Forty Years

Our story began in 1986, when Mike Hawksworth founded Micon, Inc. The purpose was practical: provide technical services to businesses that were struggling to achieve their technology objectives because of knowledge gaps or lack of internal resources.

That part of the story still feels familiar.

Clients still come to us when something important needs to get done, but their teams may not have the capacity or experience to carry it alone.

People have always mattered at MSSBTA, even if we did not always call it a people-first approach. In recent years, we have become much more intentional about naming that principle and putting it into practice. For us, people-first begins with a simple belief: people deliver outcomes. Technology and process can support them, but neither works without people who are heard, involved, equipped, and trusted. It means understanding the people behind the problem, including them in shaping the solution, and helping them succeed after the work is complete. It shapes how we work with clients, how we support our consultants, and how we measure whether the work truly made a difference.

In 1993, Micon became Midrange Software Solutions, or MSS, as the firm focused more specifically on delivering custom technology solutions to midrange and mid-market organizations. The name reflected the work of that era, but it also marked the beginning of a pattern that has continued throughout our history. As our clients’ needs changed, we changed with them and met them where they were.

When the company later became MSS Business Transformation Advisory, the new name connected where the firm had been with where it was headed. MSS honored the history, relationships, and reputation built over decades, while Business Transformation Advisory reflected the broader role the firm had come to play.

The work was no longer only about technology. Clients were asking for help making decisions, improving operations, strengthening processes, supporting their people, and carrying major initiatives through to completion.

Across our history, we have served more than 250 Arizona organizations and built deep roots in the state’s public-sector and business communities. Many of our longest relationships started with one project. Clients experienced how we worked, trusted us with more, and brought us back for the next challenge. Much of the firm was built that way, one relationship at a time.

Through all of those changes, we earned trust in much the same way. We take the time to understand what is really going on, come prepared, and follow through. We roll up our sleeves, work alongside our clients, and help get the work done.

Along the way, we learned a few things.

Activity is not the same as progress. Starting quickly can feel productive. What matters is finishing well, delivering what was promised, managing time and budget responsibly, and leaving the work in a place where it can last.

Expertise matters, but judgment matters just as much. Clients need people who understand the realities of their organization, stay engaged through the difficult parts, and help move the work forward, not just provide advice.

We have also learned that the best work is created with clients, not handed to them. We may not always have called it co-creation, but the principle has been part of the firm for a long time. The people closest to the work need to help shape the answer. Their experience and judgment matter, and the solution is more likely to last when they have helped build it.

A good assessment or recommendation is only the beginning. That is why we work side by side with clients to figure out what needs to happen, build practical solutions, and help put them into practice. Many of the organizations we serve have lean teams and limited bandwidth. They do not need another set of recommendations waiting for someone to implement. They need a partner who can become part of the team, help get the work done, and leave them better equipped to carry it forward.

The same people-first approach applies inside the firm. Consultants need trust, support, room to grow, and work that matters. When people feel valued and supported, they serve clients better, help one another, and take ownership of the outcome.

MSSBTA has remained a place where people know one another, colleagues step in when someone needs help, and consultants are trusted to use their judgment. We have celebrated milestones, worked through hard periods, and learned from one another along the way.

Every employee, past and present, has contributed to the relationships, knowledge, and culture that carried us to this point.

Looking ahead, the work will keep changing. AI, data, modernization, and changing ways of working will bring new questions and challenges, just as earlier technologies did. What clients ask of us will continue to change. Our responsibility will remain familiar.

We will meet clients where they are, listen before proposing a solution, and work with the people who have to live with the decision. We will co-create rather than prescribe. We will roll up our sleeves and stay engaged until the solution works in practice.

We will use technology and AI to be useful, not impressive. We will keep bringing people, processes, and technology together in practical ways that help organizations work better and sustain the results.

Forty years gives us a history to respect. It also gives us a standard to live up to.