Bethesda, Maryland – February 5, 2019 -- The ASCII Group is proud to announce it has reached an exciting milestone as the company celebrates 35 years of providing a membership-based community to North American MSPs, VARs and solution providers.
Through ASCII membership, IT business owners have access to preferred pricing, networking opportunities with fellow professionals, exposure to the latest technology and more, as well as significant operating cost 
reductions.
The ASCII Group began operations in 1984 when Alan D. Weinberger, the company’s Chairman and CEO, founded the company in a Washington D.C. suburb along with 40 ex-franchisees of a software chain. “I took a step back in the early 1980s at the start of the IT revolution and was able to reflect on the specialized, educated individuals who were driving the revolution by implementing the final solutions of new software and services, rather than just the computer retail giants or a few large vendors.”
Recognizing a need to provide business tools for growth to like-minded IT professionals was the company’s founding principle three decades ago, and remains the same today. Led by its original founding executive, Weinberger, The ASCII Group continues to be committed to providing MSPs with a united, trusted community alongside programs, services and opportunities. With a consistent focus on meeting the needs of its members, the company’s programs and offerings have greatly expanded as the Channel has evolved, and all new technologies require learning and expertise.
“We joined ASCII in 1988 in order to join the group buy discounts with distributors and have been members ever since! ASCII continues to save us money on our purchases but also adds so many more benefits with business support, technology education, knowledge sharing and peer networking. It’s wonderful to be part of an organization that puts the interest of its members first and continues to promote our importance in the industry,” said Chip Evans, President, Computerware, Inc., and member of The ASCII Group since 1988.
Jerry Koutavas, President, The ASCII Group, added, “For 35 years our mission has always been to help independent IT companies collaborate, learn, and become more efficient. We are very proud to have made a difference in the success of so many businesses, and we look forward to continuing to provide new services to help MSPs.”
Over the last five years, ASCII has experienced significant growth within North America, driven by strong member retention and remaining vendor neutral. The ASCII team has also been recognized for a number of industry accolades including CRN’s Women of the Channel, ChannelPro’s Silver Readers’ Choice Award for Best IT Community, and CompTIA’s Channel Changer 2018.
The ASCII Group will commemorate the occasion throughout the next twelve months and an anniversary celebration will be held at its IT Success Summit in Washington, D.C. For more details on all of ASCII’s IT Success Summits, visit www.asciievents.com
About The ASCII Group, Inc:
The ASCII Group is the premier community of North American MSPs, VARs and solution providers. The Group has over 1,300 members located throughout the U.S. and Canada, and membership encompasses everyone from credentialed MSPs serving the SMB community to multi-location solution providers with a national and international reach. Founded in 1984, ASCII provides services to members including leveraged purchasing programs, education and training, marketing assistance, extensive peer interaction and more. ASCII works with a vibrant ecosystem of major technology vendors that complement the ASCII community and support the mission of helping MSPs and VARs to grow their businesses. For more information, please visit www.ascii.com.