Individual accolades can be a wonderful thing. After all, who doesn’t enjoy validation for the work required to make the company, its clients and partners successful? Ironically, the highest of praise is generally reserved for those individuals who most exemplify the “team player” concept.
Take Jeff Dotzler, the president of Elevity, a division of the Gordon Flesch Company that provides cloud, cybersecurity and managed IT support to organizations across the Midwest. When he was given his first opportunity to lead a sales team in downtown Chicago, Dotzler felt an overwhelming sense of appreciation and responsibility.
“That feeling that an organization has entrusted you with key assets and resources to be a good steward and deliver a return—all while taking care of the client first—set a path for my career that has served me well,” said Dotzler, a 2020 ENX Magazine Difference Maker.
In that role as a team player, Dotzler can view challenges from multiple angles in order to seek out a solution that benefits everyone involved. While he never had the opportunity to work with the company’s founder, Dotzler takes his team-mentality cues from Gordon Flesch and the culture that sprouted from his guidance—still perpetuated by subsequent generations of Flesch leadership—to take care of the customer and do things the right way.
“We were lucky enough to acquire a strong MSP (Information Technology Professionals) this year and I was able to leverage these skills to build a great relationship and develop a win/win outcome that will pay off for us over the long term,” he added.
The Path
The office technology and IT worlds weren’t exactly on Dotzler’s radar when he graduated from the University of Iowa. He’d planned on following in his father’s footsteps and become an independent agent for a major insurance company. The road toward that goal included spending three years in an operations role. Midway through that experience, Dotzler determined that he needed to sell, and landed a sales rep role with Gordon Flesch Company in 1999.
Dotzler freely admits he has a fascination with the “shiny, new thing,” and during his time with the company, he’s had the opportunity to explore the edges of technology while bringing creative solutions that solve client challenges.
“I love seeing my team dig into a complex issue and deliver a solution that can dramatically impact a client’s ability to be successful,” he said.
Success Amid Challenge
Despite the shadow COVID-19 has cast on 2020, it has been an exciting year for Dotzler and Gordon Flesch Company. The acquisition of Information Technology Professionals paved the way for the creation of Elevity and Dotzler’s promotion to president of the division. He is tasked with the integration of the managed IT arm; the name itself combines the word elevation with security and productivity, with the goal of leveraging client use of technology to achieve optimal results.
“I have much to learn and experience along this journey,” Dotzler said. “My current responsibilities leading the Elevity team will allow me to utilize all of my experiences, both good and bad, to build something special and lasting.”
Dotzler and his wife of 20 years, Katie, have three children—Anne, 18, Jack, 16, and Ellen, 13. They have logged many hours watching their kids compete in sports and are heavily involved in booster clubs and fundraising activities within the community. He enjoys golfing and taking vacations near the water. In the fall and winter, the Dotzlers root on their beloved Iowa Hawkeyes.
