Continuing a growth-through-acquisition phase begun in September 2019, the Madison-based Gordon Flesch Company (GFC) announced Tuesday that the company has agreed to acquire Information Technology Professionals (ITP), a managed service provider based in Madison with locations in the Appleton and Milwaukee area.
With this acquisition, the GFConsulting Group will become one of the largest technology solutions providers in Wisconsin and the upper Midwest, offering services including cloud, cybersecurity, and managed IT.
GFC previously acquired Advanced Systems Inc., an independent dealer in the office technology industry with offices in Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota this past September. In November, GFC added Indiana Business Equipment, a Canon dealer located in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Family-owned since 1956, the Gordon Flesch Co. employs more than 600 people throughout 26 offices in the Midwest and is one of the largest family-owned providers of office technology solutions in the nation.
According to a GFC release, managed service providers (MSPs) are increasingly important in the complex and technology-driven business world, with the market projected to hit $296.38 billion globally by 2023. With the combined resources of GFC’s GFConsulting Group and ITPs’ team, the Gordon Flesch Company will serve 400-plus customers and employ 70 MSP staff in locations across the Midwest.
“ITP is one of the premier MSPs in Wisconsin and has a great reputation for delivering strong technical support and solutions to the customers they serve,” says Patrick Flesch, president of the Gordon Flesch Co. “Their strong technical team and operational maturity will be a great addition to the current team that GFConsulting has built over the years. This acquisition underscores GFC’s commitment to be the leading provider of technology solutions in the markets we serve.”
Jeff Dotzler, vice president of GFConsulting, notes that the ITP acquisition has been in the works since May 2019 and is based on similar approaches to managing technology for customers, nearby office locations, and many of the same partners and vendors.
“Our belief is that this acquisition combines two teams that can deliver a strong solution to organizations looking for strategic guidance and deep technical skills so they can focus on their core business purpose,” says Dotzler. “Both organizations are strong in their core business offerings, while ITP has expertise in more advanced Microsoft cloud and hyperconverged solutions.”
According to Dotzler, ITP is being absorbed into GFC and within the GFConsulting Group, and both teams will work out of the current ITP offices at 345 W. Washington Ave. All ITP staff will be offered positions in the new company, and Paul Hager, ITP’s president, CEO, and owner, will be staying with the new company as director of solutions and lead the pre-sales and engineering teams.
Founded in 2003, ITP has grown to 40 employees, serving more than 200 clients in Wisconsin. “I am proud of how quickly ITP has grown, becoming one of the leading MSPs in Wisconsin in a very short time,” says Hager. “I am excited for the opportunity to begin the next chapter in our story, as we join one of the oldest and most respected technology companies in the Midwest. The combined resources and reach of our two companies will be an unbeatable combination.”
Both GFC and ITP feature prominently on the CRN Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list, which recognizes the largest and most innovative North American managed services companies. As one of the nation’s largest independent office equipment providers, GFC launched the GFConsulting Group in 2015 to expand the company’s ability to help businesses solve challenging problems. These capabilities include not only managed IT, cybersecurity, and cloud computing services, but also virtual CIO (vCIO) and consulting services, enterprise content management, and AI solutions.
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