About Us

Our history

Serving West Michigan Since 1976

Aeros IT Group began in 1976 providing computerized accounting services to small and medium sized businesses. Known as Coopersville Computer Services for most of those years, and then CCS Technologies, we determined early on that staying operational meant the difference between a successful business…and a struggling one.

Today’s computers run hundreds of times faster than they did in 1979, but the core principles which have kept us in business for over 40 years, are still those that are most important to our clients. Located in Allendale and Grand Haven, our mission is simple and time tested. Profit takes a backseat to reputation, principles, customer care and going beyond what is expected. We invite you to experience it for yourself.

The Aeros IT Difference

Ever go through the incredibly frustrating routine of calling your service department and explaining your issue, only to repeat the entire story to the next technician if you are disconnected or have to call back? We don’t have hundreds of employees working on thousands of issues. We get to know you and your business by incorporating a philosophy of project management. Each of our IT Consultants serves as a project manager. That specialist is ultimately responsible to keep you as well as any visiting technician informed about your individual situation. We keep logs of service calls and use them to diagnose current and past issues. Your IT Consultant can even act as a liason between your company and a third party company when you don’t wish to be bothered by the details.

Furthermore, we are often used to help customers determine what technology needs you may have in the near future. We are capable of researching just the right piece of software or equipment that can do what you need it to do. Our IT Specialists are aware of the makeup, structure, method and politics of your company and it serves us well when attending to your needs. We keep your company abreast of virus and security issues that might affect your business and your data. We match technology with our customer’s needs and alert them to new advances that might increase their effectiveness at home or in their office. We establish long-term relationships and make friends of our customers.

National vs local? There’s just no comparison. We can respond quicker, more efficiently and concentrate on getting you up operationally better than national companies that need to make service-call quotas. Our IT Specialists are based in your hometown, not in Asia. Our systems have no off-branded pieces inside. They have standard Intel OEM boards, processors, network and graphic adapters just as the national brands use. They are constructed and tested the same as the national brands are. We give you the same quality PC; we just give better service. Aeros IT Group serves medium and small-sized businesses as well as simple residential customers…and that’s just where we want to be.

We only sell computers that we have the infrastructure in place to repair. Our CompTia A+ certified technicians have an in-depth knowledge of the Intel architecture inside our PC’s and know how to obtain and manipulate the correct drivers as well as diagnose problems with hardware.

We are familiar with the processes of some national companies as one of our employees is a previous technician for these very same vendors. He came to work with us because of the lack of professionalism, empathy and experience he found in the national PC business. He can tell you first-hand about the problems associated with sending unskilled technicians out to residential and business customers who are ill-prepared for the questions they will most likely be asked.

• “Can you get my data back?”

• “Will you reinstall Windows?”

• “Will you leave my old hard drive so I can destroy the sensitive data?”

In most cases, the policy of your typical national brand is no, no and no. Most of these companies do not have their own service department for field repair of desktops and laptops. Instead, they farm these jobs out to other companies in the area and provide their technicians with some limited training. For over 30 years, Aeros IT Group has treated their customers like we would wish to be treated. We help you get your data back whenever possible, we get your operating system up and running again, and we let you dispose of your old sensitive data. We obtain appropriate certifications and the training never ends. Wouldn’t you rather purchase a computer from the same company that would have to repair it if necessary?

When you call your service department for repair or just a question, is that IT Specialist located in West Michigan? How about somewhere in Michigan? The United States?

Some national brands save money by training employees to answer your calls in India, the Philippines, and Mexico. Our technicians are located right here in West Michigan and always have been. We have no aspirations to go beyond this area as its residents have treated us well and we have roots here.

We strive to answer your calls within the first three rings. It’s a policy that we have because we don’t enjoy waiting on hold ourselves. Why sit on the phone for almost an hour, just to get a keyboard replaced? In most cases, even if a consultant is not currently available, we will give your issue attention or resolve it within 24 hours. In emergency cases we maintain a 2 hour response time. If you have a question and need it resolved quickly, our receptionist forwards the calls to the technician’s cell phone and you will most likely be called within the hour.

“Press one for sales”

“Press two for technical support”

“Then Press 5, then 9.”

“Enter your serial number and press star”

“Your call is important to us, please hold.”

[Cue cheezy music.]

Ok, if your call was important to them, you’d be talking to someone and not a robot. Aeros IT Group does not use touch tone prompts during business hours. A real person answers the phone. Our hold times for an IT Specilist are usually less than a minute. If the specialist can’t get to your call, he’ll call you back within minutes. You normally don’t need to leave your number because we already know it.

And how many companies use the web as their method of troubleshooting your problem. You sometimes have to sit there for 5 minutes while a recorded voice gives you a dissertation on how to access their knowledge base on the web. That’s fine, but what if your problem is that you can’t access the web?

National companies can save money by hiring less employees and letting the touch tone robots or their million dollar web sites do some of the work. Our philosophy is this: if our technicians are too busy, it must be time to hire another technician. How different would your computer experience be if this is the kind of support you are used to?

Aeros IT Group has a reputation of making the complex seem simple. We can do as much or as little as you need to get you to the next level. And as always, our first consultation is free, so you have nothing to lose except those pesky network annoyances. Need some helping tracking where you are or determining where you should go from here? Let us help you get control of your IT requirements and get you back to doing what you do best: running a business. Contact us today at info@ccstech.net to schedule your free consultation. Don’t be one of those in your industry that says “Wow, I should have done this sooner!”

Connect with our team

Owner / President

Ryan McMillen

Specializations: Appriver Services, Websites, Customer Support

After joining the US Navy for a 5 year stint as an F/A-18 fighter RADAR technician, Ryan was employed as a Unisys field engineer before joining Aeros IT Group in 2000. He began his career with Aeros as a technician and then lead technician, while earning several certification and graduating from Davenport University with a degree in Applied Business. In October 2018, he purchased Aeros IT Group from Acentek and currently acts as Co-Owner and President.

Contact:

ryan@aerosgroup.com

co-owner / VICE PRESIDENT

Joe Halstead

Employed since 2014

Specializations: Office 365 Migrations, Enterprise Wi-Fi and Networking, Cloud Specialist, Surveillance Systems, E-commerce, Backup Solutions Specialist, Technical Sales, and Search Engine Optimization.

Joe became interested in technology at a young age and enjoyed disassembling broken electronics. In the 90s he was fascinated by bulletin board systems that would allow him to download software and data from other users. He would purchase domains from his local telephone company and create websites using Netscape Composer.  Later in life he would start his own IT company named Logical PC Solutions which eventually became part of Aeros IT Group.

Contact:
joe@aerosgroup.com

Office Manager

Bonnie Vander Kolk

Employed since 2006

Specializations: Office Management

Bonnie started at Aeros IT Group back in 2006, working 2 days a week. Since, she has worked her way up, becoming our full time Office Manager, and a pillar for Aeros IT Group. She handles a wide variety of tasks, including answering the phones, payroll, A/R, A/P, and keeping the techs in line. She is married and has three grown children.

Contact:
support@aerosgroup.com

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Matt Doornbos

Employed since 2020

Specializations: Infection Prevention & Removal, Hardware & Software Troubleshooting, Field & Bench Technician

Matt started working for Aeros IT Group in June of 2020 shortly after completing his degree at Davenport University. He is a retired US Air Force veteran with 20+ years of military service where he was a technician and project manager on a broad spectrum of technology and technical applications projects supporting the Department of Defense. Following the military, he attended Davenport University full-time completing his Bachelor of Science degree in Technology Project Management. He also holds two Associate of Science degrees in Scientific Analysis and Safety Systems Technology. Matt is very versatile and enjoys learning and employing new technology as well as helping others with their technology needs. When he is not at work, he enjoys being an event and wedding DJ and using his diverse skills and experience to help those around him, especially when the help requires thinking outside the box.

Contact:
matt@aerosgroup.com

Lead Technician / Account Manager

Jorge Arias

Employed since 2011

Specializations: Infection Removal, Enterprise Wi-Fi and Networking, Firewall Specialist, Backup Solutions Specialist, iPhone/iPad Training, Bench Technician, and Technical Sales.

Originally from Chicago and moved up to this great state in 2004. Attended Grand Valley State University then transferred to Baker College. Finished Associates and Bachelor’s degrees at Baker. Enjoys working on cars but not as much as computers

Contact:
jorge@aerosgroup.com

TECHNICIAN / DRAGON SLAYER

Jeff Verry

Employed since 2006

Specializations: Technical Sales, Enterprise Software and Project Management, Windows and Mac desktop support

Jeff joined the company in the summer of 2006 and has worked in a variety of capacities including ERP/CRM software implementation and custom programming. While consulting in California, he was instrumental in rebuilding a tech support department at a graduate school help desk using the Aeros IT Group model: “Local Support, Personal Service!”

Contact:
jeff@aerosgroup.com

Rich
Technician

Rich Raab

Employed since 2018

Specializations: Cybersecurity, Microsoft Servers, Hyper-V Environments, Network infrastructure, Office365 

Rich joined us in November of 2018.  He has been pursuing a degree in Information Technology with an emphasis on Cyber Security at Baker College while also acquiring a CompTIA A+ certification, Security+, Network+, and most recently a Server+ certification. When he’s not working or busy with his large family of five children, he tries to squeeze in time for his hobbies which include weightlifting, painting, writing science fiction, or playing video games with his family. 

Contact:
rich@aerosgroup.com

fred
Technician

Frederick Hamutete

Employed since 2021

Specializations: Windows desktop support, Hardware Troubleshooting, Networking, Microsoft Servers, Bench Technician

Frederick’s love for computers started back in high school when he was fascinated by an old IBM workstation in the Finance Office. From there he attended Abilene Christian University in Texas where he graduated with two bachelor’s degrees, one in Computer Science and the other in Christian Ministry. His passion for technology allowed him to pursue and obtain various Microsoft certifications.

Prior to joining the Aeros IT Group team, Frederick worked for the US Department of State as the IT Systems Manager at the embassy in Lusaka, Zambia. He enjoys learning new technologies and advocating for a safer connected world, especially for children. As such, he is pursuing professional certification in Cyber Security. When he is not at work, Frederick enjoys touring major cities of the world, hiking, watching wildlife and spending time with his family and friends.

Contact:
frederick@aerosgroup.com

Michelle
Office Assistant

Michelle Kulicamp

Employed since 2019

Specializations: Office Management

Michelle came on board in April during the hectic time when we moved to our new location in Allendale. She is more than just a smiling face at the front desk, and a reassuring voice on the phone. She is an organizational dynamo and a great addition to our team. Michelle is married and has 4 children.

Contact:
support@ccstech.net