AI Consulting
Practical AI Strategy for Growing Companies
We're living through a generational shift in how business gets done. AI isn't just another technology upgrade—it's a fundamental change in how companies operate, compete, and create value.
Tributary AI helps growing mid-market companies ($25M–$150M) navigate this transition. We specialize in organizations that are ready to move — where leadership has the conviction to invest in AI the right way, not just chase hype.
Our Approach
Most AI projects fail because companies layer AI onto existing complexity. They automate chaos instead of fixing it.
We take a different approach: simplify first, then accelerate. Clean your data. Establish a single source of truth. Build AI on a solid foundation.
AI should reduce your technology spend—not increase it.
Why Tributary
Boutique, Not Factory
No junior consultants learning on your dime. You work directly with 30 years of enterprise transformation experience.
Outcome-Focused
We don't bill to maximize hours. We bill to deliver results. If you're not satisfied, you don't pay.
Builder Mentality
We don't just advise—we implement. Strategy without execution is just expensive conversation.
We keep our team small intentionally. When you work with Tributary, you work directly with the founder.
The Founder
Michael Cooper
Eagle, Idaho
Michael Cooper has spent nearly 30 years navigating enterprise technology transitions across companies including Microsoft, Citrix, Simplot, and Micron.
He has helped organizations execute major platform and operating-model shifts—from on-premises infrastructure to cloud, from waterfall delivery to agile, and from traditional licensed software to SaaS and usage-based models.
Michael has held global leadership roles spanning Sales, Marketing, IT, Partner ecosystems, and Product — a cross-functional view he now applies to AI-era transformations, where execution and operating models are often the true bottlenecks.
Track Record
- •$1.1B quota leading US Datacenter Sales at Microsoft
- •3x Microsoft Executive Briefing Speaker of the Year
- •Enterprise Architect at JR Simplot and Micron
- •Helped build tech startups at Confluent, Astronomer, Omnistrate & IkigaiLabs
- •Led transformative consulting projects at Micron, Albertsons, Boise Cascade, Idaho State Police, College of Idaho, Idaho State Tax Commission, and Primary Health Medical Group
- •Published author—McGraw-Hill guides on Active Directory, Exchange, and DNS
- •Microsoft, Citrix, and Cisco certified instructor—taught enterprise technology to thousands of IT professionals
AI Evaluation Lab
Ten browser games built entirely by AI agents—a practical framework for evaluating how well AI handles real development tasks. Games have clear rules, observable output, and binary outcomes—exactly the properties you want in any AI pilot.
Ready to See What AI Can Do For You?
Start with a conversation. No pitch, no pressure—just an honest assessment of where AI can help.