I build the tools I wish existed.
I'm Fred Thomas — a support-operations veteran with a decade of building the systems behind technical support teams. Arcus Studio is where that experience, and the things I actually care about, turn into software I use every day. HumiVault is live. Keel is next.
Built for myself first — if it earns a place in my week, it ships.
What I've built.
Each one started as a tool I needed — for the work I do, or the things I love.
HumiVault
Cigar-collection intelligence — humidor monitoring, a storage-aware smoke journal, and AI taste profiles that turn my collection into a recommendation engine.
View HumiVault →
Keel
Visibility for Zendesk admins — see your instance clearly and change it without flying blind. The tool I wanted through a decade inside support systems.
About Keel →Why I build
I spent a decade operating customer-support systems — I know exactly what it's like to work inside software that almost fits. Arcus Studio is my answer: I build the tools I wish I'd had, for the work I do and the things I love. HumiVault came from my own humidor. Keel comes from my years inside Zendesk. If a tool doesn't earn a place in my own week, I don't ship it.
Alongside the products, I consult on support operations.
Good support ops doesn't just close tickets. It surfaces friction, fixes it at the source, and makes the product better before the next customer hits the same wall. That's the work I do — and what I consult on.
Zendesk architecture
Multi-instance administration and the operating surface itself — designed to hold up as the org scales, with knowledge you only get from the inside.
Governance at scale
Ownership models, workflow and SLA standards, and the guardrails that keep a support platform coherent across teams and instances.
AI strategy, pilot to production
Ticket deflection and Tier-1 automation done right, deployed without breaking what already works.
Incident & cross-functional workflows
Event-driven flows connecting your tools and telemetry, and real alignment across Support, Product, and Engineering.
The technology is the tool. The people are the point.
Let's talk.
Whether you've got a question about what I'm building, want early access to what's next, or need a hand with your support operations — send a note and I'll reply within a business day.