Ty Gardner is going head-to-head with former employer Universal Group after launching a new enterprise-focused Mitel reseller.

Gardner left Universal in April but has bounced back into the channel with Comms Solve Technologies – a Mitel and Avaya dealer that will operate an outsourced services model.

The newly-formed firm is a sister company of Comms Solve, a Mitel reseller that has been up and running since 2001 and operates an outsourced services model in the SME space. Comms Solve principle Cliff Smith is part owner of Comms Solve Technologies and the two firms will work from the same office and share infrastructure.

Gardner insisted he will not target the customer base of his former employer.

“I did 19 years at Universal and felt it was the time to open a new chapter in the book. We left on extremely amicable terms,” Gardner said.

He admitted that it may be necessary to take on a small number of engineers to gain higher accreditations with its vendor partners.

“If it enhances our services offering I would not be averse to it, but we are not going to end up with 20 or 30 engineers,” he explained.

Gardner said Comms Solve is currently turning over around £2m. He hoped the two firms would boast a combined turnover of £5m within two years.