About Us
Company History
Orion Technical Solutions was created by husband and wife team (Mike and Debbie Glass) in early 2000. Mike provided the technical training and Debbie handled admin and general business operations.
Over the following decade, they established a very strong customer base. About half of their customers were in the mountain west, and about half were scattered across the USA.
Around 2010, Mike had some opportunities that led to him contracting exclusively for a major oil & gas company for a period of time. That opportunity allowed Mike and Debbie to idle Orion Technical Training for a few years to provide more home-time while they finished raising their children. The original plan was just to put Orion Technical on pause for a few years - but Mike became invested in the project (and the people) and was gaining extremely valuable knowledge and insight into the needs of industry - so he continued the work year by year. But the desire to resume Orion steadily grew. In late 2022, Mike & Debbie began rebuilding everything from the ground up (equipment, courses, website, etc.) for an official relaunch in July 2023.
Orion Technical Solutions is a family owned and operated company that is laser-focused on what they do - and for that reason they are able to do it very well.
Orion Technical Solutions' customer base has always been extremely loyal because of the honest and ethical way they run the business, and because of the results they provide.
Mike Glass
Owner
Mike started his career with 9-years in the US Navy Nuclear Power program. After his nuclear training, Mike was selected as a Staff Instructor at the Naval Reactors Facility in Idaho. He later served as an instrument shop supervisor on the USS Long Beach and served in Operation Desert Storm.
Mike has worked in numerous technically demanding roles in his career, including being an instructor at a technical college, serving as a control engineer for a major power company on R&D projects, starting and running Orion Technical Solutions (which included numerous automation and controls projects and startups), and providing competency assessments and training services for a major oil & gas company.
Mike is an ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP) and a Master level ISA Certified Control Systems Technician (CCST).
Over the last 38 years, Mike has developed an extremely broad and uniquely deep knowledge across the I&C and electrical industry and has a reputation of delivering training plans, courses, and developmental materials that are effective and easy to understand. Mike is also known to be a patient teacher and skilled communicator.
Additional Staff
Debbie Glass
Admin & Business Operations
Debbie manages the business operations of the company including financial, accounting, logistics, administrative, and personnel resource functions.
Debbie has worked in numerous roles in her career including banking, book-keeping, managing a team of nurses in a healthcare facility, and running Orion Technical Solutions for over a decade.
Debbie is the primary contact on the payment and administrative areas – but she has developed a good understanding of the industries we serve and in what our customers need.
Felix Solorzano
Instructor
Felix teaches Orion Technical Solutions classes in Spanish
In 2007, I moved from Guatemala to New York City where I studied air conditioning and electrical engineering. I worked as an electronics technician for Canon and Industrial Refrigeration for 5 years. After completing my studies in Engineering, I started a new role as Chief Engineer for multiple multinational companies mainly responsible for preventive and corrective maintenance of electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems of commercial and residential buildings. At the same time, I served as Director of Trades for Florida Technical College for 4 years, in charge of the electrical and air conditioning area, developing classes and improving programs. I currently serve as a full-time Instructor and International Consultant for water-cooled refrigeration systems for Mitsubishi Electric USA.
En el 2007 llegué de Guatemala a la ciudad de New York en donde realicé mis estudios en aire acondicionado e ingeniería eléctrica. Trabaje como técnico en electrónica para Canon y en Refrigeración Industrial por cinco años. Luego de culminar mis estudios en Ingeniería. Comencé un nuevo rol como Chief Engineer para múltiples multinacionales encargado principalmente de mantenimiento preventivo y correctivo de los sistemas eléctricos mecánicos y de plomería de edificios comerciales y residenciales. Al mismo tiempo me desempeñé como director académico de carreras técnicas para el Florida Technical College por cuatro años encargado del área eléctrica y de aire acondicionado desarrollando clases y mejorando los programas. Actualmente me desempeño como Instructor técnico tiempo completo y asesor internacional para sistemas de refrigeración enfriados por agua para Mitsubishi Electric USA.