The Fulcrum Group Origin Story: From One Guy and a Lever to a Full-Service IT Powerhouse

Back in the early 2000s, I was serving as VP at my second technology firm. Life was rolling along—until 9/11 happened. Our two biggest clients? The Pentagon and American Airlines. You can probably do the math. Within months, the company scaled down from over 100 people to a dozen, which eliminated the networking division I managed. And suddenly, no one was hiring in IT.

Here’s where it gets interesting: several of our former clients didn’t care that the company went under. They still wanted to work with me. In fact, they essentially “hired” me—making me my own first boss. (I can be a tough boss, by the way. But I also care deeply, mean well, and have been told I’m a pretty good teacher. So I was willing to work for me… for a while.)

Naming the Company: The Lightbulb Moment

Week one of being somebody else’s IT department, I sat down to send my first invoice and realized, “I probably need a company name that’s not just ‘Steve.’” As I considered the option, I recalled reading a Fortune magazine article around that time that hit me: there aren’t really “new” technology inventions—just better applications of existing ones. To me the message was clear. Proper envisioning walks that fine line of success and failure, more than just innovation. The article talked about the Palm Pilot, which was revolutionizing the personal digital assistant game. But it wasn’t the first—Apple’s Newton MessagePad and others had come before. They just didn’t get the traction.

That further triggered a flashback to high school science class and the six simple machines: Lever, Wheel & Axle, Pulley, Inclined Plane, Wedge, and Screw. These basic tools had been reimagined for centuries into innovations like scissors, bicycles, flagpoles, ramps, knives, and even jar lids. The base technology wasn’t “new”—it was envisioned differently and applied better.

I realized my approach to IT was the same. I wasn’t the guy bragging about the servers and firewalls I built. To me, those were just tools. I was more excited about the process improvements, cybersecurity protections, and checklists that made technology easier, safer, and more productive for my clients.

And my penchant for remembering quotes hit me—Archimedes once said, “Give me a lever and a place to stand, and I will move the world.” But the lever alone wasn’t enough—the fulcrum was the key to making it work. That’s exactly what I wanted The Fulcrum Group to be for clients: the critical thinking that becomes a pivot point to facilitate business owners to do more with less effort (budget and time, in their case).

Why “Group” When It Was Just Me?

In 2002, it was just me—your friendly neighborhood IT consultant. But “The Fulcrum Group” sounded like more than a one-man show. It gave the perception (and the plan) for a larger, more capable IT services firm. Within less than a year, that perception became reality when my business partner David Johnson joined me, bringing his own clients and complementary skills. We were former minority partners in my first IT services firm and had a mutual respect for each other still going.

From there, we grew into a full-service managed IT services provider, helping businesses, local governments, and nonprofits in the Dallas-Fort Worth area get more value, security, and productivity from their technology.

Steve working on a Compaq server

We still live by the same principle that inspired our name: use the right tools, the right way, to make a measurable difference. Whether it’s prioritizing protecting important data first, migrating onsite business tech to the cloud, or just making sure someone’s Monday morning isn’t ruined by a “server is down” panic—we’re here to be the fulcrum that moves your business forward.

And yes, I still tolerate being my own boss.

Coaching Non-technical Executives Through Technical Roadmaps

Today, The Fulcrum Group co-creates technology plans that accomplish way more than just tech support. We’re known for:

  • Strategic IT Planning & vCIO Services Envisioning process helps align tech with business discussions to enable owners and leaders.
  • Executive Education Understanding concepts like AI and cybersecurity can seem overwhelming but we regularly run lunch and learn topics for our clients. You don’t need to be a complete expert to understand the differences between going left versus right, in key innovation areas or in response to changing trends.  
  • Advanced Cybersecurity Solutions Protecting Identity is the core foundation but embracing the CIS v8 framework to protect against modern threats.
  • Cloud & Collaboration Tools Office 365 properly deployed can help the Modern Workforce work smarter together, even if your teams aren’t in the same room.
  • Proactive Managed IT Services that prevent problems before they start.