Our Philosophy  |  Our Approach  | Our Founder

Our Philosophy:  Professional Services with a Personal Touch

AxisPortals is committed to providing professional services with a personal touch.  We work closely with you to determine your current and ongoing needs, and strive to ensure that our products and services reflect your organization's interests, values, tastes, and goals.  We pride ourselves on offering affordable, professional solutions custom designed to suit you.

At AxisPortals, we understand and celebrate the critical intersections among design, content, and function. When formulating your technology solutions, we  focus on creating a positive experience for users, emphasizing reliability, accessibility, and ease.  We believe that it is crucial to stay abreast of technological developments, and to understand how rapid changes in the digital sphere impact what it means to communicate successfully in the business environment today.  Conversely, we know that fads and fashions must never trump common sense or overshadow the basics.  No matter the medium, effective communication must have a clear purpose and a genuine voice, and must be effectively and engagingly aimed at a defined audience.  Just so, suitable technology solutions are those that best match your goals, regardless of what's popular at the moment.  We know that the most expensive and complicated solutions aren't always the best.  We pledge consistently to make your true needs our topmost  priority.

Our Approach:  Community, Collaboration, Comprehensive Service

• Community:  AxisPortals believes in community.  Because we appreciate the critical roles that effective digital communication and an appealing online presence play in the success of every organization, we consciously devote a portion of our work to providing affordable services for non-profit, community-service oriented groups.  Further, because we understand that every business is intimately tied to both its professional and its physical communities, we strive to ensure that the products and services we provide to every client powerfully promote the clear and accessible communication that leads to a thriving network of community connections. 

• Collaboration:  AxisPortals values collaboration. Our expert technical and editorial input combined with your singular expertise about your products and services produces the best possible outcome. Your feedback always guides revisions, additions, and updates. No project is complete until you are satisfied with the outcome.

• Comprehensive Service:  AxisPortals provides comprehensive services tailored to your unique goals.  Because we know that your time is valuable, we offer integrated solutions that provide you with a one-stop shopping experience.  We launch your online office, integrate it with your email, and design your website with convenient, built-in online office access and database functionality. We develop blogs, microblogs, and podcasts to extend and complement your online reach and presence.  Our training and support packages ensure that your online tools consistently and efficiently support your team and your business.  Further, we design, compose, edit, and print your marketing and advertising materials, making it easier than ever to deploy your brand and manage your graphic identity consistently across print and electronic mediums. Our comprehensive range of communications and technology services offer unparalleled flexibility and scalability. Choose only the products and services you need today.  Add more as your needs evolve.  AxisPortals is uniquely prepared to grow with you, supporting your success every step of the way.

Our Founder:  Kathy A. Fitch

Kathy has been passionate about language, technology, and media for as long as she can remember. She still owns many of the books, musical recordings, and films that she treasured in her childhood, and she recalls her earliest computers, video games, and word processing programs with unabashed nostalgia. In the predictions section of her high school yearbook, Kathy's classmates envisioned her as a professor, which proved prescient. After earning her graduate degree in English and Film at Northern Illinois University, she remained at the university as an instructor for two years, afterwards relocating to Chicago's western suburbs, where she accepted a teaching position at College of DuPage. There, she served as a professor for nearly 15 years, coordinating adjunct faculty, leading assessment and accreditation efforts, and teaching a wide variety of academic writing, creative writing, and film art courses. At College of DuPage, Kathy was an early adopter and an energetic champion of instructional technology. She served as the IT liaison for her academic division, facilitating faculty development workshops in instructional web design, course management system deployment, and technology enhanced pedagogy. The students in her Composition, Film, and Creative Writing courses were among the first at the school to produce videos, websites, and multimedia projects and presentations in fulfillment of course requirements in the Liberal Arts. During her tenure at the college, Kathy founded TechRhet, an international academic discussion list still thriving nearly a decade later. She also began serving on the editorial board of Kairos, an award winning online academic journal that she continues to serve in this capacity today. In 2003, Kathy's growing interest and expertise in technology and digital communications led her from academia to the business world, where she has provided extensive services to healthcare consulting companies, hospitals, physicians, and community service organizations.  Her ties to the academic community remain strong and energizing, providing her not only with unique insight into the application and impact of emerging developments in communications technology, but also with a unique opportunity to enrich this community with a business perspective.  As passionate as ever, she looks forward with enthusiasm to bringing her education, skill, and experience to your projects.