Case Study: Grace Cascade Christian Schools
“We can budget for ongoing replacement and upgrades instead of suddenly being caught off guard. That was a huge advantage Kelley Create provides. Together we developed a roadmap and a plan going forward so we can budget for it.“
Erik Ritschard, Head of School, Grade Cascade Christian Schools
A couple of really good things happened in 1974. The Grace Cascade Christian Schools opened their doors, and so did Kelley Create. Although it took some time for the two to meet, it’s been a pretty great relationship since we did.
When Grace Cascade’s Head of School Erik Ritschard took over the now two-campus system in 2021, he recognized an opportunity to elevate their technology solutions.
“We really felt the school got to a point where we needed a much more mature solution to technology support and infrastructure maintenance. And we leaned on Kelley Create,” he said. “Now, instead of reacting to an issue, it’s much more of a “we are anticipating, and these are things that are coming” approach. We can budget for ongoing replacement and upgrades instead of suddenly being caught off guard. That was a huge advantage Kelley Create provides. Together we developed a roadmap and a plan going forward so we can budget for it. We can anticipate if something fails.”
Kelley Create also helped them manage growth. It’s always exciting when our partners grow, and schools are no different. Part of that support was taking over their pilot Chromebook program, which a teacher originally set up for around 40 students.
“It was run by a teacher who did a fantastic job,” he said. “But the program grew to more than 400 machines, and we needed a technology administrator. It became much bigger than a one-person job. And, really, he just wanted to do what he does best, teach.”
It’s easy to say Kelley Create sees it all the time, but the fact is, Kelley Create does see it all the time. The school’s situation is a common one. He further explains.
“Some of the things we had (external) people on, we had staff doing some things, we had volunteers doing some things, and, as a result, as you can imagine, things were a little fragmented. Kelley Create was a natural to bring all our technology management and service work under one umbrella. We needed a more strategic solution.”
And that solution includes adding a full-time Kelley Create resource onsite to manage all their technology needs to enable them to focus on what Grace Cascade does best – educating and nurturing students.
We love it when our partners get to do what they got into business to do in the first place. Whether it’s a school, a small business, or a stadium, we bet there’s a closet somewhere with a bunch of wires going places no one is all too sure about, put in a few people ago. We can help. Reach out, we’re happy to come take a look and put together a plan.
Industry: Education. Company Size: Small Business. Location: Medford, OR. Services: IT Services
“We can budget for ongoing replacement and upgrades instead of suddenly being caught off guard. That was a huge advantage Kelley Create provides. Together we developed a roadmap and a plan going forward so we can budget for it.“
Erik Ritschard, Head of School,
Grade Cascade Christian Schools