Steven Fitzgerald

Steven Fitzgerald enrolled at Michigan Tech as an Electrical Engineering major in the fall of 1970. He would have never predicted he would soon become the University’s first-ever Computer Science graduate in 1974. It was the dawn of Computer Science studies at Michigan Tech, and together with two other students, Fitzgerald’s senior project was the first widespread interactive computer terminal network across Michigan Tech’s campus.

His landed his first job with Kimberly-Clark as a system programmer. Fitzgerald’s then-boss introduced him to telephones systems, and he has since followed a path of data and voice communications. Fitzgerald also worked for Clark Equipment Company; hired to start a long distance telephone service. Ultimately, he found himself downsized out of the company, which inspired him to branch out on his own. Within six months, he landed a contract with a company that was eventually acquired by Citicorp. This relationship stretched into 8 years, during which Fitzgerald’s team invented the first large-scale complex implementation; what is known today as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.

In 2005, Fitzgerald moved his operation, now called Consistacom, into MTEC SmartZone Business Accelerator’s Hancock location and assumed the role as anchor tenant. This location is ideal for his many student-employees keeping up with classes at Michigan Tech. In 2009, Fitzgerald spun off KPBIZnet to manage the portfolio of business services created to support Consistacom: telephone service, direct mail advertising, corporate data networking, and date backup services.

Today, Steve Fitzgerald’s clients are primarily in the USA Fortune 100 and 500 and he employs over 10 team members. Fitzgerald’s career success as the first computer science graduate can be summed up with automation; makes technology work better, makes it easier for companies to accomplish their mission, saves companies money and speeds up internal corporate processes.

For more information on the MTEC SmartZone, contact: www.mtecsz.com  906-487-7000

August 16, 2011