BCA says it nearly tripled after 2022 ownership change

Spokane managed IT services provider BCA says it has nearly tripled in size since Josh Smith bought the company in 2022. The growth came after Smith rebuilt internal processes, expanded the team and standardized operations to support more clients.

Why it matters: - BCA’s growth suggests the company’s post-acquisition restructuring has translated into more capacity and a larger client base. - The shift also shows how process discipline and staffing changes can matter as much as technical services in a managed IT business.

What happened: - BCA, a Spokane managed IT services company, says it has grown nearly threefold since Josh Smith acquired the business in 2022. - Smith worked at BCA for more than a decade before buying the company. - The acquisition followed a multi-year effort to formalize internal procedures, expand the team and build systems for a bigger client load.

The details: - Smith’s early priorities included documenting administrative procedures, standardizing business processes and building a team to support continued expansion. - Before the acquisition, many administrative functions relied on institutional knowledge held by longtime owner Gary and other employees. - Smith and his wife spent a period reconstructing, documenting and standardizing those systems. - Smith said the transition felt difficult even though taking over BCA was an easy decision. - BCA now operates with the processes and team structure Smith says are needed to keep growing. - Smith’s path to ownership began outside the tech industry. - Around 2011, Smith taught at East Valley Middle School and led the STRIVE program for about 15 students. - He created individualized web-based learning environments, then called “web quests,” so students could access lessons and assignments based on their needs. - Smith later taught computer science and pursued additional education in technology. - His degrees span education, business, mathematics and computer science. - Smith entered professional IT after building a website for an organization where his mother worked as a nurse. - That project led to an introduction to Gary, BCA’s longtime owner. - Smith joined BCA at minimum wage to learn the business. - At the time, BCA operated from Gary’s basement after he downsized while caring for his wife following a serious accident. - Smith gradually took on more responsibility, and ownership discussions began early in his tenure. - The acquisition closed in 2022. - BCA says it serves small and midsized businesses with technology, cybersecurity, infrastructure and day-to-day IT operations. - The company works with organizations across the Spokane area, including construction firms and other growing industries. - BCA’s website is More information.

Between the lines: - Smith’s education background appears to shape how he runs BCA, with an emphasis on solving business problems instead of treating technology as the goal. - The company’s internal overhaul mirrors its client approach: understand the workflow, then build processes, technology and people around it. - That model can help a managed services provider grow without relying on informal knowledge that does not scale.

What's next: - BCA is continuing to strengthen procedures, expand capabilities and build infrastructure designed to support further growth under Smith’s ownership. - Smith says the company will keep focusing on helping clients operate effectively, including in environments where BCA works alongside internal IT staff, other vendors and outside technology partners.

The bottom line: - BCA’s post-2022 growth is being driven by operational standardization as much as customer demand.