Hey channel insiders, welcome back to channel insider partner POV. I'm your host Katie Baboso and today we're going back to school with Nathan Davidson, vice president of partnerships at Five-Star Technology Solutions, an exclusively K through2 vertical solution and service provider. We dig into what it takes to serve the edte space, navigating tight budgets and constantly shifting local politics, all while prioritizing the needs of our future leaders, students.
Welcome, Nathan. It's great to be here, Katie. Thanks for having me. It's great to see you again, Nathan. We were just catching up and doing some video work over at Scale Computing Platform. So, I'm thrilled to be able to see you again so soon. How you doing? I'm doing great. It's good to be with you, especially for a second time. So, platform was so fun. It's like, why not hop back in the virtual room here and continue the conversation, right? Right.
We should make it a monthly thing. We can have these monthly meetups just to make sure that we uh we keep the momentum going because I feel like every time we talk, I learned something really exciting about you. You make me laugh and I'm like, I leave this conversation feeling better than I did coming into it. So, I'm just going to reschedule you every every month on the calendar now. I would be up for that. The world needs more Katies. So, you're a joy to be with.
Thank you so much. Now, the audience understands why I love talking to you. They totally get it now. Well, I am so excited for for more than just the reason that I get to talk to you in general today, but I think that what you do, Nathan, is so cool. And I'm such a big fan of FiveStar Technology Solutions. So, I want to start out like hearing straight from the horse's mouth for our audience. Give us a little rundown of who you are and what FiveStar Technology Solutions is.
You're you're based in Indiana, I believe. Uh unless Yes. So talk to me about who you are over at FiveStar Technology Solutions. My career has been in education. So I'm an educator at heart. I have been in the edtech sphere or arena for about 30 years. For a while, I was wondering if that was actually going to be my pathway. Uh, I thought my well, my plan was to be a social studies teacher and coach baseball and basketball and be with kids. Uh, I found out early on after I graduated college that becoming a social studies teacher was actually a very difficult thing.
It was challenging. The number of people wanting to teach social studies outweighed the number of positions. So, it was challenging. And uh I can remember putting on my suit and going out, dropping my resume off uh because we didn't really have a digital way to do that at that point. Uh it was handed off or snail mail and uh I had zero return calls, zero opportunities to interview. So I actually worked in a retail store. It was called Incredible Universe.
It was a Tandy company. So, uh, it did not last very long, but it lasted long enough for me to gain some experiences there, um, selling computer technology, um, getting some leadership position experience. And then I got a call from a friend of mine who was an assistant superintendent and said, um, hey, we need a technology coordinator. That was at a small rural school district on the east side of Indianapolis, Eastern Hancock School Corporation.
And I got the job. I was the only person that interviewed. So, I don't know if anybody watching this has had that before. Uh but uh I I would say that can sometimes be a red flag, but it uh even though that was a tough year, it was a blessing for me to um have an experience, get my foot in the door, so to speak, learn a lot, and and that led to 17 years um in four different school districts in central Indiana, working as a technology coordinator, an educator, technology integration specialist, and eventually um an IT director or CTO.
So since then I've been um in the corporate sphere for um about the past 12 to 13 years. So 10 plus of those at FiveStar. So that's that's me. Fivestar itself as a company um is is I think a very special uh organization, very special group of people. So FiveStar actually celebrated its 20th uh birthday. So, Five Stars turned 20 in 2025, born in 2005 if you're doing the math. And our founder was a network engineer and he noticed that schools really couldn't afford one of him in every school uh and just simply didn't have that capacity.
So, he stepped out and started FiveStar Technology Solutions. So, over the past 20 years, I would say the root of the company started in IT services. So from what we call an engineering standpoint, so the folks that really roll up their sleeves and get into the network closet, the server infrastructure, the virtual infrastructure grew into tier one technical support um and also grew to provide um professional development services for teachers that are working directly with um you know students and teachers. uh and also staff evaluation software and data analytics um you know the the data those tools that that really drive continuous improvement and we we've evolved a number of other services since then but I think that that gives those watching this the gist of who we are and the heart of who we are is to serve K12 schools although we certainly have some SMB customers so we're not limited just to K12 but we definitely have a I think an affinity a heart for for schools and I think that's part of what makes us unique.
I love that and I think anybody listening to this, you know, when we talk about verticals that we serve, they're all so important. We're all so passionate about each of them individually, but I I really doubt that anybody listening to this doesn't have a special soft spot for K through 12 and speaking about that market because as you and I have spoken about before, we're talking about the future of America, the future of the world, and it's so exciting to think about the ways that we impact the kids of today, the adults of tomorrow.
And I think it's so important to really never lose that kind of concept because it's it's bigger. It's bigger than you and I. So, love what you guys do. love hearing about it. First of all, why social studies? I have to ask. Why a social studies teacher in particular? You know, that's a great question. So, my mom was an educator. She taught Spanish. My dad had an affinity for history. So, he was a big Trivial Pursuit fan, Jeopardy, you know, and and all that.
He was more well read than I than I was. But I I I think going into college, first of all, I I honestly didn't know what I wanted to do. Secondly, when I transferred from Wabash College to Indiana University, um I had a friend who was also going into education, uh I thought I was going to go a business track. So, um just because I I don't know, I felt something inside of me, you know, wanted to be in the in the corporate sector. But uh the more I the more I listened to him, I thought, you know, I I think I'm going to going to try education.
So I actually got a computer endorsement and I think combined the interest in history uh to where I thought, well, if if I'm going to teach, I want to teach something that I'm interested in. So that became history. Many history teachers are coaches. So that's I think that connection is still true today. Not all, but many. So it that that's really kind of where it went hand in hand. But interestingly enough, my pathway into K12 schools was through that computer endorsement.
Wow. So it prepared people to code a little bit and it prepared you to um be fluent in certain multimedia applications. So again, I'm going to date myself, but we used Linkway and Hyper Studio. So please Google those Katie. Um so that's what what I did. did it did not prepare me to manage a budget. It didn't prepare me to um troubleshoot a network uh or troubleshoot a PC uh or a Mac for for that matter. So, it was a lot of lot of learning on the fly.
I'm a little off your question there, but that's the connection to social studies. I never had the chance to apply it, but that's the that's the background. It was to be a social studies teacher and a coach. Well, now I know that every event that we go to, if there is a like one of those trivia nights nearby, you're on my team 100% if you're at the same event as me, Nathan. So, I'll be my best. So, well, so Nathan, going on from there, I I want to know when when you consider your time that you spent actually inside of the schools in as the CTO, how do you think that better prepared you for taking on a job like you are now with FiveStar Technology Solutions?
I I know that you went over kind of that. um shift that you had during your period of education. But what I'd like to know is really what did it open your eyes to that you think allowed you to be able to enter the door into the world where you now support the youth's of of the country who are working now in those in the closets as the CTO working to help keep the network up and running at schools. What did it open your eyes to that you said I didn't know this was going on and this this isn't something I would have known from the outside?
That is a fantastic and massive question. So re it really is very good. First of all, I don't think that there's any replacement for experience, authentic experience. There is a lot that you can learn from the outside about what someone in that role is responsible for, what they have to deal with on a on a day-to-day basis, but there's nothing that prepares you better than being in that position. And that position in schools, it has had a really interesting evolution from where it really started as if you were a science teacher or a math teacher, you kind of got tapped on the shoulder to, hey, we we need a technology coordinator.
Um, that was the early role. The director of technology, the chief technology officer role is is just well well beyond that. Those individuals are responsible for continuity of learning. the maintaining of technology operations, the security of data, the safety of kids. And you know, if you think about it, as as the world has moved more digital, almost anything that plugs into a wall, that individual, it all points back to them, to that person, that, you know, that that that man or woman.
And it is a position that uh is incredibly demanding. um can be thankless at times and honestly you know the other part in terms of what's enlightening I think the most enlightening part is the politics that plays into that position when you look at an organizational chart and how a school corporation values that person sometimes that person isn't at the cabinet level they are maybe a level removed and they're not at the you know they don't have a seat at the table per se so um I I feel like that becomes a problem because you're essentially saying, "Well, that person is really just needs to be a yes person.
Do what we ask you to do or tell you to do versus we value you as a leader and we want your input and you need to be involved in those conversations that span the entirety of our enterprise whether it's instructional, whether it's technical, whether it's involving security, whether it's involving community. So that that person should be a leader. I think the enormity of that role, the responsibility, the really the stress that goes with it um was probably the most enlightening thing.
What I will also say is when that position is done well and there is a uh a good leadership team, there's a positive culture in uh in an organization, then that person can really really have an amazing experience and can bring extreme value to not just teachers and students but to a community. So it's a role that is missionritical in in schools. Um, so for those considering it, you know, you can't go into it lightly. Um, and there um, and I'm I'm proud even with one of these these pins here to be a board member for Kosen, which is consortium of school networking.
That's the leadership organization that is is involved in edtech policy in Washington DC and also create state chapters that support those CTOs, both the uh, prospective and current CTO. So, you know, I couldn't speak more highly of the value that those those roles bring, Katie. Um, but also the enormity of what those individuals are responsible for. And let's talk more about those responsibilities because it's important to me that those listening to this that may not interact with the K through2 vertical understand the technology side of it.
Because if you talk to somebody like me who went to school in the '9s and the early 2000s where my I would say it was very analog compared to probably just starting to to go uh into the realm of being more digital during that time. What are some of the responsibilities that a lot of these CTOs and IT leaders within the schools are tasked with that they turn to you for? I'd love to kind of paint a picture of what exactly are we talking about when we think about technology in these school systems.
I think I I can answer that two ways. Um, one is the part of the history of who who a school corporation would hire for that position. Typically, when you hear a title that has chief technology officer or IT director, chief information officer, you know, you think somebody technical, right? So somebody with a technical background should be proficient in maintaining the network, keeping it updated, keeping it secure, right? Those individuals most likely do not have a background in curriculum and instruction, which directly impacts the classroom.
Those individuals also um might not be the most personable people. Um they might not be the the most adept at building relationships. And there also now is um an evolving need for developing vision and and really having leadership skills. So I think that there are technical skills that are involved in that position. There also are leadership skills that are involved and you know again I can make the connection to to Kosen you know being um leader as an organization and helping um those in that position um acquire those skills.
Um, but it's it's very very uh important that whoever is in that role um is well-rounded. And so I'm going to be in that role and I'm going to bring a background um and I'm going to bring some strengths to the table. But my background being instructional so I'm able to um bring vision to the table. I'm able to understand what is needed in the classroom. And whereas I have some technical aptitude, um I don't have that like someone else might who went to college with a computer degree, right?
Um and who achieved maybe some network level certifications, some industry certifications, that's not me. But to make the connection to that position and what someone would look to fivestar for, it would be to fill some of those gaps. So someone in a CTO position might say, "Well, I don't have the dollars to hire multiple network engineers or multiple tier one technicians." So, I need to have somebody that really understands my needs as a school corporation that has that experience and can give me that expertise that I can just pay a fraction of that cost but have somebody provide that safety net or um an efficiency of resources where I don't have to hire a number of people.
Um, I can just use FiveStar to be my to be my support, to be my trusted adviser and provide the layer of technical skills and, you know, a consultative trusted advisor approach that help me be successful in my job. That's what we do. Speaking of being successful in your job and helping those that rely on you to be successful in theirs, I'd love to dig into more of the challenges that you see those schools facing. And one of them that comes to mind immediately is budgets.
We're talking about public institutions that are probably very budget constrained uh now more so than ever. When it comes to working with budgets at schools, is there anything that FiveStar is able to do to kind of help stretch them? How do you work with a budget like that? And for those listening that don't work in that vertical, what's often impacting that budget? Where do they come from? So, why do you have to really consider how you're making every dollar go the longest way it possibly can?
Sure. And and that's 100% a reality in in schools right now. And you know the funding mechanisms are are multifaceted but typically they are coming from um local property taxes. So that's allocated you know the the the state provides uh those dollars to school districts. Um the way uh our state in Indiana where we're we're located is set up is you know the local entities actually have the ability um to offer a or go out for referendum to have the community say hey we want to put our dollars towards this particular project.
Typically that's construction. When you have that there's technology involved in it. The states will offer grant funding. There are federal dollars that are also available either on a competitive basis or uh that's based on your free and reduced lunch population. So um many different funding mechanisms. Some are more fixed, some are more um variable. So that poses some challenges. Of course, right now in the climate at the federal level with the uncertainty of what the current administration is going to do with the federal department of education, you know, naturally that filters down to making superintendents or local entities a little more uh, you know, hesitant about, well, where are the dollars going to come from?
In my experiences, over time, there are always dollars. I, you know, I understand that there is, um, you know, currently some uncertainty there within the political climate, um, but that typically sorts itself out. So I I think that we'll see that. Uh I think in terms of where Fistar helps or where uh schools would turn to us, we actually and we we've said this publicly, we typically put people before profit. So because we care so much about schools, it's not necessarily that we're the lowest price.
However, we really try to be mindful. In fact, we had a superintendent tell us FiveStar is the most fiscally minded company they've ever worked with. And that that's that's a really big deal. When you have a superintendent tell you that, that's a big deal. And I fully believe it's because how we partner with schools and how we listen. We hear, hey, you know, we have budget constraints. And whereas we might not be able to be the lowest, the services we offer, we try and offer the best quality service that we know solves a real problem that schools have in terms of capacity and expertise.
And we we try and make sure that we do that in a budget, you know, an an edtech or an edu budget friendly manner. So fixed monthly cost. We have uh some partners that are in the financing space. So if it's a capital expenditure um and you know there's a refresh they need that's a half a million dollars and they can't do it now you know we can work with other companies to try and stretch that out with a you know a lower uh interest rate. So you know just a couple of examples of how we try and accommodate the you know the challenging budgets the schools have.
I know it would be so easy to to advocate and say you absolutely, you know, to the public I should say you absolutely should understand of where all this money goes and you should care about that when it comes time to vote or when it comes time to talk about taxes. But for you, is there anything that you would tell the public within those school districts of just what to consider their dollars are going to when you I'm sure there are school meeting nights where people stand up and they're like, I don't understand why things cost this much or where these this dollar these dollars are going.
Is there anything that you would tell the communities in those areas about what it is that you need to really focus on with these technical aspects and why it's important to really prioritize them? Two things about that. One, and I've I've fallen into this trap myself. You see a school build a massive athletic complex and you think, well, if dollars went there, why can't that go to something else? Classroom technology. Optics are one thing. reality is another.
So, you know, the the truth is is that there could have been uh sponsorship dollars that went towards the building of that facility and those dollars were not to be used for something else, right? Um it could have been there is a budgeted fund that's specifically for a certain project and there isn't latitude for those dollars to go somewhere else. So, perception is not always reality. So, that's one thing I would say. Number two is if there's another company that says that, "Oh, well, yeah, we we support the K12 vertical or we sell into K12 schools." Well, that may be true, but if if your company's just about dollars and profit, you have to keep in mind that ultimately, if that's the case, you're taking dollars away from kids.
And that's when you follow that paper trail, so to speak. That that's really ultimately what happens. So, it really really upsets me when I see school districts that, you know, make a choice to give their business to someone uh or some entity that, you know, just isn't in it for those reasons. Um, and that upsets me because that ultimately that's dollars away from kids. it's dollars away from teachers and classrooms and um and that's disappointing when that happens.
And I appreciate you pointing those things out because it's important to me when I think about where budgets come from. We're often thinking about private corporations, we're thinking about companies that are small businesses where it's very easy to see where the money comes from because it's coming from the revenue. But when it comes to schools and organizations uh like that, I like to really paint the picture for those listening who are considering what actually has to go into this and it's a much more dollar by dollar focus than I think many people realize.
So going on from there and kind of shifting towards other things impacting your realm right now, what about technology when it comes to the school systems that you're you're working alongside at the moment? What trends are you implementing, avoiding, finding really challenging? talk to me a little bit about uh are you seeing AI in the space and how are you handling that? How are you helping the schools be educated and knowing how they should be using it or shouldn't be using it?
Big crystal ball question and the short answer is yes absolutely AI probably the biggest buzzword if you will in education um biggest gray area in education. First of all, we started at the classroom level. So our professional development team is phenomenal. They're all former educators, all licensed educators, all um very proficient with technology, but with a full mastery of instructional best practices and pedigogy. So, we've really started there.
So, it's really we've tried to build professional development programs that um school districts can take advantage of that will help prepare teachers to use it um and and administrators uh as well. But we also on the back end are looking more and more into well how can we prepare schools from a technical level uh how to handle that you know what are what are ways that could be leveraged to help uh IT directors network engineers become more efficient it won't replace jobs that's one thing I'll h I'll have to say uh in in some cases it certainly could but uh AI is a very very powerful tool for those willing to embrace it and use it.
So I think from a technical lens, I know internally, you know, we've got some people um doing a lot of R&D on that um are already implementing how it can um you know, help us efficiently create scopes of work. So you know, different methods like that, but really it's it's going to be the power of what you ask it to do. So if you're good at creating good prompts, then the output is going to be reflective of that. But um it's definitely something right now that schools are very mindful of um trying to get their hands around not only from a from a use case but also from a policy standpoint because again it has classroom implications, it has uh administrative implications, it has security implications, it also has community implications.
So and school districts have to uh you know embrace AI from all of those lenses. You know, Nathan, I'm so curious about when I think of your your time spent at FiveStar, you perfectly fall right on that half the time before, half the time after the pandemic. Um, if we're if we're judging the pandemic just by the year of 2020, which of course we're not, but when we consider everything that happened during that time, what did you notice to be the biggest change between the before and the after where we are now?
And how does that consistently continue to impact your job every year? Are you seeing the speed of innovation happen faster than it has? Are you seeing more of a jump into new technology, more of a hesitancy? How has just that kind of world shifted since before the pandemic? The pandemic was the act of God that many of us, myself included, just because of my background working with educators, seeing the positive impact that technology can have. But without that particular moment and that particular act of God, so to speak, there were many people that, you know, could essentially choose not not to use it.
The pandemic was that catalyst that forced schools that were hesitant or kind of dragging their feet. Everybody then had to purchase devices, get devices in kids' hands, move to remote learning. And what we saw, and we were, I think, uniquely positioned to see this is those and many of those schools that were working with us, I honestly felt had an advantage. And I I would say if you talked to some of them or all of them, they would probably agree uh that they were ahead of the curve.
Um they were prepared for that because they had already provided devices to students. They had already started professional development on how to um implement some form of remote or blended learning. So when the pandemic hit and we had to shift to full remote instructions, it was challenging and yeah, it wasn't perfect, but the schools that had already started down that path were much more prepared than others that had to be more reactive to it versus proactive.
So I think from there that was a positive catalyst probably painful for many um you know students, parents and educators at that time but it it forced the issue and and that trends continued. So technology has had to play a a key role. Um and I know in Indiana 95 plus% of students all have devices. Um I think the side effect to that though is the funding piece you mentioned because through the pandemic pandemic the esser dollars you know helped fund a lot of the technology that went into that those dollars have dried up but the technology is here at this point it's getting close to the to the uh place where it's outdated and needs to be refreshed.
Well are those dollars there? Maybe not uh in a lot of cases. So now the mindset is there I think for schools that they need to leverage technology that there's some positives there but it's honestly got them questioning now well can we afford to replace every student device do we need to look at moving back to a cartbased model where there's just a set of devices in certain classes so I answer that question a number of different ways but the pandemic was 100% the catalyst that left schools no other option as to provide devices to move into a world of remote learning um and learn learn some lessons along the way but I also believe that uh for the most part that has been maintained and um it's going it's going to continue to do so right I mean technology is not going anywhere we've seen the trend up and to the right in terms of the capabilities of technology and what the possibilities are and the challenge in schools is continuing to rethink our education ational model and moving more further away from the factory model and just allowing technology to better accelerate learning and have kids learn at their own pace and make it more personalized.
So technology will absolutely be the driver for that. I'd love to hear a success story that you like to point to when it comes to really showing this is exactly the kind of example that we show people when we talk about what FiveStar Technology Solutions is really great at and the value we provide. Knowing that these are sensitive organizations, we're talking about schools. You don't have to name anybody, but is there a an example that comes to mind when you think about that is such a success story to me?
You know, there are a couple that come to mind and I'm not going to name the school, but kind of back to the pandemic question. It's a school that we that we a small rural school that we had partnered with um for uh a number of years and they were with our support earlier to adopt what we would call onetoone meaning every student has a device that device typically goes home and is used to you know access the internet and and a number of web-based curricular resources. that district when the pandemic hit told us multiple times that they they would not have been able to make that transition as smoothly had they not had Fivear as a partner.
Um and and I have to give that that corporation credit both from a leadership level, the vision of multiple superintendants to take the leap, uh the willingness of teachers to embrace it. So, you know, we were we we were partners and we locked arms with that school district and to hear that from them knowing that we had that positive impact um meant the world to us. So, that that's one example. Um and I'd say there there's a more recent example of when school districts see us as a partner that, you know, we're we're not there to take.
We don't want the job of a CTO or a network engineer, whoever the technology leader is of the school. We just want to support that person. And we we had another another partner that you're familiar with, Scale. I'll name the partner, but it's a district that partnered both with us and with Scale and called us the ideal partnership for him. And you know, Katie, when when you hear that, um you don't always hear it. It's easy to hear the negative of, oh well, you know, you you didn't do this or hey, why did you push this update out uh during the school day?
Uh you know, something like that, which by the way, we really really try to avoid and we know we're not supposed to do that, but you know, hey, sometimes things uh you know, don't go the way we want them. So um you know we try and respond to that positively but when you get you know unsolicited positive feedback from a technology leader it it's really validating that you are doing good work and you're doing something right. So those are the those are the examples I I those are the two that come come to mind.
I've got got some others but th those are those are the two that that I would share with you. Speaking of unsolicited feedback, you did mention Scale Computing as a partner that you feel has really been supporting Highar Technology Solutions. Are there any other vendors that you would shout out right now as far as being able to know exactly how to support you and support the K through2 vertical? This is somewhat of a loaded question because if I don't name someone and they watch this video, then I'm going to be asked, "Hey, how come you didn't cite me?" Um, we have we have multiple partners that that we work with and I think that you know we try and distinguish between a between a strategic partner like scale computing um and and other partners that are you know resale partners but you know maybe we haven't built the momentum or the relationship that we that we'd like to have but um you know I I would say HPE Aruba is in that category I would say Prometheian and smart and audio enhancement are are in that category simply because they understand um what partnership is and and they understand that communication uh both ways is important that collaboration is important that we need to share capital and and and resources right that we're you know committed to each other committed to um you know who we serve in K12 schools.
So um I think those are the examples of partners that I would put uh in in that category. I would say scale is the exemplar though simply because we we know that they emphasize partnerships. We were honored to be named North American partner of the year and you know just thrilled about that. But but it's a it's a testament to how we've worked together, how we've communicated, collaborated, shared resources, you know, the commitment we have to each other.
It's a shining example. So it's not it's not just about the revenue and the and the profit. It's just the synergy that that we have and we we just like each other, you know, it's it's it's great people and people are a big part of that. So, everybody that I mentioned those and again, if somebody's watching this, one of our partners is watching this and I didn't name your name, please don't take that personally, but uh you know, all those companies have have really really good people.
So, that helps. I I think to narrow down maybe to narrow down that question a little bit more is just for those who are watching for those vendors who are watching even for those partners who want to work with you in the future in any capacity are watching what's something that they can do or understand to better serve a partner like fivestar technology solutions and especially to better serve and better understand the K through2 space. Is there any advice that maybe you have for them for those who we again don't have to name names but for anybody who might be missing the mark?
What's one way that they can get closer? Two two things. Um, one I would say understand who you are as a partner. And for those watching that have not looked into Teresa Caragal's resources or her book partnering success, I I would highly encourage that first because that is going to inform that individual or that organization about what what true partnership looks like. The second part of that is something just that that we have homegrown is what all this is not trademarked or copyrighted but the five C's of partnership and I I would say you have to think about collaboration communication capital sharing of capital uh commitment to each other and to who you serve and establishing collective trust.
So if if you look at it from those five C's and and the lenses of what each of those entails, that's what we look for. So um when we look at new partners and and we have companies daily, if not weekly, that I'll get something in the inbox or a voicemail, hey Nathan, I just wanted to reach out. I saw you serve K12 schools and we would love to talk about partnership. And I I always think, do you really understand partnership or do you just see us as a pathway to grab dollars from schools?
And so we we actually have an internal process that we're refining where we're looking at prospective partners if you know we do some research and we think it's interesting enough to have a conversation, but we're looking at it from the lens of those five Cs and then also from a technical lens as well. So we really and we have to do that again because if we are partnering with a company and we are putting that company in front of our schools, we're actually putting our own reputation at risk.
So for K12 schools that partner with us and we're bringing folks like Scale Computing or Aruba or you know whoever in front of them, it's because we've done the homework and you know they're you know there should be the collective trust that's there right? Absolutely. 100% and I I always enjoy hearing about your five C's and the steps on that. So I'm I'm very privileged to have heard that before and I was waiting for it to come out and it still resonates just now.
So thank you so much for that, Nathan. So looking to the future, Nathan, what's next for FiveStar Technology Solutions this year? Anything exciting coming up for you and anything that the community that's listening can support you with? What we're most excited about is um so where it's 20 years of the birth of FiveStar, it's also this month the one-year anniversary of what we'll call just for the industry term the acquisition of Empower Learning.
It's much more than an acquisition because this this company is perfectly aligned with when we talk about partnerships um just the the perfect definition of that except now that they're actually uh a company that's a five-star brand it's beyond partnership. So, we're wanting to I think what we're most excited about is not only our collective synergy as a five-star and empower learning team, but taking the partners within both of those brands, um finding more creative ways to um get the word out there and Katie, you know, you're giving us a platform to do that and we're grateful for that.
But we want to get in front of as many people as we can, whether that's a webinar or a lunch and learn or a social event. Um, we love sports, so you know, you're going to see us at at Wrigleyfield and Great American Ballpark and even coming to districts and meeting schools where they're at. Um, we're trying to do that not just in the Midwest, but really uh all over the country. So, um, I I think I think we're we're excited about that. I think we're excited about um the the way we've designed our services to be to bring efficiency and cost savings and capacity to schools.
So, and keeping up with the the current, you know, trends in education and helping to provide the, you know, being the trusted adviser that superintendents and CTO's need. Well, Nathan, there's so much more that I want to ask you, but in the interest of time, where can we learn more about FiveStar Technology Solutions so that those who are listening can come and talk directly to you to find out more? You bet. So, fivestar.com is the the web resource.
There's there's plenty there. You will find our YouTube channel there. We're on all socials. Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Twitter, I'll call it Twitter because that's what I called it. Um, so we're we're um we're all over there. uh there uh is plenty of information on our website about our services about where we're going to be on our events page. So I would just encourage um anyone to to go there. So uh I'm easy to find on LinkedIn. So if anybody wants to connect with me um you know I'm sometimes a a pathway into the company and learning more.
So happy to to chat with uh anyone who wants to learn more about FiveStar Empower Learning and what we do and who we serve. Nathan, thank you so much for your time today. It's always a pleasure getting to catch up with you, but I'm so excited that we got to do it for a longer period of time and talk more about FiveStar Technology Solutions today. Thank you so much. Yeah, you're the best, Katie. It's so fun. Thanks again for the platform and the opportunity to talk with you.
So, I will absolutely look forward to the next time we get to chat. Oh, we are going to chat again every month. Like I said, wait. Oh, every month. That's right. Hey, let's call it. Thanks so much to Nathan for joining me today and thank you for watching or listening. You can check out every episode of Channel Insider Partner POV on channelinsider.com or watch us on YouTube at youtube.com/ channelinsider_news and trends. You can also listen to us as a podcast wherever you get your podcasts from.
Don't forget to like, subscribe, and follow wherever possible so you never miss an episode. Come connect with us on social media on LinkedIn or x@ channelinsider or with me Katie Bavoso. Once again, I'm your host Katie Bavoso and I'll see you next time.
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