Catalyst Technology Group, Inc. was established in 2002 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2002, our Chicago office was opened, and in 2012 we expanded to Denver. Catalyst was formed with the vision of taking enterprise-class systems and support processes, and streamlining those solutions to offer small-and-medium size businesses enterprise-class IT support. Reaching out successfully to organizations that had never experienced this level of support, Catalyst has grown to over 700 customers in 3 primary markets.
Founded in 2002
Still growing Today
Neil Issa is the President & CEO of Catalyst Technology Group, which he founded in 2002 and which has since become a leading provider of IT services in the SMB market. Under his leadership, Catalyst has evolved from a small startup to a company supporting over 700 business clients and running IT operations around the world through its Indianapolis, Chicago, and Denver locations.
Neil is regarded as a thought leader who takes enterprise-class solutions and streamlines their delivery so that smaller organizations can take advantage of a high level of support at a fraction of the cost of building the same systems out internally. He is passionate about helping small businesses thrive, fueled by his extensive experience working with startups and small businesses. In addition, he regularly mentors other entrepreneurs.
Neil maintains a high level of technical understanding of emerging technologies, which comes in handy as he helps guide Catalyst to provide best-of-breed competitive solutions to train Catalyst staff and educate his client-base on new developments in the IT industry.
Prior to founding Catalyst, in 1999, Neil co-founded and served as President of one of the industry’s first IT managed services companies, Velocity Integration, which he sold to a larger organization managing data center space to which his company had provided services. He also served as Director of Professional Services and as a Network Engineer and Infrastructure Project Manager earlier in his career.
Jim Issa is the Vice President of Professional Services for Catalyst Technology Group, which he helped co-found. He is responsible for service delivery, and oversees Catalyst’s team of support engineers. Jim strives to maintain the highest level of support standards for Catalyst’s clients and engineers by taking a hands-on approach with technical requests, and not only meeting, but exceeding, the client’s expectations.
Technology is constantly evolving. Â It is imperative that we stay abreast of these changes in order to provide the best solutions, and understand how the new technology can benefit existing client infrastructures. To this end, Jim spends a lot of time evaluating and training on new hardware and software technologies.
Prior to Catalyst, he worked as a Senior Systems Administrator for a consulting firm, supporting small and medium-sized businesses. He has held positions in the banking and finance industries.
Bob Thompson is the Vice President, Business Development of Catalyst Technology Group. Since joining Catalyst in 2002, he has been instrumental in bridging the gaps in bringing enterprise-level solutions to the SMB market. He recently completed a four-year term serving on Cisco’s Small Business Executive Exchange Board of Trustees, whose primary purpose was to help migrate, develop and enhance SMB infrastructure and communications solutions.
Bob has a diverse business background, ranging from audit (financial, operational and fraud/investigative engagements), to mergers/acquisitions, to business solution development. Starting with a tenure in “Big Four” auditing, he moved to an ILEC’s Internal Audit and Security role. This involvement with many different clients/vertical markets gave him a strong foundation for workflow analysis. This is critical in root cause identification to help determine IT tactics to attain financial and operational targets for SMBs.
In addition, his strong background in regulatory compliance and best practices with respect to strengthening internal controls leads to enduring solutions that mitigate business risk. Put another way, Bob has over 20 years’ experience in network assessment methodology. This methodology serves as the foundation for Catalyst’s Structured IT Management.
Bob is an active volunteer with several local and national charities.
Rafael Manzon is the Vice President of Partner Development at Catalyst Technology Group, Inc. His primary responsibilities include the design, implementation, growth, and ongoing support for our varied partnership programs. Strategic partnerships allow Catalyst to provide world class service to clients worldwide. With his extensive experience in business best practices and customer service excellence, Rafael is able to foster strong relationships between corporate partners to benefit both the partner companies and their clients.
Prior to serving on the Catalyst leadership team, he was President of ConnectCom BPO, CEO of DNC.com and Director of Business Affairs for the Professional Association of Customer Expectations. Rafael has been recognized by government dignitaries and international publications as a pacesetter in the customer service industry. Throughout his career, he has spent the majority of his efforts collaborating with industry leaders, technology providers, and governments regarding the future of customer service and the technology that best serves the customer.
Additionally, he has worked throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean to encourage economic growth, regulatory compliance, as well as the establishment of best practices throughout the service and technology industries. Rafael is known as a futurist, tech geek, and is a strong advocate for the rights of the consumer. He can often be found speaking about the future impact that technology and best practices will have on the business community. His passions include helping brands with their strategy and vision regarding the application of emerging technologies to provide ideal customer experiences.
Betsy Kissinger brings relationship-building and resourcefulness to the management of Catalyst’s service team, resulting in stellar service and support for customers. Characteristics which naturally come to her when interacting with Catalyst’s clients and staff, Betsy focuses on the people aspect of technology solutions. Internally, her focus is to instill a culture of accountability, teamwork, and ambition among service team members, while she continues to develop operational management and technical expertise. From a customer perspective, her focus is centered around all aspects of maintaining and improving service levels by managing SLAs, communication processes, and professional services automation (PSA) tools.
Betsy’s career with Catalyst has provided her with vast experience in every area of the company: accounting, human resources, sales, management, and customer service. She leads with an attitude of positivity and strives to build and spread that culture in a nontraditional office environment of a distributed workforce. Making sure that our client’s experience is exceptional is Betsy’s goal every day and she has developed a client signature experience which is the goal Catalyst strives to achieve.
When not working, Betsy enjoys spending time with her four kids and husband. She is actively involved in both her city and her kid’s schools by devoting her free time to make a positive difference in the lives of others, and she strives to be a better, kinder, and more generous person daily.
Anthony Gochenour is the Director of Microsoft Azure Solutions. He first started working with Catalyst in 2014, taking on a technical and support role before moving into business development and taking a lead role in Catalyst’s Azure business. He has a knack for using limited resources to make a huge impact on projects, and he is someone who takes an active interest in the world around him, leading him to fix things as a matter of course. A gifted problem solver, he has overseen unprecedented growth within Catalyst’s Azure business and maintained consistently high rates of client satisfaction.
While studying Information Technology at Indiana State University, Anthony learned the ins and outs of technology, and understands how quickly concepts within the field change. As such, he makes it a priority to stay abreast of the latest developments in cloud computing and technology as-a-whole.
Outside the office, Anthony enjoys riding motorcycles, studying the stock market, exploring the outdoors, and working on classic cars.
Kelli Frederick is the Director of Productivity Solutions. She is an innovator at heart, someone who is constantly driven toward new experiences and better technologies. A people person, she genuinely enjoys serving her clients, and takes pride in showing off the latest apps and gadgets that she encounters daily.
She first got her start in the technology field at Catalyst in 2008, and since then has been instrumental in building a strong relationship between Catalyst and Microsoft. During this time, she became certified to hold customer immersion experiences in cloud technologies, implemented lead development programs, participated in exclusive top-tier partner training programs, provided guidance to Microsoft at executive round tables, and built marketing development funding programs and promotions.
Although she at first studied healthcare, Kelli has since discovered that her true passion is in designing and implementing productivity solutions to increase business profitability and efficiency for all clients. She believes in finding collaborative solutions rather than solutions in segments, focusing on seamless end-user experiences that reduce management time and cost.
Kelli sincerely enjoys learning new things. She is resourceful and clever, finding innovative ways to approach tasks. When she is not in the office, she can often be found at a pool cheering on her kids who are swimmers and divers. She lives on a farm, which rescue dogs, cats, horses, and donkeys all call home as well. When she retires, she would like to run a bed and breakfast.
Bob Finholm is a Business Solutions Advisor for Catalyst Technology Group. Bob’s primary territory is the city of Chicago and surrounding suburbs.  He also works with clients in Denver, Kansas City and throughout Wisconsin. Bob’s clientele includes a variety of businesses, ranging from nonprofit organizations to manufacturing and insurance companies. He enjoys creating and cultivating relationships at work and in his personal life, and strives to provide a top-notch experience from the initial conversation to the adoption of a new IT solution.
Bob’s diverse sales background includes 10 years in retail account management, business development roles in intellectual property, as well as fitness club management. He also runs a one-man business, ‘Back In Time Machine’, which specializes in the preservation of archival photo, video and film. Bob’s hobbies include biking, boxing and record collecting.
Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. This is what it means to believe in Murphy’s Law, a rather bleak and somewhat nihilistic view of how the w [...]
Read moreOne of the biggest problems with emerging technologies is the fact that it can be very hard to tell if they will actually provide any benefit to a bus [...]
Read moreThe word “wizard” may not seem to have much to do with computing, besides calling someone a “computer wiz.” However, there is a particular typ [...]
Read moreWe’d love to hear from you. Please complete the form below and we'll be in contact shortly.
