Our Story, Culture, and Approach
Architected by Experts. Delivered by the Best.
Like the Colorado River that transformed the desert Southwest, we help organizations transform potential into performance through strategic technology solutions.
Meet Our Leaders
Experienced leaders with deep expertise in Microsoft technologies and enterprise transformation.
John Schmelzeis – CEO
John drives the growth and direction of Colorado River Analytics (CRA), overseeing the Management Consulting Practice, partner alignment, delivery capacity, and go-to-market integration. He leads the white-labeling of CRA's services by a leading global advisory firm and the rapid expansion of technical professional services across the Americas and EMEA, with APAC expansion planned for 2026.
Before founding CRA, John spent 18 years at Microsoft in leadership roles across Product Management and the Global Partner Organization. He brings deep expertise in building and scaling alliances, accelerating joint go-to-market strategies, and delivering measurable business outcomes for customers worldwide.
John Raven ("Raven") – CTO
Raven leads CRA's technical strategy and solution development across Azure, Security, M365, and Dynamics, serving as the primary technical contact for client innovation and solution delivery. He previously led the 1,800-consultant Azure practice for a global services organization, managing more than $250M in services delivery.
Throughout his career, John has architected and delivered mission-critical solutions for many well-recognized U.S. and global enterprises, including commercial and government cloud deployments requiring highest availability and near-zero latency. His work has repeatedly driven millions in efficiency and savings through automation, including infrastructure as code.
A former U.S. Special Forces operator, John applies operational precision and mission-focused execution to every engagement.
Your Frontier-aligned technology partner
CRA is a Frontier-aligned services firm delivering repeatable cloud, security, AI, and multi-cloud scenarios. We operate as a white-label extension or co-branded delivery partner with governance that ensures consistency, quality, and speed.
Why Choose CRA
Frontier-aligned partnership with proven governance
White-label or co-branded delivery flexibility
Globally sourced experts with local oversight
Repeatable scenarios for faster time-to-value
From Desert Vision to Digital Transformation
Our founding story mirrors the transformation of the American Southwest—turning challenge into opportunity through vision and engineering excellence.
Born in the Desert
Colorado River Analytics was founded in Phoenix, Arizona by seasoned technologists—a region defined by its harsh desert conditions. Yet, through vision, determination, analytics, and engineering—most notably through projects like the Glen Canyon Dam—the Colorado River has transformed the desert into a place where cities like Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Las Vegas don't just survive, they thrive.
Our Mission
At Colorado River Analytics, we provide Technical Professional Services, including Managed IT and Security Services, Agentic AI, and SaaS solutions, that help organizations thrive in complex, rapidly evolving environments.
Our Approach
With a blend of strategic vision, data-driven insights, and disciplined execution, we help our clients more fully realize the value and benefits of their technology investments, transforming potential into performance and competitive advantage.
Our Core Values
Five principles that guide every decision, partnership, and delivery at Colorado River Analytics.
Client outcomes first
Every decision prioritizes measurable value for our clients
Earned trust
Building lasting relationships through consistent delivery
Pragmatic AI
Practical AI solutions that solve real business problems
One-team model
Seamless collaboration across all stakeholders
Craft and pace
Excellence in execution with sustainable delivery rhythm
Our Delivery Model
Three integrated components that ensure consistent, high-quality outcomes for every client engagement.
Service tracks
IT Foundations and AI-Enabled Services designed to meet organizations at their current maturity level and accelerate progress toward next-generation capabilities.
Engagements
Assessments, implementations, managed services, and co-innovation projects that deliver measurable business value with clear timelines and success criteria.
Delivery
Globally sourced experts, governed by CRA for consistency, quality, and adherence to Microsoft best practices and security standards.
Powered by Proven Frameworks
CRA's delivery is powered by proven frameworks, cloud-native best practices, and deep expertise across enterprise technology platforms.
Core Frameworks
Licensed exclusively from Optimus Talentum LLC
Path Forward™
Enterprise architecture framework for technology transformation
Trailhead™
Requirements-to-implementation methodology
Vantage™
Investment program framework for PE-backed and board-governed organizations
Cairn™
Configuration documentation for wave-based implementations
Ironwood™
Security architecture framework aligned to Microsoft MCRA
OT AMP™
Enterprise AI agent platform for governed deployment and management
Multi-Cloud Frameworks
CRA is Microsoft First—but enterprise reality is multi-cloud. Our teams are certified and experienced across all major platforms.
Microsoft Azure
Cloud Adoption Framework, Well-Architected Framework, Landing Zones, Cybersecurity Reference Architecture
Amazon Web Services
Cloud Adoption Framework, Well-Architected Framework, Security Reference Architecture, Control Tower
Google Cloud Platform
Cloud Architecture Framework, Security Foundations Blueprint, Landing Zones
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure
Cloud Adoption Framework, Best Practices Framework, CIS Landing Zone, Security Reference Architecture
We apply the right framework for each platform while maintaining architectural coherence across your multi-cloud environment.
Path Forward™, Trailhead™, Vantage™, Cairn™, Ironwood™, and OT AMP™ are trademarks of Optimus Talentum LLC, licensed exclusively to Colorado River Analytics.
Ready to work with CRA?
Let's discuss how our approach and expertise can accelerate your Microsoft journey and transform your organization's potential into performance.