Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

“Consulting” can rub people the wrong way. The word can make one think about a thick report, a not-so-user-friendly tech implementation, a big invoice and a wave goodbye. “Coaching” lands differently. It’s hands-on, action-oriented and built on a mentor sticking around to see results.

To The Operations Guide, “coaching” definitely aligns more with what they do. But there’s a term that captures the full scope even better: Fractional Chief AI Officer (CAIO) services.

Teknovation covered the Tri-Cities business operations optimization agency, founded by brothers Luke and Ben Thompson, last year.

To the brothers, this framing is how they’ve always viewed their work — operating side by side with leadership teams and always thinking AI-first. They are formally making the switch in how they frame their services so the public-facing verbiage matches the work.

The shift is built around a simple tagline: “Helping CEOs find the ROI in AI.”

Strategic timing

The timing aligns with a broader market shift. A recent IBM study found that “Chief AI Officer” is one of the fastest-growing executive roles, with adoption climbing from 26% to 76% among surveyed organizations.

“With the adoption of AI, CEOs are looking to reclaim time and improve how they work. But with this fractional service, we can also do that at the organizational level now, as well. We operate alongside leadership teams inside the workflows they already use, identify AI opportunities, prioritize initiatives, guide implementation, build custom tools and provide ongoing AI leadership,” said Ben.

One example of a custom tool? A personalized AI workspace — email, calendar, meetings and messages in one place with proactive AI agents that deliver reports and customized weekly intelligence briefings. See a real demo call Luke had his AI agent make on his behalf for a pharmacy refill.

Another update is their new AI Community for Founders and Business Leaders. This offering gives founders and small businesses access to a network of leaders sharing how they work with AI, a Q&A section, AI training, monthly calls and ongoing practical AI business insights for $250/month.

Lastly, the pivot comes with new titles. Luke Thompson has officially stepped into the CEO role, with Ben Thompson as Chief Strategy Officer. They are joined by partners Travis Bailey, Director of Applied AI, and Ryan Shipley, Director of Business Development.

What’s on their mind?

Our catch-up with the brothers wrapped with a lightning round. We heard their quick hits on everything from AI ROI to the state of the Tri-Cities startup ecosystem.

• The ROI promise: CEOs and teams who sign up for fractional CAIO services can expect a 20% direct increase in time back, the Thompsons say. One local 10-person business saved an estimated 6–8 hours in the first five business days after setting up an AI executive assistant.
• Most AI spending isn’t paying off: The Thompsons point to an MIT study finding 95% of surveyed enterprises saw zero return on their AI investments. “AI is kind of like a race car,” Ben said. With their CAIO services, they can teach businesses how to steer that race car and see the investment.
• People are using AI backwards: Many leaders lean on AI for high-level strategy. It “keeps spinning you out” with endless ideas. But the real, measurable ROI is in offloading email, admin and meetings to free up time for strategic thinking.
• “We’re already using AI” usually isn’t true: Most CEOs will say they and their teams already use AI. Enabling an enterprise copilot isn’t a strategy, Luke said. When teams aren’t given adequate tools, employees bring their own. This creates huge data privacy risks outside the company’s control.
• The Tri-Cities ecosystem is rising: The brothers, both natives, credit organizations like Founders Forge, Startup Mountain Summit, and Sync Space — and say AI itself is fueling a new breed of founders who can build, prototype and ship in a single day.

 

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