About Us

Joseph B. Michels, PhD, P.E., C.P.L.

Joe Michels is a principal with the international management/engineering consulting firm of Solomon Bruce Consulting LLC. The firm specializes in business operations, organizational management, executive coaching and government procurement with small to medium sized business, non-profit organizations and governmental entities.

Dr. Michels has served in a wide variety of senior leadership and managerial positions in government, academia and business. He has worked at the highest levels of the Department of Defense as well as serving as the Dean, College of Business, Montana State University-Billings.

He has extensive experience with small and medium sized businesses as well as non-profit and governmental organizations.

He is actively involved in the local community and is currently serving in the following venues:


Past Board Member, Board of Directors of Billings, Montana Chamber of Commerce/Convention Visitors Bureau,

Board of Directors of the Montana Business Incubator;

Past Board Member, Board of Trustees, First United Methodist Church, Billings, Montana;

Past Board Chair, Head Start Inc, Billings, Montana,

Past Chair, Billings Chapter, Montana Ambassadors.

Past Vice President, Magic City Model A Ford Club, Billings, Montana

Engineering Advisory Board Member, School District #2 Career Center, Billings, Montana

He is a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International.

He had held various leadership positions with the Institute of Industrial Engineering chapters in Washington D.C. and Dayton, Ohio. An active public school advocate, he currently serves on the engineering advisory committee for the Career Center of Billings, Montana Public Schools. He has worked in numerous volunteer roles with public schools in Rialto, California, Arlington, Virginia and Washington D.C.

The President nominated and the Senate confirmed him as a Colonel in the United States Air Force. He served in a wide variety of key command and staff positions in the Department of Defense and Department of the Air Force. He has led and managed industrial production and manufacturing, acquisition, surveillance and academic organizations that were required to adapt to changing global economies and environments.

Dr. Michels has received numerous awards for his leadership and public service in insuring ethics/integrity, attitudes of excellence and strong organizational achievement were implemented in global organizational climates.

He holds earned degrees from Weber State University (B.S.), University of Southern California (M.S.), Texas A&M University (PhD), University of Oklahoma (Post Doctoral work) as well as the Naval War College (M.S.). Dr. Michels is inducted into the Pi Alpha Alpha and Sigma Beta Delta honor societies. He is a registered professional engineer in the States of Texas and Montana. He is a Certified Professional Logistician by SOLE-The International Society of Logistics as well as a Certified Cost Analyst by the Institute of Cost Analysis.

Current as of July 2, 2010