About Mike Atchison
Michael D. Atchison, MBA
Author of Removing Barriers to Business Growth

"Mike Atchison is a team builder who makes sure the job gets done -- on schedule and within budget.  He works directly for the owner of the client's business and works with middle management within the client's business to achieve the company's goals..."
David Earle, Owner, The Earle Company, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Management Advisors and Trainers


  *  Teacher;
  *  Author;
  *  Radio host;
  *  Banker;
  *  Management troubleshooter


I was trained and spent six years as a management trouble shooter in the Bell System.  After receiving my MBA in the University of Texas system, I spent five years as a business growth leader and department manager in a major international bank and then seven years in the oilfield equipment industry -- building a miniconglomerate from startup to $35 million a year.  Since then I have worked independently with business owners and investors, showing them how to achieve greater success in their own endeavors.

My approach is simple:
Help clients quantify their goals.
Identify what needs to be done to reach those goals.
Identify Barriers to Growth -- both internal and external.
Develop a comprehensive plan and timeline.
Locate necessary resources; use internal resources when possible.
Oversee implementation of the plan.
Watch the client succeed.

Areas of Expertise
Accounting/Finance

VP/Manager-International (now Bank of America - Houston)
Founded and managed a factoring company.  
Published an interest rate forecasting newsletter -- "The Banker's Discomfort Index" -- for ten years.   
Taught corporate finance courses at the University of Texas at Arlington,
Former member of the International Financial Executives Institute,
Managed the installation or changeover of several accounting systems, ranging from small business systems to comprehensive mid-level systems.  
Considered to be an expert in small business accounting systems such as Peachtree and QuickBooks.

Marketing and Sales
Studied advertising and cinematography with one of the leading independent producers in Houston, and later teamed with an Emmy Award-winning cinematographer in Atlanta to understand the dynamics of successful videos and commercials.  
Directed the production of several consumer-oriented TV commercials for clients in Atlanta as part of their overall growth program.  
Opened and developed new markets for clients from North Carolina to California and developed a successful distributorship program for a major art wholesaler in Georgia.  
Regularly teach salesmen how to develop an "elevator pitch" and how to effectively use sales tools as a part of their work regimen.  

Administration
Direct management of more than 110 employees at one time.  
Held the position of Chief Administrative Officer in different companies for more than 8 years during my career.

Operations
Chief Operating Officer for a heavy equipment manufacturer and a pipeline construction contractor.  
Implemented cost control programs, project management programs, internal logistics methodology and manufacturing control processes.

Mergers and Acquisitions
Trained in business valuation,
Performed numerous fair market valuations of companies in Houston and Atlanta for purchasers and/or their financial institutions, including AT&T Capital and GE Capital.

The key thing to remember in all of the above is that I have been totally involved in the process of growth management.  Mine is hands-on experience, not just theoretical. This provides the strength that I bring to clients.

Our History
Management Counselors began in 1983 as The M D Atchison Company, located on JFK Boulevard near Bush Intercontinental Airport.  However, 1983 was not a good time to be building companies:  With a staff of four CPA's, two engineers and two analysts, the company spent most of the 1980's doing crisis management for Houston area firms trying to survive the economic downturn of the time.  
In 1985 we established MDAC Financial Services, a unique factoring company that combined accounts receivable financing with hands-on accounting and financial management while our team worked with clients' owners to raise outside capital or arrange other less expensive forms of financing.  
In 1991, responding to a German investor's request, I closed my Houston office and moved to Atlanta to help solve the long-term problems of a multi-state steel processing company.  The result of that move was the formation of Resource Partners, LLC in Atlanta, providing growth support to firms in Georgia and the Carolinas.
In 2001, I turned over the operation of Resource Partners, LLC to my associates there and moved back to Houston to establish Management Counselors.  
During my ten years in Atlanta, I completed writing a 245-page book, "Removing Barriers to Business Growth", hosted a 13-week drive-time radio talk show in the Boston/Providence area and successfully helped several local companies increase their sales by as much as 400 percent over their historical growth results.