A Season of Celebration: Grateful for the Wins, Proud of the Team
May brings a moment to pause, reflect, and celebrate an extraordinary chapter in Symplicity’s story. It’s been a season filled with milestones, honors, and most importantly, team pride.
We are thrilled to share that Symplicity Communications has achieved Platinum Status through Intelisys—a recognition that was 12 years in the making. This milestone marks not just a level of performance, but a journey of persistence, evolution, and excellence.
Even more exciting: April 13th is now officially “Symplicity Communications Day” at Intelisys. What an incredible honor that reflects the relationships, reputation, and results we’ve built together over the years.
In addition, we’re proud to be a recipient of the Michigan Celebrates Small Business Woman Business Enterprise Award. This recognition spotlights women-led organizations making a difference—and it’s a win we share with every member of our powerhouse team.
Adding to this powerful moment, I was deeply honored to be named Woman of the Year by West Michigan Woman Magazine. This award is a celebration of collective effort, not individual achievement. I accept it on behalf of the entire Symplicity team—your passion and brilliance are the real drivers behind our success.
April was also a month of connection and momentum. As a team, we:
- Posted Episodes 12 – 16 for the Symplicity Conversations Podcast, sharing candid conversations with bold leaders in business, technology, and innovation.
- Participated in Confluence events, fostering creativity and collaboration across disciplines.
- Engaged with the Technology Council of West Michigan and TechnologyNext Coffee Circles, continuing to champion dialogue, mentorship, and tech growth in our region.
None of this would be possible without the trust of our clients, the support of our community, and the commitment of our team. These accolades are simply a reflection of who we are together.
We’re not just growing—we’re growing with purpose, and we’re doing it side by side. Thank you for being on this journey with us.
With immense pride and gratitude,
Catherine
Catherine Ripley
CEO & President
[email protected] | 616.588.8501
Catherine Ripley Named Brilliance Awards Woman of the Year
On Thursday, April 24th, West Michigan Woman Magazine held their 9th Annual Brilliance Awards at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At the event, Symplicity Communications President and CEO, Catherine Ripley was honored as the 2025 Brilliance Award Winner for Woman of the Year.
“I am incredibly grateful and truly honored to be named Woman of the Year,” said Catherine Ripley. “This recognition means so much to me, and I’m thankful for all the people who have encouraged, challenged, and supported me along the way.”
She continued, “I am humbled to be among so many outstanding women and remain committed to paving the way for others, just as so many have done for me. I’m excited to keep paying it forward and lifting others up as I continue this journey.”
Symplicity Named Woman Owned Business Honoree
At the end of April, the Symplicity Communications team celebrated together at the Michigan Celebrates Small Business Awards in East Lansing, hosted by the Small Business Association of Michigan.
Symplicity Communications was honored at the event as one of 10 Women-Owned Small Business of the Year Award winners.
The full list of 2025 award winners can be found at https://michigancelebrates.org/mcsb-awardees/.
Symplicity Earns Intelisys Platinum Partner Status
Intelisys, a leading technology services distributor of connectivity and cloud services announced that April 13th is now “Symplicity Communications Day” in commemoration of Symplicity Communications earning their prestigious “Platinum Partner” status. This honor is given to partners who demonstrate continuous ane exemplary success. Symplicity is now just one of 38 active Platinum Partners with Intelisys.
Coffee Circle Events at Symplicity
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.
Confluence Thought Series Field Trip
Recently, the Symplicity Communications team hosted a fieldtrip to the newly opened Symplicity Communications building as part of the Confluence Thought Series.
More that 40 guests toured the new space at the Symplicity Communications building at 60 Monroe Center St NW and got to see the day-to-day operations of the Symplicity team while also receiving product demonstrations from trusted technology partners at RingCentral, SuccessKPI and Content Guru.
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 business psychologist Dr. Dino Signore, Erin Stewart from SuccessKPI, and Stephen Hackett of 186Kloud.
Make sure to check out all of the episodes here and subscribe at this link
Catherine Ripley Represents Symplicity at Channel Partners Event
Channel Futures, the indirect sales channel’s authority for industry news, information and analysis, named Catherine Ripley to its 2025 Technology Advisor 101 list.
Technology Advisor 101 honorees have demonstrated client focus, peer leadership and industry advocacy. Members of the Technology Advisor 101 do the right thing for their customers, exchange knowledge and best practices with fellow partners, and use their influence for the betterment of the larger technology advisor/technology services distributor (TA/TSD) ecosystem.
Catherine also spoke as part of a panel at the TA 101 Session titled “In Advisors We Trust” during the Channel Partners Conference and Expo in March in Las Vegas.
Odds and Ends
Recently, members of the Symplicity Communications team had a great time getting together at Van Andel Arena to watch a Grand Rapids Rise professional volleyball match. We’re proud to support our local teams!
Also, our brand-new building signage has been installed. Let us know if you are walking down Monroe Center and you see the Symplicity Communications Building signs all lit up!
