory Board.
Inforum Annual Celebration
At the end of April and beginning of May, Symplicity Communications twice welcomed local groups to the Symplicity Communications Building for networking and community building events.
In partnership with Inforum, the team hosted a TechnologyNEXT Coffee Circle event and also hosted a Coffee Circle with the West Michigan Technology Council and The Right Place.
Hosting Women’s United Summer Event
Recently, the Symplicity Communications Building hosted Women United’s Summer Social with the Heart of West Michigan United Way.
We were happy to share our space with these great organizations and all of their guests, and to take part in their Feminine Hygiene Drive.
We look forward to continuing to partner with Heart of West Michigan United Way on great events in the community!
Missed Any Recent Podcasts?
Have you been tuning in to the Symplicity Conversations Podcast?
If you have missed a couple of episodes, we have you covered. We have featured a lot of great guests lately, including the Cybersecurity experts at Blue Team Alpha, AI and Branding experts, and former Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss!
Make sure to check out all of the episodes here and subscribe at this link
Symplicity Communications Certified WBENC Women’s Business Enterprise
The Great Lakes Women’s Business Council (WBC) Certification Committee has once again granted certification to Symplicity Communications as a WBENC Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE).
A Women’s Business Enterprise, commonly referred to as a WBE, is an independent business concern that is at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more women who are U.S. citizens or Legal Resident Aliens, whose business formation and principal place of business are in the U.S. or its territories, and whose management and daily operation is controlled by a woman with industry expertise.
Check out more information on this proud accomplishment!
Big Events at The Symplicity Communications Building
A pair of big events will be making their way through the doors to the Symplicity Communications Building this fall!
On Tuesday, September 16th, we will be hosting an event titled “Accelerating Innovation: Transforming Data Strategy with AI” as part of Grand Rapids Tech Week. Join us for an insightful keynote by Roberta McCarter, founder of Novus Data Journeys, and a dynamic panel featuring Roberta, Symplicity’s Catherine Ripley, and Amir Hameed, SVP Global Technical Solutions & Innovation from RingCentral. Check this out for more info and stay tuned for infomation on how to register!
And starting later that week, the Symplicity office will be transformed into an ArtPrize 2025 venue! ArtPrize runs from September 18th through October 4th – make sure to stop by and see us and the amazing art featured in our space!
