Mike Mahon

President & CEO

Zia Consulting

Boulder, CO

Founded: 2003

Industry: System integration and consulting

Mike Mahon believes that integrity is core to business practices. He also believes that integrity applies equally to relationships with clients, partners and employees. Embracing integrity, Mahon took a chance and founded Zia Consulting, with partners Pat Myers and Jeff Barry.

The trio found themselves working on a project for Agilent Technologies in 2003 with another company, but after that firm filed Chapter 11, the three entrepreneurs went out on their own.

“We took the opportunity to bootstrap Zia,” said Mahon, the President and CEO of Zia Consulting, Inc. “Within six months, we decided we could make a company that we wanted to work at with a focus on family and a strong work-life balance.”

And, that’s what the three of them did. Mahon said that due to Zia’s solutions, Agilent became an overnight market leader and Zia Consulting continued to grow with a vision to create enthusiastic fans of everyone they work with.

According to his co-workers, Mahon is a problem solver who is kind and generous, but very honest. “Mike will tell customers and partners what they need to hear – not what they want to hear.”

Mahon’s vision is to deliver great solutions to Zia’s clients, treat partners with respect and take care of employees and their families. “We’ve built the kind of company that partners and customers recognize as unique in the industry,” he said. “They want to work with Zia and they want to work for Zia.”

Holding true to his vision, Zia offers work-life balance options for employees that include flextime, work-from-home options and generous benefits. According to Mahon’s colleagues: “Every employee knows that they can contact Mike at any time for any reason and he will give them his time and consideration.”

Mahon has arranged for every team member to meet with a coach weekly to discuss personal and professional matters. “This helps ensure that everyone is in a good state of mind,” he said.

His commitment to professional growth extends beyond his employees. Mahon has delivered hundreds of speaking sessions to tens of thousands of industry professionals worldwide. He sits on the Colorado Thought Leaders Forum board and is regarded as a content solutions expert by analysts, C-level professionals at Fortune 500 companies and other industry experts.

Mahon’s goal is to double the size of the company and eventually earn the honor of one of the “Best Companies to Work for in Colorado.”

He is well on his way to meeting that goal based on his leadership style. “It is our greatest desire to be remembered in a significant way,” he said. For his commitment to the success of his company and his staff, Mahon has been named a Titan of industry.

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