AppDirect and Broker Online Exchange Unite, Fueling Advisor Growth

AppDirect has acquired Broker Online Exchange (BOX Energy)

Energy sales represent one of the most exciting growth opportunities for advisors, yet many haven’t fully tapped into the lucrative possibilities available from selling energy. That’s why we’re excited to announce the acquisition of Broker Online Exchange (BOX Energy), North America’s leading retail energy network.

Why this matters to AppDirect advisors

Broker Online Exchange changes the game for energy sales. As energy demands climb sharply amid an AI-driven business landscape, this acquisition positions AppDirect advisors at the forefront of the fast-growing energy market, a complex area that many customers are grappling with.

With access to 90+ electricity and gas suppliers, unmatched expertise, and an advanced platform now available to our advisor community, bringing BOX Energy into the AppDirect ecosystem represents a leap in our energy capabilities. Although we’ve offered energy solutions for several years, this acquisition enables us to broaden our offer, giving AppDirect advisors access to the same capabilities available to current BOX Energy brokers.

“I couldn’t be more excited to bring BOX into our community and make their capabilities available to all our partners and advisors,”

—Nicolas Desmarais, Chairman & CEO, AppDirect

In this blog, we dig deeper into what this means for you as an advisor. We explore the trends shaping the energy market, and why adding energy solutions to your portfolio is an opportunity that will help you fill a significant gap in supporting your customers. We break down what energy products and services you can offer through AppDirect and BOX Energy, and the resources available to help you succeed.

What is Broker Online Exchange?

BOX Energy is the largest, most flexible retail energy network in North America, serving 2000 energy brokers, and now, AppDirect’s 10,000 advisors. It provides instant access to live rates from 90+ top electricity and gas suppliers and the negotiating power to secure the best possible contracts for the clients.

Brokers and advisors get back office support and expansive industry expertise. BOX Energy’s My Service Cloud (MSC) platform offers a CRM that assists energy consultants in creating contracts and providing pricing, commissions and automated contract renewal management.

BOX Energy has extensive offerings for businesses across every industry, including manufacturing & industrial, government & municipalities, commercial real estate, education, restaurants & bars, apartments & multi-family dwellings, hospitality, and Bitcoin mining & data center.

As part of this acquisition, BOX Energy brokers will be able to sell AppDirect’s technology solutions to their end clients, enabling them to expand their share of wallet.

Learn more about the extensive capabilities available through the BOX Energy platform and the BOX Energy supplier marketplace.

A key element in the transition to the everything store for business services

Nick Desmarais, Chairman and CEO of AppDirect, highlighted the strong fit between BOX Energy and AppDirect’s vision to become the “everything store” for business services. “I couldn’t be more excited to bring BOX into our community and make their capabilities available to all our partners and advisors,” he said.

At the heart of fulfilling that vision is expansion into high-growth areas that drive revenue growth for advisors. Nick explained, “Energy is a very fast-growing category, especially with AI driving demand. BOX Energy’s channel-first, advisor-focused model fits perfectly with ours. Their advanced technology platform will help our partners expand their share of wallet.”

“When we think about why BOX, and why now, it fits perfectly with our strategy and vision to become the everything store for businesses—helping them find, buy, and manage services through advisors.”

—Nicolas Desmarais, Chairman & CEO, AppDirect

Nick underscored BOX Energy’s leadership in energy, noting, “BOX services tens of thousands of locations with over 2,000 brokers and is growing rapidly. We want to empower advisors to sell multi-category with the ability to provide end customers with the full technology stack, complete lifecycle management, and to deliver lifetime value for their customers.”

Nick explained that the energy sales and service model is similar to what AppDirect advisors are used to with telco, so learning about energy won’t be a huge leap. “We’re excited to help advisors step confidently into this new space,” he added.

A natural partnership

Arthur Gruen, CEO of BOX Energy, underscored how energy is fundamental to much of what AppDirect already provides. “Energy is the underpinning of so much of what AppDirect is currently selling,” he explained, highlighting its rapidly growing importance in a digital and AI-driven world. Energy remains a major—and costly—business expense, making strategic energy management essential.

“Our shared philosophy and structure make BOX a natural extension of AppDirect’s advisor technology services catalog, empowering them to meet a fundamental client need in an evolving market landscape.

—Arthur Gruen, BOX Energy CEO

Arthur also underscored the strong synergy between BOX Energy’s broker-first and AppDirect’s advisor-first business models. “This channel-driven model, and our shared philosophy and structure, make BOX a natural extension of AppDirect’s advisor toolkit, empowering them to meet a fundamental client need in an evolving market landscape.”

Unprecedented demand is changing energy market dynamics

With energy demand expected to grow by 42% by 2035 according to Gartner®, and energy costs representing up to 25% of operational expenses, energy procurement has become central to strategic planning, focusing on cost control, risk management, and sustainability.

The energy market dynamics make this acquisition timely for our advisors," Nick said. “AI, data center demand, and energy demand form a powerful trifecta. Data centers are creating unprecedented energy demand, and energy underpins these critical growth areas. Advisors need the right tools and know-how to capitalize on this. It’s notable that massive AI data centers consume as much power as small cities and between 2023 and 2024, rapid data center expansion drove electricity rates up by over 50%.

As forecasted demand is likely to outstrip supply, electricity and natural gas prices are likely to increase in the coming year. Additionally, businesses are prioritizing cleaner energy sources and electrification to meet decarbonization goals and reduce costs, reshaping the energy landscape. And to complicate matters even further, ensuring that energy solutions comply with a complex array of regulations and standards can be challenging.

These shifts reflect a broader transformation in how energy is produced, consumed, and managed, fueled by volatile markets, evolving regulations, and growing demand driven by emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and electric vehicles (EVs).

Customers need help making the right energy choices

Against this backdrop, energy procurement is no longer a routine operational task. It’s a strategic imperative for businesses aiming to control costs, optimize efficiency, and meet sustainability goals. Navigating the regulatory landscape can be daunting, even for large businesses. For energy consultants, different regions have varying regulations and compliance requirements, which can complicate the sales process and implementation of energy solutions.

Here’s a look at some of the key hurdles customers face, and why they need the support of a trusted advisor.

• Budget uncertainty—Volatile prices make it hard to plan and control spend, so locking in multi-year rates provides the budget stability customers need. Advisors can leverage access to multiple suppliers and real-time pricing to secure the best long-term contracts tailored to customers’ budgets.

• Complex solutions—The wide range of energy options can be overwhelming, requiring strategic guidance. With dedicated energy expertise and tailored solution portfolios, advisors can help customers identify and optimize the right mix to meet evolving business goals.

• Regulatory hurdles—Changing compliance rules and the rise of alternatives like solar and natural gas add layers of complexity. Advisors can stay ahead by recommending compliant, cost-effective green energy solutions aligned with customers’ environmental and regulatory commitments.

• Integration concerns—New energy solutions must seamlessly fit existing infrastructure to avoid disruption. Advisors can coordinate with technical experts and utilize comprehensive platforms to ensure smooth integration and reliable energy management.

“AppDirect advisors already have strong relationships with their customers. Adding BOX to the AppDirect platform means they’ll be able to serve their customers with another fundamental service that they need."

—Arthur Gruen, BOX Energy CEO

AppDirect + BOX Energy—A total energy solution for your customers

With the combined strengths of AppDirect and BOX Energy, you can help your customers take control of their entire energy lifecycle, manage their total energy spend, and advise them on strategies to lock in energy rates and avoid price hikes.

BOX Energy solutions

BOX Energy is licensed in EVERY deregulated gas and electricity market in North America and Canada, giving you unprecedented access to competitive energy rates nationwide.

It provides unparalleled energy expertise and competitive pricing from all the suppliers in its supplier network, including electricity and gas suppliers across deregulated markets in the deregulated energy markets that BOX Energy serves.

BOX Energy’s My Service Cloud (MSC) platform features:

• Instant pricing and proposals from 90+ suppliers

• Lead tracking and monitoring

• Tools and resources, including marketing intelligence and suppliers details

• Streamlined contract and renewal processes

AppDirect energy solutions: More than natural gas and electricity

AppDirect energy solutions include:

• Electricity and natural gas procurement—The best rates on deregulated electricity and natural gas to power your business.

• Energy efficiency upgrades—Updates to existing building infrastructure like lighting and HVAC system to reduce energy consumption and improve satisfaction

• Water management—Water flow optimization to save money at the meter and utilize smart metering to stop leaks in real time and safeguard against facility damage

• Waste management—The most effective waste and recycling solutions

• Electric vehicle solutions—Leading turnkey certificated charging station installations and a flexible, open, and cloud-based software platform for managing the EV Charging ecosystem

• Building management (sensors & IoT)—Securely access and monitor how energy is being used in your building to control and proactively address areas of concern from anywhere via cloud based software solutions

• Distributed generation—On-site generation deployment, such as solar to save on energy rates and reduce environmental impact.

Next steps: Resources and training to get you started

Although tapping into energy is a huge opportunity, we know it can be daunting to expand into a new market. We’ve got you covered with tools and expertise to start your energy journey.

Not sure where to start? If you’re already an AppDirect advisor, reach out to your Channel Sales Manager. Or, sign up as an advisor today to grow faster selling from the industry’s largest, most diverse catalog.

• Training—We’ll show you how you can easily complement your connectivity portfolio with energy solutions. Take the Expanding into Energy course

• Energy experts—Leverage our product experts to increase energy competency. Contact your Channel Manager to start the conversation

• BOX Energy webinars—Explore a series of webinars filled with expert insights, market analysis and procurement strategies to help your business make informed energy decisions