A case study in embedding fractional IT leadership, aligning with EOS, and building a foundation for AI-driven growth.

Key Takeaways

The challenge: Buffalo Construction, Inc. scaled to nearly $300 million in annual revenue and 160+ teammates across 48 states, but their IT decisions were fragmented across HR, finance, and leadership with no single strategic owner.
The solution: Advanced Business Solutions (ABS) embedded a Virtual CIO (vCIO) directly into Buffalo’s team, complete with a Buffalo email address, a seat in company meetings, and ownership of strategic tech projects.
The alignment: Both companies run on EOS (the Entrepreneurial Operating System), giving them a shared language and accountability framework from day one.
The outcome: Buffalo now has a unified IT strategy, a clear EOS accountability seat for technology, improved field-team service delivery, and a foundation ready for AI-driven initiatives.
The lesson for other companies: Treat a vCIO like a teammate, not a commodity consultant. Start slow, build the process, and expect a one-year runway to full value.

Why growth-stage companies outgrow ad hoc IT

There’s a moment in every scaling company when the IT setup that got you here stops being enough to get you where you’re going. For Buffalo Construction, Inc. (a nearly $300 million general contractor with more than 160 teammates working across 48 states) — that moment arrived in the form of a familiar pattern: stretched internal teams, fragmented technology decisions, and projects that either under-delivered or never got finished.

Buffalo’s President, Brett Norton, puts it plainly:

“We were really good contractors. We were really bad IT professionals.”

— Brett Norton, President, Buffalo Construction, Inc.

The missing piece wasn’t more technology. It was a unified IT strategy and a single leader accountable for delivering it. This case study explains how Buffalo Construction partnered with Advanced Business Solutions (ABS), a strategic IT partner based in Louisville, Kentucky, to embed a Virtual CIO and what other growth-stage businesses can learn from the result.

What is a Virtual CIO (vCIO), and what does one actually do?

A Virtual CIO is a fractional, senior IT leader who owns a company’s technology strategy without sitting on the payroll as a full-time executive. Unlike a traditional IT consultant, a vCIO is embedded in the business: they attend leadership meetings, hold a seat on the accountability chart, and quarterback major technology initiatives from kickoff to adoption.

At Buffalo Construction, the ABS vCIO was given a Buffalo email address, joined company meetings as a teammate, and led major cross-functional rollouts including:

A new company-wide phone system
A new HRIS (human resources information system)
A new financial platform

In other words, the vCIO didn’t just advise on IT, they led it.

Why did Buffalo Construction need a Virtual CIO instead of hiring a full-time CIO?

Before ABS stepped in, critical IT decisions at Buffalo were being made in pieces: a bit by HR, a bit by finance, a bit by leadership. No single person owned the roadmap, and no single person was accountable for outcomes. A full-time CIO hire is expensive, slow to recruit, and risky at the growth stage, particularly when you’re not yet sure exactly what profile of leader you need.

The Virtual CIO model solved that in three ways:

Speed to strategic leadership: ABS already provided managed services to Buffalo, so the operational context was in place. The vCIO could focus on strategy from day one.
Flexible fit: ABS brought a bench of experienced vCIO resources, allowing Buffalo to evaluate multiple candidates until the right cultural and strategic fit emerged.
Right-sized cost: Buffalo got senior IT leadership without the fully loaded cost of a C-suite hire.

How did EOS alignment accelerate the partnership?

One of the most important factors in the success of this engagement had nothing to do with technology. Both Buffalo Construction and Advanced Business Solutions run on the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) — the business operating framework made popular by Gino Wickman and his book “Traction.” That shared framework meant the two companies already spoke the same language about accountability charts, rocks, scorecards, and quarterly planning.

“Two companies running on the same platform creates efficiencies and a common language. We didn’t have to teach ABS how we work — they already spoke EOS.”

— Brett Norton, President, Buffalo Construction, Inc.

When Buffalo identified an open seat on their EOS accountability chart for IT leadership, ABS was able to fill it. Not as an outside vendor, but as the person accountable for that seat’s measurables and outcomes.

What results did Buffalo Construction see from the Virtual CIO engagement?

With the ABS vCIO embedded in the business, Buffalo Construction moved from fragmented, reactive IT to a clear, strategic function. The vCIO role now supports:

Strategic technology planning and budgeting
Leadership of cross-functional tech projects
Improved communication and service delivery to field teams
Accountability structures that align with EOS

The vCIO takes a data-driven approach to the work, monitoring IT efficiency and employee satisfaction with IT quality, then correlating performance metrics with internal satisfaction surveys to identify where service can improve.

Perhaps most importantly, the engagement built a foundation for what’s next. With IT strategy, accountability, and infrastructure in order, Buffalo is now preparing to implement AI-driven solutions across the business, something that would have been premature, and probably unsuccessful, on top of their previous ad hoc setup.

What advice does Buffalo Construction have for other companies considering a vCIO?

Brett Norton’s guidance for other growth-stage leaders is straightforward: don’t expect a vCIO to be plug-and-play, and don’t treat the role like a commodity purchase.

“Start slow. Create the process. Create the role. And be prepared to test and iterate. It’s not perfect on Day 1, but give it a year. You’ll get there.”

— Brett Norton, President, Buffalo Construction, Inc.

He is equally direct about the mindset shift required:

“Treat them like a teammate. If you treat this like a commodity consultant, you’ll get commodity results. Treat it like a teammate, and you’ll build trust and alignment.”

— Brett Norton, President, Buffalo Construction, Inc.

The bottom line: a vCIO is a teammate, not a vendor

The Buffalo Construction story lands on a single clear lesson: the companies that get the most out of a Virtual CIO are the ones that bring that leader fully inside the tent (— shared email domain, shared meetings, shared accountability, shared operating system). Treat the engagement like a long-term teammate relationship, and IT stops being a back-office function and starts being a growth lever.

“Most companies trying a vCIO for the first time don’t need a consultant — they need a trusted partner. With ABS, we didn’t just find someone to manage our IT. We found a teammate who understands our vision and is helping us build toward it.”

— Brett Norton, President, Buffalo Construction, Inc.

Ready to bring a Virtual CIO into your business?

If your company has outgrown ad hoc IT, — and especially if you already run on EOS, — Advanced Business Solutions can help you scope, staff, and embed a Virtual CIO who operates as a true teammate, not a commodity consultant.

Frequently asked questions about Virtual CIO services

What is the difference between a Virtual CIO and a managed services provider (MSP)?

A managed services provider handles the day-to-day operation of IT help desk, endpoint management, patching, monitoring, and infrastructure. A Virtual CIO is a strategic leader who owns the technology roadmap, the IT budget, and cross-functional project leadership. Many companies, Buffalo Construction included, use both: ABS provided managed services first, then layered a vCIO on top to give those operational services strategic direction.

How long does it take for a vCIO to deliver value?

Based on Buffalo Construction’s experience, expect a runway of roughly a year before the role is operating at full value. The first months are spent defining the role, integrating the vCIO into leadership rhythms, and iterating the process. Companies that expect plug-and-play results in 30 days typically don’t get them.

What size company is a good fit for a Virtual CIO?

Growth-stage companies, typically those that have outgrown ad hoc IT decision-making but don’t yet have the scale or clarity to justify a full-time CIO, are the clearest fit. Buffalo Construction reached this point at roughly $300 million in revenue and 160+ teammates. Many companies feel the pain earlier.

Does EOS alignment matter when choosing a vCIO partner?

If your company runs on EOS, choosing a partner who also runs on EOS meaningfully accelerates the relationship. You share vocabulary (accountability chart, rocks, scorecards, Level 10 meetings), and the vCIO can plug into your existing cadence without translation. It is not strictly required, but Buffalo and ABS both cite it as a pivotal factor.

What is the difference between a vCIO and a TAM?

Our Technical Account Managers (TAMs) work closely with clients to guide strategy, meeting quarterly and annually to review performance, plan improvements, and keep everything aligned. Our vCIOs go a step further and serve as your actual CIO, owning the bigger-picture strategy, long-term direction, and business-level decision making. In short: TAMs help guide and execute the plan, while the vCIO owns it and leads it like an internal executive.