In this episode of Channel Insider: Partner POV, Katie Bavoso speaks with GTIA Chief Channel Officer Nancy Hammervik, longtime ASCII member Chad Kempt, president of Fast Computers, and two members of both organizations, Third Element Consulting CEO Dawn Sizer, and Phantom Technology Solutions CEO Henry Timm, about what’s changing—and what isn’t—following the acquisition.

The conversations explore ASCII’s continued independence as a peer-driven community within GTIA, changes member benefits and dues, GTIA’s global resources, the role of ASCII’s advisory committee, concerns about maintaining community culture, and what the acquisition could mean for MSPs navigating AI and rapid change across the channel.

Topics & Timestamps:

00:00 — GTIA acquires ASCII Group: What does it mean?

01:29 — What are GTIA and ASCII, and why do they fit together?

04:09 — How the GTIA-ASCII acquisition happened

05:44 — How will ASCII remain an independent brand?

08:16 — ASCII member dues, benefits and GTIA access

10:26 — ASCII’s vendor sponsorship model

11:17 — Who leads ASCII after the acquisition?

13:01 — Will ASCII’s community culture be preserved?

16:01 — What GTIA members gain from ASCII

18:48 — GTIA’s growth strategy and potential future acquisitions

21:27 — ASCII member Chad Kempt on the acquisition

23:14 — How ASCII helped transform Kempt’s MSP business

27:39 — Chad’s first reaction to the GTIA acquisition

29:34 — Will ASCII maintain its intimate community?

31:29 — Why MSP community matters in the age of AI

34:25 — The value of trusted relationships in the channel

36:08 — Why GTIA was the “best case scenario” for ASCII

38:29 — Dual member Dawn Sizer weighs in

41:34 — What could change over the next 6–12 months?

45:06 — How members were informed about the acquisition

50:10 — What GTIA and ASCII should prioritize going forward

51:22 — Dual member Henry Timm on consolidation in the IT channel

55:18 — Who benefits more from the acquisition?

57:12 — New resources, research and cybersecurity benefits

59:30 — What members don’t want to see change

1:00:15 — What should GTIA and ASCII do next?

A new episode of Channel Insider: Partner POV is released every other Thursday.

Watch the interview on YouTube @ChannelInsider_NewsAndTrends

If you have questions for a featured solution provider or want to be a guest on the show, reach out to us at partnerpov@channelinsider.com

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Episodes of Channel Insider: Partner POV are hosted and produced by Katie Bavoso with help from Dana Sell, and edited by Ayen Alvarez and Katie Bavoso.

The cover art for Channel Insider: Partner POV was created by Aubri Ziegler. The opening and closing animations were made by Mackenzie Burke. The thumbnails for each episode are made by Brandon Cornwell.

Channel Insider: Partner POV is an asset of Channel Insider, which is a brand under TechnologyAdvice.