WHEELING, W.Va. – October 2026 – Omni Strategic Technologies is proud to celebrate 40 years of serving businesses, educational institutions, healthcare organizations, government agencies, and nonprofits throughout West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and the surrounding region.
The milestone traces back to 1986, when Donald Honaker II, Elizabeth “Liz” Gates, and James O’Malley founded HGO Technology in Wheeling, West Virginia. Together, the three founders built the company on technical expertise, trusted relationships, and a commitment to helping organizations leverage technology to achieve their goals. Gates went on to remain actively involved with the firm until very recently, providing an exceptional link between HGO’s founding and the company Omni is today.
In 2011, businessman and entrepreneur David H. McKinley acquired HGO Technology with a vision of creating a more comprehensive and strategic technology services organization for the region. Through the integration of HGO Technology, Terradon Communications Group (TCG), and ContactPointe IT Services, that vision became reality with the launch of Omni Strategic Technologies in 2014. The newly unified company combined expertise in IT consulting, managed services, infrastructure, software development, training, and strategic advisory services into a single organization focused on improving client performance through technology.
Over the past four decades, Omni has continually evolved alongside the technology landscape. What began as an IT consulting company has expanded into a full-service technology and cybersecurity firm providing managed IT services, cloud solutions, cybersecurity, strategic advisory services, Microsoft technologies, AI readiness assessments, automation consulting, compliance support, infrastructure modernization, and business technology planning.
While the technology has changed dramatically, one thing has remained constant: a commitment to helping clients perform at their highest levels.
“Forty years is an incredible milestone, but what makes me most proud is not the number of years we’ve been in business. It’s the relationships we’ve built and the trust our clients have placed in us throughout those years,” said Chip Calissie, President of Omni Strategic Technologies. “From HGO Technology’s founding in 1986, to David McKinley’s vision of creating a truly strategic technology organization, our company has never stood still. We’ve continually adapted, evolved, and expanded our capabilities so we can help clients navigate whatever comes next.”
Calissie believes the next chapter of technology will be just as transformative as the previous four decades.
“Today’s conversations center around cybersecurity, cloud technologies, automation, and artificial intelligence. AI is creating incredible opportunities, but it is also creating new challenges and risks that organizations must understand and manage. Our role is not simply to implement technology. It is to help clients make informed decisions, reduce risk, improve performance, and confidently embrace the future. As technology continues to evolve, Omni will continue evolving with it while remaining focused on the people and relationships that have defined our company for the last 40 years.”
The company recognizes the foundational contributions of HGO Technology’s three original founders—Donald Honaker II, Elizabeth “Liz” Gates, and James O’Malley—and especially Gates’ decades of continued service with the firm until very recently. Her influence continues to impact both Omni and the broader community. In recent years, Omni established the Elizabeth Gates Technology Scholarship to encourage and support the next generation of technology and cybersecurity professionals, particularly women pursuing careers in technology.
Today, Omni Strategic Technologies employs a team of professionals serving organizations throughout the Ohio Valley and beyond, helping clients leverage technology securely, strategically, and effectively.
As the company celebrates its 40th anniversary, Omni remains committed to the principles that guided its founding: trusted advice, exceptional service, community involvement, continuous innovation, and a relentless focus on helping clients succeed.
