Foskett Services creates community and content in the enterprise information technology space. We are headquartered in Hudson, Ohio, with staff working both in the office and remote.
Who We Serve
We build communities of independent technical influencers, content marketing professionals, and IT practitioners
What We Do
We leverage these communities to create and share quality content: Field Day events, paid content creation, and earned editorial
How We Do It
We will be ethical, positive, and supportive to our communities, employees, and partners
Who We Are
We will never forget that the generosity of the people in our communities is the source of our success!
Our Story
The world of information technology is at a crossroads. Traditional IT systems face disruption not seen since the open systems revolution of the early 1990’s: The rapid adoption of Internet-scale services, the proliferation of a new breed of edge computing devices and AI, and a wholesale shift in application development approaches threatens the very foundation of IT infrastructure in the enterprise.
Marketing and communication is being transformed by these same forces, with community and person-to-person contact replacing mass media. Social media, user-driven content like blogging and podcasting, and collaborative events like our own Gestalt IT and Tech Field Day have become the new vehicle for corporate communication and marketing.
Foskett Services sits at the crossroads of enterprise IT and media transformation. We organize events, build and support community, foster content creation activities for enterprise IT companies and the end users they wish to reach. But we are also listeners and speakers. We are IT pros who deeply care about technology and walk the walk. We’re not a PR or media company. We’re us.
Where to Find Us
Foskett Services is headquartered in beautiful Northeast Ohio, between Cleveland and Akron and close to the Cuyahoga Valley National Forest. Our office in historic Hudson, Ohio is our home base, and is designed to be a flexible work space for our team. It includes an open area for group work, meeting rooms, private offices, and a video studio.
We have a flexible working arrangement, with most Ohio employees coming in to the office a few days per week as needed for their productivity. We also have workers outside the local area who work from their home offices in Oklahoma and Colorado. Our Field Day events are often held on-site in Silicon Valley, Austin, Boston, New York, Barcelona, and many other places around the world.
Stephen Foskett
Organizer in Chief — After spending over a decade providing consulting and analysis services to enterprise IT organizations and infrastructure vendors, Stephen Foskett launched his own services organization to face this wave of change head-on. This group applies core best practices for managing IT systems to the emerging post-PC world.
Stephen can often be found on stage delivering keynote speeches and seminars on enterprise technology. He is also deeply involved in the organizational side of our events, often leading the group in discussions and traveling between presentations. Stephen works out of the Hudson, Ohio office.
Claire Chaplais
Chief Operator — Claire Chaplais has over 20 years experience in business operations, marketing communication programs, and event management for the high tech industry. She worked for great companies like Wind River Systems, StorageTek, Common Sense Media, and Harris Broadcasting. She joined Gestalt IT in 2009 to organize the first ever Tech Field Day event with Stephen Foskett, and from there helped grow the organization. Today, Claire thrives on handling the business operations for Gestalt IT, and motivating the team to develop strong and successful programs both for Field Day events, and content creation efforts.
In her free time, she loves to take advantage of living in Colorado and enjoys hiking in the summer and skiing in the winter.
Tom Hollingsworth
Event Lead — Tom Hollingsworth writes about networking and related technolgies on his blog at NetworkingNerd.net. With 10 years of experience in the IT field, Tom has covered the bredth of technology from desktop deployment to data center installation. He brings his unique perspective to his writing as well occasionally lending a voice to the Packet Pushers podcast.
Tom is a popular speaker at industry events on the topic of networking and next-generation IT. He also organizes and leads networking events for Foskett Services, including Networking Field Day and our Tech Field Day Extra events at Cisco Live, Intel, ONUG, and more. Tom works out of our Oklahoma office.
Alissa Nivens
Project Manager — Alissa Nivens is the Project Manager extraordinaire at Gestalt IT! She brings her strong leadership, organizational, and communication skills to the company to plan and execute projects on both the content and event sides of the business. Alissa works closely with all members of the Gestalt IT team to ensure delivery of quality programs.
Outside of work, Alissa can be found exercising at Orangetheory Fitness (she is a bit of a workout fanatic), catching a movie with her (soon-to-be) husband, playing the tuba (don’t ask), or hiking in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Alissa works out of the Hudson, Ohio office.
Zach DeMeyer
Technology Editor – Zach DeMeyer is the Content/Technical Writer for Gestalt IT, building off 5+ years in the enterprise IT industry to tell the stories of the companies and influencers that shape the landscape. He loves getting to know the people and technologies that are innovating the way we work, and loves sharing their achievements with the world.
When he’s not working, Zach loves to play music, watch Leicester City play soccer, and garden with his fiancé and dog. Zach is based out of Denver, Colorado.
Shannon Foskett
Comptroller and Hiring – Shannon Foskett manages the company’s resources. She is responsible for accounts receivable and payable, invoicing and contract processing, and bookkeeping. She also manages the recruiting and hiring process and manages payroll and expenses.
Shannon has degrees in Molecular Virology and Biotechnology, and is a certified teacher. She has taught High School Chemistry and worked in the biotech industry. She also volunteers with the Humane Society and was a foster mom for dozens of kittens.
Rachael Fritz
Event Coordinator – Rachael Fritz is an Event Coordinator at Gestalt IT and brings her years of customer service and leadership experience from hospitality to Tech Field Day. She works alongside the delegates, presenters, and the Gestalt IT team to organize successful Tech Field Day events. Rachael is most excited about traveling for her position.
After work you can find Rachael walking her dogs around the neighborhood or binge-watching Grey’s Anatomy, again. On the weekends she is adventuring to someplace new with her girlfriend or enjoying a sporting event with family. Rachael works out of the Hudson, Ohio office.
Matt Garvin
Event Coordinator – Matt Garvin is an Event Coordinator and brings six years of event support and logistics experience to Tech Field Day for Gestalt IT. He works closely with delegates, presenters, and the Gestalt IT team to help ensure successful Tech Field Day events.
When not at work, Matt is probably playing some sort of game: most commonly board games, video games, or sports. Matt is also a Dad of 3, Cleveland sports enthusiast, and wannabe movie buff. Matt works out of the Hudson, Ohio office.
Abbie Murphy
Digital Content Producer – Abbie Murphy’s professional background began in early-morning television news as a Production Assistant and Associate Producer in Cleveland, OH. Since then she’s gained experience creating digital content for local Cleveland publications and produced video content for a local hospital system. She works closely with her Gestalt IT colleagues, delegates and clients to produce and edit various video projects.
Outside of work, Abbie can be found hiking around the Cleveland Metroparks, watching her beloved Cleveland Indians (soon to be Guardians), hanging out at her favorite local music venues or playing with her cats, Tonks and Cinnamon. Abbie works out of the Hudson Ohio office.