About Mike

In a remote side canyon in Utah is the only water source, a natural spring, for miles. On one trip, I hiked in to fill up and then planned to continue down the main canyon. I met someone else there, though, a solo traveler like me. Though I’m an introvert, wilderness encounters have become such a valued source of interaction. We ended up talking for a long time, and we shared a campsite there, up from the spring, before heading out the next morning on our separate journeys.

That chance encounter has played out many times and in different places during my adventures, and I’m trying to recreate such an encounter here. I’m not here to make a pitch or show off credentials. Instead, this site is about who I am; in this chapter, Hess Mountain Group LLC is my professional and creative extension. It shares the things I think about and do. If what you see here resonates, let’s find a way to keep talking.

The Work

I spent twenty-five years at Alaska’s leading economics consulting company, where I started as an analyst and came to be a part owner and served as the company’s Vice President for a decade. My work centered on transportation and in particular ports and harbors, though it spanned countless other industries and a wide variety of types of work, from financial analyses to benefit-cost analyses to business planning. I’ve had the opportunity to work on projects across Alaska and beyond, from Unalaska to Ketchikan and Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow) to Corpus Christi, Texas.

In 2023 I founded Hess Mountain Group as a side vehicle. Since stepping down from my leadership role and into my next chapter, I’ve used it to build a different kind of professional life: deep thinking and contemplative work, creativity mixed with rigorous analysis, and a seasonal rhythm that allows me to take lessons learned in the wilderness and apply them to the working world.

The Life

I’m an Anchorage-based adventurer, writer, and creator. I aim to maximize time in the wilderness during summers and then use the winters for writing, creating, and taking on selected consulting engagements.

I’ve self-published two books and have future titles and editions planned. I’ve made electronic music under the name spatial disparity and am rekindling that interest. I’m bringing nature photography back into my life and developing a practice in digital art. These creative pursuits provide challenge and growth, different from the analytical challenges I take on.

Academically, I hold an MBA and an MS in Project Management. For nearly a decade I taught graduate-level cost estimating and operations research courses, as well as project risk management and project cost management seminars.

The Philosophy

I believe growth comes from thinking, testing, and reflecting. Wilderness can teach things that would be hard if not impossible to get from a board room. Being selective about the work I take, the problems I tackle, and the life I build, is not a luxury but an essential element of life.

“Wisdom and clarity, earned in the field” is a tagline I carefully developed to reflect what I have learned from the wilderness.

Let’s Connect

A great way to connect and stay in touch is through my Field Report. Subscribe and you’ll hear from me regularly as I share what’s on my mind, from scheduled newsletters to timely notes I think are worth sharing.