Unlocking Digital Potential with Expert Integration | Brett Carnali from Stone Door Group

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Alright everyone, welcome to today’s episode of Pathmonk Presents. Today we are joined by Brett Carnali, VP of Sales at Stone Door Group. Brett, welcome to the show.

Brett: Thank you so much, Rick. It’s a real pleasure to be here. Thanks for having me.

Rick: Of course. So Brett, if you could just dive right in—I want to talk about Stone Door Group for a second. Can you tell us a bit about what your company does and what it means to “unlock your digital potential”?

Brett: Great question. Thank you for the opportunity. Everyone loves to introduce their company, and I’ll do my best. Stone Door Group, at its heart, is an integrator—and we like to integrate in the DevOps shop. We’ve been around for 17 years—some might say 20—but officially 17. We’ve been integrating with IBM solutions, Red Hat solutions, really helping bridge the gap between developers and day-to-day operations. Our heart is to be that solution bringer that helps enterprises go to the next level.

Rick: Got it. I saw that you guys have a partnership with Red Hat. Is that a recent thing?

Brett: We’ve really grown up with Red Hat. Before they had their own professional services, Stone Door Group was their integration arm. We were solutioning for them early on, especially during the origins of OpenShift, containers, and emerging tech. We’re all Linux guys at heart, and while we love working at the operating system level, modernization is where it gets really fun.

Rick: Is there any particular vertical or type of business that you feel you serve best right now? Or is your solution applicable across the board?

Brett: Automation has been around for a while, so the buzz has worn off—but the benefits are still very real. Day in and day out, we help companies automate repetitive tasks across all verticals. Lately, we’re getting a lot of calls about virtualization. With Broadcom acquiring VMware and all the resulting price hikes, many are wondering what their options are.

We come in agnostically and help companies evaluate the alternatives depending on where they want to go. That’s hot right now—especially in finance and healthcare. Both are highly regulated, and they want to stay secure and compliant while adapting. We also work with manufacturing and retail, but finance and healthcare are driving most of the virtualization discussions.

Rick: I’m sure part of your role is helping them stay compliant while modernizing, which is a complex combo.

Brett: Exactly. That’s where AI has become really exciting. We now have the ability to take previously stagnant data—held back by security or regulation concerns—and use it through secure AI platforms. IBM’s Watsonx.governance, for example, is super helpful in these spaces.

For me, I love helping customers solve hard problems. My favorite situation is when a client says, “We’re screwed. Help us.” That’s when I gather the smartest people I can and we find a way. And when that solution generates revenue? Even better. We solve it, we do it at a reasonable cost, and we see ROI. That’s the win.

Rick: Spoken like a true VP of Sales, Brett. I love it. You mentioned getting referrals and calls—where does your website sit in your acquisition strategy? How important is it in getting new clients?

Brett: This is where I hang my head a bit. It’s not central to our strategy at all. We’re a modernization company—but our own website is dated. Classic cobbler’s kids situation.

We’ve put more investment into third-party systems, referral networks, and partner groups. It’s effective, but expensive. I know that if we could get consistent organic traffic, it would reduce our customer acquisition cost dramatically. So yes, it’s a missed opportunity, and it’s definitely on our radar.

Rick: No shame in that—if business is running, then you’ve got a working system. But sounds like there’s a door wide open for future improvement. I’m sure you’ll be getting DMs soon from people offering to fix the site.

Brett: I know! Thanks, Rick.

Rick: Maybe it’s for the best! Let’s switch gears. I want to talk about you as a leader. On a typical day, what do you focus on? What does your day look like?

Brett: All my days start with personal development—quiet time, meditation, and grounding myself. I’m lucky to live in a climate where I can get outside, put my feet on the ground, and let the sun hit me.

Professionally, I start by reviewing the pipeline. What’s coming in? What’s going out? What are we about to close? Then I meet with my sales team—we talk through who’s calling whom, what we’re excited about, and set the tone for the day.

From there, it’s meetings with customers, solving problems, and moving things forward. And yes, I often end up still in my office when I should be at the dinner table, finishing up proposals or prepping reports. But when you love it, it doesn’t feel like work. It’s just part of the mission.

Rick: That’s awesome. And I get what you mean—when you’re passionate, even the annoying parts feel purposeful. There’s always that drive. And sounds like you’ve got it.

Brett: Absolutely. I’ve lived with a number over my head for years. It takes a certain kind of person to live under that pressure and be motivated by it. But I’m a hunter—I like chasing business. I can’t help myself.

Rick: Spoken like a true VP of Sales—again. Alright, we’re nearing the end, so let’s move to our rapid-fire segment. Short, crisp answers only. Ready?

Brett: Let’s go.

Rick: What’s the last book you read?

Brett: One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. It’s about gratitude—really powerful.

Rick: Added to our reading list! What’s one single thing your company is focused on the most right now?

Brett: Virtualization.

Rick: If there were no boundaries in tech, what’s one thing you’d fix in your role today?

Brett: More leads. We close well—we just need more opportunities.

Rick: Fair enough! Now, what’s one repetitive task you’d automate?

Brett: Calendar management. Scheduling, juggling meetings, all of that. It’s human but time-consuming. And yes—I’m open to solutions. Send them my way!

Rick: I might have a tool in mind—we’ll talk about it offline. Last question: if you could go back to the beginning of your sales career, what advice would you give yourself?

Brett: Time management. Do the hard things early. Build good habits now. Bad habits get harder to fix over time.

Rick: I love that. And I’ll add—learn to manage your energy as well as your time. That’s what changed everything for me.

Brett: That’s a great point. I like that.

Rick: Alright, Brett, this has been a fantastic conversation. To close it off—if someone forgets everything about this interview, what’s the one thing they should remember about Stone Door Group?

Brett: Customer first. At Stone Door Group, we obsess over our customers’ success. We’re not just in it for a paycheck—we care about long-term relationships, whether or not there’s a transaction happening today.

Rick: Amazing. And if someone wants to reach out or learn more, where should they go?

Brett: stonedoorgroup.com. You’ll find our contact info and some company history there. And on LinkedIn, I’m Brett Carnali—pretty sure I’m the only one. I’d love to connect.

Rick: Perfect. Thanks again, Brett. Hope to have you back soon. Have a great day.

Brett: Thanks, Rick. Appreciate it.

Rick: Bye everyone.

Brett: Ciao.