By Adam Gregory, BTA National President, and Brent Hoskins, BTA Executive Director

Once in a while, you meet someone who you can immediately see has something very special to offer those he encounters. Mike McGuirk was one of those people. He was a one-of-a-kind person and held in high regard by many. It is with sadness that we are saying goodbye to Mike, who passed away on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025.

Primarily, our interactions with Mike resulted from his role as a volunteer for the Business Technology Association (BTA). His service began in 2018 as vice president of BTA West; he served as the district's 2020-2022 president. On July 1, 2022, Mike became a member of the BTA National Board of Directors, remaining on the board until June 30, 2024. In addition, he served on the board of the association’s Select Dealer Group (SDG) from 2016-2020. Mike was SDG's 2019-2020 president.

Just as we saw at the district level, those of us on the BTA Board of Directors and the BTA staff knew that he was destined to be an outstanding member of the board. Having stepped forward to give back to the association, Mike drew on his many successful years in the industry to help guide BTA in reaching new heights. It became clear in our meetings that when he spoke, it was always with words of wisdom. Mike had an uncanny way of seeing things from a unique perspective and foreseeing the best route to success.  

Of course, as is always the case among BTA volunteers, Mike and his peers became fast friends. He was always kind, positive and had a great sense of humor; Mike had a way of always bringing a smile to your face. He also endeared many when he spoke about his beloved New York Mets. We are not sure whether the Mets ever had a better lifelong fan than Mike, a Brooklyn, New York, native. He also had great passion for his alma mater, Arizona State University, where he served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Those who knew Mike would agree he was one of the most positive people you could ever hope to meet. That positivity in recent months, as Mike battled serious health issues, was an inspiration to all of us.

Mike had an incredible career in the office technology industry. Late in his career, he served as senior vice president of Flex Technology Group, located in Mesa, Arizona. Mike previously served as president of ProCopy in Phoenix, Arizona, and Action Imaging in Tucson, Arizona.

He began his career in 1982 at Uni-Copy, a local Arizona dealership, and was promoted to management in 1986, eventually becoming the branch manager of the company's largest division. When Danka acquired the company in 1993 and named Uni-Copy the core company for all West Coast operations, he was the first person promoted — named district manager covering both Arizona and Southern California. Over the next nine years, Mike held various senior management positions until leaving in 2002 as area vice president.

In 2002, he became president of Arizona Office Technologies, a Global Imaging Company, and through two successful acquisitions, grew the company from $9 million in revenue to 280 employees and $55 million in revenue. Xerox acquired Global Imaging in 2007 and Mike remained there for two years. In 2010, he joined ProCopy as president and grew the company from 12 employees and $3 million in revenue to more than 80 employees and $25 million in revenue.

In 2016, ProCopy became part of the Flex Technology Group of companies with Mike staying on as president and an equity partner, where the company grew its bottom line by 25%. The company has won numerous awards, including Elite Dealer three times, Best Places to Work two times and Inc.'s 5000 fastest-growing businesses in the United States three times. In 2019, Mike was selected by ENX Magazine as an Industry Difference Maker. He served on the National Dealer Advisory Council for Ricoh and Kyocera, and was the president of the Select Dealer Group (SDG) from 2019-2020. Mike also served on the board of the Better Business Bureau of Arizona and Southern California.

A Celebration of Life service for Mike will be held at 11 a.m. Mountain on Saturday, Jan. 11, at Desert Springs Church, 19620 S. McQueen Road, Chandler, Arizona. A reception will follow at The Island Community Center, 825 S. Islands Drive West, Gilbert, Arizona.