New Charter Technology’s Peter Melby On Two Acquisitions: Bigger Value, Same Relationships

‘Our strategic plan is built for long-term leadership. Everything we’re doing is about positioning New Charter, and the companies that join us, to succeed not just this year, but for the next decade,’ says Peter Melby, New Charter Technology CEO.

New Charter Technologies is expanding its geographic reach and its technical capabilities with the addition of Peabody, Mass.-based GraVoc and Miami-based ICG. The move deepens client relationships while broadening the company’s service portfolio, according to New Charter CEO Peter Melby.

GraVoc, which has operated for more than 30 years, brings a mix of IT services, cybersecurity, ERP and business solutions to the New Charter platform. The MSP has about 1,000 clients with about 80 employees and has built what it described as a “360-degree” model, integrating multiple disciplines under one roof so customers don’t have to coordinate across vendors.

Founded in 1977, ICG has 25 employees and has evolved into a cloud-first, security-focused MSP with expertise in Microsoft environments.

Terms of both deals were not disclosed.

“We always look for organizations that give us something foundational, either in a region, a vertical or a specific strategic service,” Melby told CRN in an interview. “With GraVoc, we’re getting a strong community-focused MSP presence in the Boston area, but just as importantly, we’re gaining a very mature ERP services capability. That combination checks two important boxes for us. It expands what we can deliver across our entire client base while strengthening our footprint in a key market.”

[Related: New Charter Technologies CEO Peter Melby On M&A: ‘Active First Half Of The Year’ Ahead After NetSource One Deal]

David Gravel, founder of GraVoc, said he was looking for a buyer who had the same approach to business as he did, with a focus on customers, employees and “building something that lasts.”

“We’ve always felt like we approached this business a little differently, and we were looking for a company that shared that perspective. With New Charter, we found it,” Gravel said in a statement.

The addition of ICG, Melby said, fills a long-standing geographic priority.

“Florida has been a target for us for a long time, and ICG is exactly the kind of organization we look for … mature, disciplined and deeply aligned with the clients we serve,” he said. “So when you look at both of these together, it’s about improving our reach, strengthening our operational maturity, and making sure we’re bringing more value to customers in very tangible ways.”

Eduardo Gross, president of ICG, said the deal positioned ICG for the long term.

“We’ve always prided ourselves on delivering highly personalized service and building close relationships with our clients,” he said in a statement. “Partnering with New Charter allows us to maintain that while gaining access to capabilities we couldn’t easily build on our own, especially in areas like cybersecurity, AI and platform services.”

Melby said that continuity is critical to New Charter’s model, especially as the managed services industry shifts toward deeper, more consultative engagement with clients.

“The future of this industry is about depth, not just breadth,” he said. “We have to be able to engage more meaningfully with our customers, to solve more complex problems and deliver more strategic outcomes. That requires both strong, trusted relationships and a broader set of capabilities. These partnerships give us both.”

A key addition from GraVoc is ERP, which Melby described as a “natural extension” of New Charter’s growing catalog of strategic services.

He said New Charter is building a services portfolio that spans AI enablement, advanced security and application management, with ERP now added to the mix. While not every client needs every offering, he said a large share has ERP requirements and may not have had a clear path forward before. Now, New Charter can meet those clients where they are and help guide them through the next steps.

ICG, meanwhile, will help strengthen New Charter’s cloud and Microsoft-focused practices.

“They bring best-in-class execution in how they deliver Microsoft services,” Melby said. “That becomes something the rest of our organization can learn from and replicate, which ultimately raises the bar across the board.”

And when asked about acquiring managed intelligence providers or AI-focused MSPs, Melby was direct with his messaging, doubling down on how New Charter’s approach is less about labels and more about responsibility.

“I don’t think it matters what we call ourselves, and I think that we get too caught up in that,” he said. “What is most important is that we are the AI enablement partner for our clients, that we are leading them on a journey that they don’t know how to lead themselves on right now. It’s not about fitting into a mold that the industry gives us. It’s about understanding where our customers are going, what their fears are and earning the trust and the right to lead them on that journey.”

Looking ahead, he said the company’s acquisition strategy will continue to prioritize MSPs with strong leadership, loyal clients and sustained growth, alongside capabilities that complement New Charter’s broader platform.

And his message to the industry as the company continues to expand is a simple one.

“Our strategic plan is built for long-term leadership,” he said. “Everything we’re doing is about positioning New Charter, and the companies that join us, to succeed not just this year, but for the next decade.”