In 1976, when CCS Technologies first began serving businesses in West Michigan, computers were large, slow, and often intimidating machines that lived in back offices or specialized rooms. Technology was something many companies knew they needed but didn’t fully understand. Over the decades that followed, CCS Technologies built a reputation by helping businesses navigate that complexity—one phone call, one server, and one relationship at a time.
In 2019, Joe Halstead and Ryan McMillen purchased the company, continuing a legacy that had already spanned more than four decades. Their goal was not to reinvent the company from scratch, but rather to preserve what had always made it successful while preparing it for the future. Today, the company operates as Aeros IT Group, and the mission remains largely the same as it was nearly 50 years ago.
What Makes Aeros Different from Most MSPs
If you speak with businesses that have worked with multiple IT providers, you will often hear similar frustrations: long wait times, rotating technicians, entry-level help desks reading from scripts, and companies that seem more interested in selling software licenses than solving problems. That is not how we operate.
Aeros is structured around a very simple principle: our customers should always be able to reach someone who knows them, understands their systems, and can actually solve the problem.
When you call Aeros, the phone gets answered. You are not routed through a maze of automated prompts, transferred to a national call center, or asked to open a ticket and wait until someone eventually calls back. Our customers speak directly with technicians who are familiar with their environment.
Another important difference is experience.
Many managed service providers operate with a large number of entry-level technicians who use scripted troubleshooting steps. While that model may work for very large providers, it often leads to slower problem resolution and frustration for clients.
Our technicians are not entry-level hires cycling through a temporary job. The people working at Aeros are skilled professionals who treat their work as a career, not a stepping stone. They develop long-term relationships with the businesses they support. In many cases, our customers know our technicians by name and trust them as if they were part of their internal team.
We also believe strongly that happy employees lead to better service. When technicians are treated well and valued for their expertise, they stay longer, build stronger relationships with customers, and provide better support. That stability benefits everyone involved.
Experience That Only Time Can Build
A company that has been working with business technology for nearly 50 years has seen a lot. The industry has moved from punch cards and floppy disks to cloud platforms and artificial intelligence. Over that time, our technicians have worked through just about every type of issue imaginable.
After nearly five decades of working in IT, it is rare that we encounter a situation where someone on our team hasn’t seen something similar before.
As technology grows more complex, the importance of having a trusted partner who can explain things clearly—and answer the phone when something breaks—becomes even more valuable.
A Company Built on Word of Mouth
One of the more unusual things about Aeros is that we have never relied heavily on advertising. In fact, we often joke that our marketing department is mostly made up of happy customers telling other businesses about us. We do not employ salesmen. Instead, we rely on technicians that can communicate, have social skills and quote only what our customers need. They do this accurately, because they understand the underlying technology.
We operate almost entirely through word of mouth referrals, and we are proud to have some of the highest customer retention rates in the industry. Many of the companies we support today have been working with us for years, and in some cases even decades.
That kind of loyalty is not something that can be purchased through advertising campaigns. It can only be earned through consistent service, honest communication, and dependable support (and possibly the occasional emergency server repair at 2 AM while fueled by coffee and stubborn determination.)
A Thank You to Our Customers
As we approach our 50-year milestone, we want to take a moment to say thank you to the many businesses that have trusted us with their technology over the years.
Your loyalty and support have allowed this company to grow, adapt, and continue serving the West Michigan business community for nearly half a century.
If you have enjoyed working with our team and know of another business that might benefit from a more personal approach to IT support, we would truly appreciate the introduction. Since we do not maintain a traditional advertising budget, referrals from our customers are incredibly valuable to us and keep our costs lower than our competitors.
Looking Ahead
Technology will continue to change. New threats will emerge, new platforms will appear, and the pace of innovation will only accelerate. But our philosophy will remain the same.
We believe IT support should be personal, dependable, and built on relationships, not just tickets and automated responses.
To our existing customers: thank you for trusting us with your technology.
And to any businesses in West Michigan looking for an IT company that does things a little differently—we would be happy to talk with you free of charge.
After all, we have been answering the phone since 1976.