Geoff Tritsch, a principal in our Boston office, will be retiring at the end of the year and will move into an Emeritus role for the firm. This means that Geoff will no longer have day-to-day responsibilities and can work when and where he wants. Most importantly, he will continue to be available to share his expertise and to collaborate on selected projects as needed and as his time permits.
Over a career spanning nearly 40 years, Geoff became one of the foremost consultants in higher education specializing in technology planning, cost analysis, business continuity planning and the convergence of voice, data and video technologies. Over the years, Geoff was also very active in the former ACUTA organization (Association for Information Communications Technology Professionals in Higher Education) and still regularly contributes to the ACUTA listserv by answering questions and providing insights. He recently worked with several former ACUTA members to host a pre-conference workshop at the 2018 EDUCAUSE annual conference.
Geoff joined Vantage in 2006 and became an integral part of the Boston office. He worked on numerous higher education projects and contributed many articles to telecommunications industry magazines and journals.
On the eve of the 2018 Vantage All Hands Meeting, longtime friend and colleague Mike Grunder spoke of their long friendship that preceded Geoff’s coming to Vantage and how Geoff originally came to work at Vantage.
When Geoff joined Vantage, they not only got one of the best consultants around, I got someone that could help me with projects and bail me out when I got in a jam with a client. In this business, no one has all the answers, but Geoff certainly has more than most of them. Surrounding yourself with the smartest, best people in the business is not just good strategy, it’s the best strategy. And Vantage got Olympic Gold when Geoff came on board.
Parke Rhodes presented Geoff with a framed poster containing best wishes and remembrances from many of the professionals whose life he has impacted over the years.
Parke and Geoff Examine His Commemorative Poster while Mike Grunder Looks On
Geoff then reflected on his long career and provided some insights to his successful consulting career. He ended by sharing a few of the Geoff-isms that have become part of the Vantage lore:
Consulting ain’t as easy as it looks
Give your best work away for free
Make anything idiot-proof and the world will make a better idiot
Never be dishonest, even if the client requests it
When you point a finger at someone, notice where the other three fingers are pointing
It takes years to build trust and a moment to lose it
When you reach an impasse, build a bridge and get over it
Finally and most importantly:
Always listen to the “little voice inside” you
Thank you Geoff for your willingness and generosity to share your knowledge and time, and for your contributions for helping Vantage become the firm it is today.
