Every company has a beginning. A starting point, or a leaping-off point, that kicks off the journey to building something. Building a team, a culture, a following, and a resource for the clients that they serve. The Intivix beginning, and the journey, is an interesting one. It’s one of perseverance, and it’s one of growth. And it begins back in the 1990s under a different name, with someone whose entrepreneurial spirit runs deep and who believes in the importance of continual learning. It’s time to get to know Rob Schenk, Co-Founder and Partner of Intivix.

Rob Schenk co-founded Intivix in 1996. At the time, however, the company name was LanXpert. The premise of the company was similar to what it is today – IT support and consulting services for small and mid-sized businesses. But, it was the IT of the 1990s, so there was less of a focus on cybersecurity and more of a focus on helping businesses properly utilize IT to its fullest.

The Beginning

LanXpert was a bit of a melding of Rob’s background in Clinical Psychology (his major at the University of California, Berkeley) and his first job at Ziff Davis Labs (that’s Rob at 51 and 58 seconds into the video). While at Ziff Davis, Rob researched and wrote articles on new and upcoming technologies, with a focus on small business networking and security. That first job, and that background, exposed him to technologies and customer insights that helped him launch LanXpert.

Rob was a co-founder of LanXpert. But, after a while, the other founders decided to pursue other avenues. Rob pushed on, along with one employee, for a few years before deciding to look for a business partner. At the time, finding a business partner that had the same mindset proved to be a more challenging task than originally thought. After around four years of searching, Rob took to Craigslist as a last resort. It may sound a bit out there, but the last resort option worked and this brought Dan Gordon into the LanXpert world. Dan was running a similar company in the East Bay area, and they decided to merge. This merger proved to be a fantastic experience for both Rob and Dan, as well as for the company, because the organization really started to grow.

Time For A Change

Rob and Dan continued to work together for several years before Dan decided to take a step back. Rob’s focus on LanXpert continued, but it was time for a bit of a change. You see, the original name, LanXpert (local area network expert), was becoming obsolete with the introduction of cloud technology. It was time for a new name and a rebrand. Rob’s psychology background, along with his researching habit from the days of Ziff Davis, kicked in and helped with the naming process. Ultimately, the name Intivix combined bits of three words:

• Inti: which stands for intimate relationships with clients
• Vi: which stands for vision, visionary and virtualization
• X: which stands for expert and is a nod to the LanXpert days

A rebrand ensued, focused on the name Intivix.

While that could have been how things progressed for several years, that’s just not Rob’s style. His focus was on growth – growth with purpose and growth with vision. And one plane ride back from Nashville to Las Vegas in October 2019, helped seal the deal. It was during this trip that Rob ran into a past acquaintance, Tom Andrulis. The creative and entrepreneurial juices were flowing during that flight, and the two hatched the idea of merging their companies. And while the concept was great, the timing was not. Shortly thereafter, the year we all know and love, 2020, happened and put the immediate plans of a merger on the backburner. Alas, Rob and Tom’s interest in a merger did not stop. They kept the conversation going over those fun pandemic years and came out of those years with even stronger plans. To bring a third leading organization into the merger, run by Dan Izydorek – being better together.

The Merger

After years of planning, talking, and ensuring cultural alignment, the merger of the three companies ensued. Today, ITS is a Global company with physical locations in five US states, team members in twelve US states, and team members in five international countries. This Global aspect enables scalability and the ability to offer around the clock support to clients. And while the company has grown, the internal small company feel hasn’t. That feeling of comradery, working together in support of the client, and the ability to continue learning while adding value to our client base.

Gratitude And Perhaps Some Downtime

Rob’s pretty much been at full speed ahead since 1998. And he knows he couldn’t have done it without a number of people along the way. His wife and son have been extremely supportive, and his gratitude is unmistakable when he talks about them. The same applies to the Intivix employees (current and past). While some entrepreneurs may see the road that was traveled as an individual path, Rob sees it as a collective journey that he, and the Intivix employees, experienced. Intivix grew and morphed because everyone aligned and worked together to move the company forward. Some of the years may have been challenging, but the team stuck together, and Rob’s gratefulness is quite evident.

But what’s next? While the future may be unknown, Rob is most certainly looking forward to the journey that is ahead. The growth of the company, spending time with his family, getting back to traveling, continuing to explore Aikido, and perhaps catching a documentary or two. Rob is looking forward to it all and much more. And he’ll approach all of it by maintaining his shoshin (a word from Zen Buddhism meaning “Beginner’s mind”). Rob believes that there is always something that can be learned and that we can always improve. Stay humble, say what you mean and do what you say are mantras he’s lived with and exudes in all aspects of his life.

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.”

― Shunryu Suzuki

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