Arcqus Group

After 25+ years leading high-growth organizations as a senior executive, president, and CEO, I saw firsthand that even the most accomplished leaders can get stuck—not due to lack of ambition, but due to misalignment between vision, strategy, and execution.

That realization led me to found Arcqus Group—to equip CEOs and senior leaders with the clarity, tools, and confidence to unlock transformational growth.

My Leadership Journey:
✅ Red Stag Fulfillment – Scaled revenue 50%+ in 3 years, expanded capacity 250%, and drove record-setting performance.
✅ AAA Carolinas – Led multi-business transformation, built high-performing teams, increased NPS, and launched new ventures like FINS Car Wash.
✅ Across Industries – Built teams and cultures that thrived on vision clarity, execution alignment, and purpose-driven growth.

At Arcqus Group, we bridge the gap between vision and execution, partnering with growth-minded leaders to drive sustainable success through:

Clarity – Defining success and aligning leadership around it.
Alignment – Ensuring teams move forward together with ownership and accountability.
Execution – Turning strategy into action with precision and focus.
How We Help:
Executive Coaching – One-on-one support to help leaders operate with clarity and confidence.
Leadership Team Alignment – Proven frameworks to unify teams and accelerate performance.
Leadership Growth Systems – Custom tools and strategies to scale leadership capacity.
Why It Matters:
I know the weight leaders carry—because I’ve carried it myself. Leading transformation at AAA Carolinas, I saw how clarity and alignment turned resistance into momentum. That experience shaped my belief: Leadership breakthroughs happen when vision, strategy, and execution align.

That’s why I built Arcqus Group—to help purpose-driven leaders unlock their potential, scale their impact, and build a legacy of growth.

👉 Let’s connect. Message me here or visit www.arcqusgroup.com to learn more.

CEO & Founder

HeroWear

Independent Director - Chair of Compensation Committee

Advising an innovative exoskeleton company on growth strategy, go-to-market execution, and operational effectiveness.

Board Member

Red Stag Fulfillment

Led Red Stag Fulfillment through a period of hyper-growth, transforming a scrappy eCommerce startup into a high-performing, scalable 3PL fulfillment enterprise.

Scaled revenue by 52% from 2021 to 2023, on track for 30% growth in 2024.
Doubled net operating income YoY through improved efficiency, cost reduction, and revenue expansion.
Increased labor efficiency by 30%, driving $4.8M+ in annual savings.
Expanded capacity by 250%, launching a new 700K-sq.-ft. fulfillment center in Tennessee.
Converted 60% of revenue from 30-day contracts to multi-year contracts for greater stability.
Reinforced a ‘people-first’ culture, prioritizing communication, transparency, and engagement.
Led Red Stag to multiple business excellence awards, including Multichannel Merchant’s Top 3PL Provider and the Knoxville Chamber’s Pinnacle Award.

Chief Executive Officer

Vistage Worldwide, Inc.

Engaging with top executives to drive business growth and leadership excellence.

Member

AAA-The Auto Club Group

Drove membership innovation and strategy following the merger of AAA Carolinas and The Auto Club Group to ensure brand relevance in a rapidly changing industry.

Reimagined membership offerings to align with shifting customer expectations and industry disruptions.
Partnered cross-functionally to develop and launch strategic initiatives that modernized core membership benefits.
Provided expertise to overhaul AAA Travel’s business strategy, adapting to post-COVID shifts in consumer behavior.

Head of Membership Innovation

AAA Carolinas

Took over FINS Car Wash, launching 9 locations in one year and laying the groundwork for 6 more.
Led AAA Membership Strategy, driving customer retention, benefits innovation, and digital engagement.

Senior Vice President, AAA Membership & Fins Car Wash

Transformed AAA Membership’s business model, cutting service costs 33%, increasing revenue 6%, and boosting auto-renewals 42%.

Led AAA Car Care turnaround, improving revenue 10.6%, gross profit 12.5%, and NPS 18.9%.

Senior Vice President - Member Experience & Analytics

Developed AAA’s first enterprise CRM strategy, increasing customer engagement and revenue per relationship by 6.7%.
Exceeded operating profit plans by 47.9%, introducing AAA’s first company-wide incentive program.
Spearheaded the launch of FINS Car Wash, securing board buy-in and establishing a high-growth business unit.

Vice President - Automotive

Increased AAA membership by 15.4%, making AAA Carolinas a top-performing affiliate.
Drove $9.7M in new revenue by launching AAA Premier membership, attracting 70K+ members.
Led AAA’s strategic planning, defining core values, future vision, and major business initiatives.

Vice President Operations & CMO

AAA Car Care

Took over the day-to-day operations of the Car Care division (33 locations) to rectify declining performance, build a strong leadership core, and establish a change-oriented team focused on continuous improvement. Drove an organizational transformation that transitioned the culture to one that was more intentional and purpose-driven, aligned with the broader vision, and customer- and member-centric. Curated a servant leadership culture, instilling in key leaders a “get it done” attitude and an unwillingness to accept the status quo. Launched an internal/external rebranding to promote key brand promise pillars of integrity, expertise, and convenience.

President, AAA Car Care

Vice President, Motor Club Operations

Leadership isn’t just about making decisions—it’s about making the right ones, at the right time, with the right people.

Even the most accomplished CEOs and senior leaders hit a wall. You have a bold vision, but translating it into aligned teams, clear strategies, and sustainable growth can feel harder than it should. Leadership can be isolating, and the weight of high-stakes decisions is real.

I believe leadership starts with self-leadership—owning your time, priorities, and mindset with intention. When leaders operate with clarity, alignment, and purpose, their teams and organizations follow.

That’s where I come in.

As CEO & Founder of Arcqus Group, Board Member, and Strategic Advisor, I help growth-minded executives unlock clarity, align their teams, and scale with precision. Sustainable success isn’t about working harder—it’s about leading smarter.

Transformational growth happens when leaders:
1. Gain absolute clarity on their vision and next steps
2. Align their teams with ownership, accountability, and purpose
3. Execute with precision, turning strategy into measurable results

I’ve guided high-performing leaders across industries, helping them bridge the gap between big vision and real execution. I know the pressure you’re under—and I know what it takes to build the confidence, systems, and strategies to scale with purpose.

If you’re ready to break through the plateau and lead with clarity, let’s connect.

Message me here on LinkedIn or visit www.arcqusgroup.com to learn more.

"You're going to have to give me a minute. I smell something burning."

My wife paused our financial advisor call. The culprit? Our 8-year-old had decided to bake chocolate bread. From scratch. No recipe. Just pure determination. (He knows the rules and can only cook when we're at home...)

His ingredients:
• Flour
• Baking soda  
• Sugar
• Chocolate syrup
• Cocoa powder

His settings:
• 480 degrees (yikes)
• Top rack of toaster oven
• 45-minute timer

The result? Charred on top. Raw in the middle. Kitchen full of the smell of burning bread.

But here's what happened next.

Instead of scolding, we did an after-action review. What worked? (Great ingredient instincts.) What didn't? (Everything about the temperature.) What would he try differently?

I could tell he was taking mental notes and was already planning version 2.0.

That burned loaf taught me something I see in leadership constantly: We optimize for avoiding failure when we should optimize for maximizing learning.

My clients do this. I do this. We all do this.

We want optimal outcomes, not optimal growth. But the "burned bread moments"? That's where breakthroughs live.

It cost us $3 in ingredients and gave us a masterclass in experimentation.

Where are you playing it so safe that you're missing the chance to learn something game-changing? (Gut check. It's often in our ability (or the lack thereof) to delegate something because we're afraid of failure... Guilty...)

P.S. - Hyer's already back in the kitchen. This time at 350 degrees. Progress.

(thanks for understanding David Childs, CFP®, Rich Dexter)

#LessonsFromHyer #SundayThoughts #Leadership #GrowthMindset #Parenting

Dusty Holcomb

Helping CEOs, Entrepreneurs & Senior Leaders Achieve Clarity, Align Teams & Scale for 10x Growth | YPO | CEO & Founder | Board Member | Coach & Mentor

A dark metal loaf pan on a granite countertop containing a homemade chocolate bread that is heavily charred and burned on top with a dark brown, crusty surface. The bread appears sunken in the middle, showing the results of an 8-year-old's baking experiment at 480 degrees. The contrast between the burnt top and the kitchen's clean granite surface illustrates a learning moment rather than a failure.

This week on Leadership Unlocked, I sit down with a guy who went from heavy metal rockstar to founding executive at Guardian Bikes to purpose-driven CFO helping DTC ecommerce companies grow profitably.

Jon Blair helped scale Guardian from zero to 8 figures and raised $15 million. Then he walked away to follow his purpose and build something different.

But here's what fascinated me most:

He doesn't chase perfection.
He chases passion.
He chases purpose.
He chases his kids around the backyard.

In our conversation, Jon shares profound wisdom about embracing imperfection and why "the journey" is the real thing we need to celebrate.

His take? "The perfection you're speaking of... it's usually like, I'm gonna get to an end. And as soon as you stop trying to get to an end, and instead say, I'm on a journey where I am looking to hone the craft..."

That shift changed everything for him.

From touring musician to startup executive to launching Free to Grow CFO, each transition taught him that success isn't about the destination.

It's about falling in love with the practice. The daily work. The imperfect progress.

If you want to hear how a heavy metal guitarist became a CFO and discovered what really matters, this episode is for you.

Links are in the first comment. 

What perfection are you chasing that's keeping you from starting?

Jon Blair quote card from Leadership Unlocked Episode 17. Text reads: '8-Figure CFO on Why Chasing Perfection Leads to Failure.' Jon is pictured smiling in professional attire against a blue background.

"I like third grade, but the days are going by so fast!"

Hyer said this while organizing his new school supplies one night this week. Honestly, I felt that one in my chest.

His photo from his first day hit me differently this year. Not because of how much he's grown (though wow, when did his legs get that long? And where did he learn to pose like this?!). But because of what he taught me about time.

"I like being busy," he said, carefully placing each pencil in his new case. "But we don't have time to enjoy the day."

Eight years old. Already feeling what every leader I coach struggles with.

Most days, I'm the one rushing him. Hurry up, we're late. Finish your chores. Get ready for karate.

But Hyer? He's naming something I've been too busy to notice.

He knows the multiplication tables will come. The reading levels will advance. The grades will pile up.

But somewhere between morning drop-off and evening karate, we're forgetting to enjoy the day we're in.

In all my talk about leadership journeys and celebrating process over outcomes, my 8-year-old just called me out.

While I'm measuring milestones, he's asking for moments.

Thanks for the reminder, buddy. Third grade only happens once.

What part of today are you too busy to enjoy?

#LessonsFromHyer #SaturdayThoughts #Parenting #Leadership #Perspective

Eight-year-old boy posing confidently by a painted 'Welcome Back Panthers' rock at school

Smiling boy holding 'First Day of 3rd Grade' sign on front porch

For the last three weeks, Hyer has done the math every day and told me, "This many more days until the slumber party!" (This was his first-ever slumber party, and it was a HUGE deal...)

Friday finally came. Pizza dough on the counter. Minecraft on the screen. Ice cream in the freezer. And sparklers ready to go.

The boys laughed, yelled, told wild stories about coyotes, and even staged a "police boat" patrol (don't ask). They were completely absorbed in their world. (and three eight-year-old boys are LOUD)

I found myself smiling, not because I was part of the games, but because I wasn't.

Leadership often tempts us to jump in, to shape, to direct. But sometimes the most powerful role is to stand back, observe, and take joy in the team's energy and growth.

This weekend reminded me: leaders don't always have to drive the action. Sometimes the best thing we can do is create the space and then cheer from the sidelines.

What's one area where you could step back and let your team take the lead?

P.S. I just heard them start to get up and moving. Let the fun begin again!

#LessonsFromHyer #SaturdayThoughts #Parenting #Leadership #Perspective

Three boys wearing green Minecraft shirts making homemade pizzas in a kitchen. They're spreading sauce and adding toppings to pizza dough on a granite countertop, with bowls of cheese and pepperoni visible. The boys are focused on their pizza-making task during a slumber party.

Young boy in a green Minecraft shirt sitting at the helm of a black and white Triton boat on a trailer in a residential driveway. He's pretending to captain the boat with trees and a house visible in the background.

Smiling boy in a green Minecraft shirt proudly holding two pieces of homemade pizza at a dining table. His face shows excitement and accomplishment from the slumber party pizza-making activity.

"The destination doesn't matter. It's the journey. Things get hard. It's not the destination, it's the journey."

Ross Simmonds shared this with me, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since.

We've built entire careers obsessing over destinations. Quarter after quarter. Goal after goal.

But Ross has discovered something most leaders miss:

The goal never feels as good as the journey.
The daily work shapes your team more than any finish line.
The struggle builds more trust than the success.

He shifted from chasing destinations to celebrating journeys.
Everything changed.

Not because he stopped caring about results.
Because he started really caring about what and WHO creates them.

In this week's Leadership Unlocked, Ross unpacks how his grandparents taught him servant leadership, why he gives away all his best ideas, and how celebrating the journey hastransformed his company culture.

The episode is live now. Comment "journey" and I'll send you the link.

What part of your leadership journey are you celebrating right now?

CEO @ Foundation & Distribution.ai | Putting “Marketing” Back Into Content Marketing | I love -> Content Distribution, Reddit, Growth & SaaS

At Disney World, I once saw a cast member turn a child's spilled popcorn into pure magic.

Within seconds, a hero just "happened" to appear with a fresh bucket. The child went from tears to wonder. (yeah, and the parents were pretty amazed too...)

That moment wasn't luck. It was designed.

Disney doesn't hope for magic. They engineer it. Every cast member knows exactly what to do when popcorn spills, when a child drops their ice cream, or when someone loses their hat on a ride.

The best moments in leadership work the same way.

We think great leadership is about reacting well in the moment. It's not.

It's about designing your week so the right responses become automatic. Creating rhythms that make intentional action inevitable.

In this week's solo episode of Leadership Unlocked, I break down the exact weekly reflection process that's transformed how I lead.

Not theory. The actual questions I ask myself every Friday. The framework that turns chaos into clarity.

Because leadership isn't about managing what happens.
It's about being intentional before it happens.

Comment "design" and I'll send you the link to the episode.

What's one leadership moment you wish you could redesign?

Quote card for Leadership Unlocked podcast Episode 16. Navy blue background with white text reading "Leadership Means Being Intentional, Not Just Managing What Happens." Features a circular headshot of Dusty Holcomb smiling, wearing a blue shirt. Bottom shows "Leadership Unlocked" logo and "Dusty Holcomb" name with "Episode #16" indicator.

I was just 16 years old at Fort Benning, GA when a retired Master Sergeant from the Army Marksmanship Unit taught me one of the most important leadership lessons of my life.

"Slow is smooth. Smooth is fast."

My brother and I were learning how to shoot and we wanted to shoot fast. We were teenagers. Speed was everything.

But Sergeant Gray was relentless. Slow down. Master the components. Get good at the little things.

I eventually got it for shooting. But I didn't get the bigger lesson until years later, when I nearly drowned trying to swim 50 meters.

I was thrashing. Muscling through the water. Working harder than anyone in that pool.

And going nowhere.

That's when it clicked: pushing harder often slows us down.

In this week's solo episode of Leadership Unlocked, I share why the best leaders create speed by slowing down.

The paradox is real:
• When we're stuck in reaction mode, we're not changing our environment
• When we muscle through, we make poor investment decisions with our time
• When we grind harder, we get stuck in the not-important zone

My circuit breaker question: "Will this matter a year from now?"

If no? Step back. Think. Breathe.

Because leadership impact compounds when smoothness replaces urgency. Your thoughtful response today influences dozens, hundreds, maybe thousands tomorrow.

Comment "smooth" and I'll send you the episode link.

Where in your leadership are you thrashing when you should be flowing?

Dusty Holcomb solo episode thumbnail for Leadership Unlocked Episode 18. Text overlay: 'Slow is Smooth. Smooth is Fast: Model Thoughtful Leadership, Not Reactivity.' Professional headshot of Dusty against blue background with podcast branding.

Tomorrow, the Next Level Coach Summit kicks off.

And I keep thinking about something: The speakers on this roster don't just understand leadership. They embody it.

Look at this lineup. Honestly, this list is a who's who of "people you should follow" on LinkedIn. Not just because they can help you grow a business, but because you can grow as a leader and learn. These are all incredible givers of information. 

Every person here brings that rare combination of deep expertise, genuine humility, and the ability to create real engagement. Not manufactured. Not forced. Real.

What struck me most about being invited wasn't just the honor of speaking (though that alone was incredible). It was realizing the collective wisdom in these rooms will reshape how we think about leadership and influence, whether you're a coach or not.

Because the best coaching principles? They're universal leadership principles:
• Surround yourself with people who challenge your thinking
• Stay humble enough to learn from everyone
• Create value before you capture it

I'll be sharing my insights alongside incredible leaders like Dustin Riechmann, Lauren Apple, Scott Voelker, Jake Wysocki,  and many others who understand that leadership isn't about having all the answers. It's about asking better questions.

If you're ready to level up (coach or not), join us starting tomorrow: 

https://lnkd.in/eze6X-Te 

This isn't just another summit. It's where the future of leadership gets shaped.

See you tomorrow. Who else is joining us?

#Leadership #NextLevelCoachSummit #Coaching #Growth #Impact

Next Level Coach Summit promotional image featuring 18 speaker headshots arranged in three rows on a red and white background. The summit runs September 9-11, 2025. Speakers shown include leadership coaches, business strategists, and industry experts. Dusty Holcomb is prominently featured in the front center of the group. The NextLevelCoachSummit.com website is displayed at the bottom of the image.

Years ago, I canceled a coaching session with my executive coach.

The reason? I had to prepare a 30-slide deck for a board meeting.
No one else would get it right.

When we finally connected the next week, he asked me something I've never forgotten:

"Dusty, why did YOU have to be the one putting together that PowerPoint?"

My answer: "No one else would get it right."

Then came the question that changed my perspective:

"What didn't happen because you were buried in PowerPoint for two days?"

My face went pale.

I thought I was being a responsible leader. Ensuring quality. Being hands-on.

Instead, I was blocking someone else from having an opportunity. And more importantly, I was blocking myself from doing work only I could do.

That moment haunts me because I see leaders making this same mistake every day.

Tomorrow at 10 AM Eastern, I'm hosting a free 45 minute delegation lab.

Here's what we'll do together:
• I'll teach my simple delegation framework (15 minutes)
• Then we'll workshop YOUR specific delegation challenges
• Real situations, real solutions, real breakthroughs

This isn't a webinar where I talk at you for an hour.

It's a working session where we'll tackle what's actually keeping you stuck.

Bring your toughest delegation challenge. The thing you "can't" hand off. The task only you can do right.

We'll figure it out together.

If you want in, comment "I'm in" and I'll send you the Zoom link.

Fair warning: I'm capping it at 25 leaders so we can have real conversations.

What's the one thing you'll bring to workshop tomorrow?

"I'm scared."

Jon Blair's response to his daughter wasn't what most parents would say. No "you'll be fine" or "just do your best."

Instead: "Just go do it. If you miss one, it's okay. Come back and we'll talk about which one you missed. I will be proud of you for just trying."

In this week's Leadership Unlocked clip, Jon unpacks how we accidentally teach our kids (and teams) to fear failure by only rewarding outcomes.

The school system grades the result.
Jon grades the effort.

He's moved into what Andy Stanley calls "the training years" - that phase where you stop just teaching manners and start teaching life principles. 

But explaining leadership concepts to a six-year-old? That forced Jon to distill everything down to its essence:

"Try it. I don't care if you fail."

Meanwhile, I'm watching my 13-year-old discover something similar in the weight room. On a recent Saturday morning, he asked me to work out with him. For 90 minutes, I demonstrated proper form and basic principles to him. Then we did yard work. Then I taught him to smoke wings.

That night, exhausted, he said, "Dad, today was an awesome day."

All he did was work. But he showed up. He tried. He learned.

Jon nailed it: "I'm focusing on saying, I'm gonna be proud of you for the effort, not for the outcome."

Because outcomes come and go. But the willingness to try? That's the foundation on which everything else is built.

What are you accidentally teaching your team to fear by only celebrating the wins?

Inside every Vision to Victory box is a hand-crafted leather bookmark that tells you everything about what's coming.

It carries a quote that's shaped my view of leadership for 20+ years: "Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers." - Harry S. Truman

But here's what matters more than the quote.

The leather. The weight. The craftsmanship.

Every detail intentional. Nothing accidental. Nothing ordinary.

Because leadership transformation doesn't come from cutting corners.

This bookmark isn't just about reading. It's about standards. About choosing excellence before expecting it from others.

In this cohort, everything reflects that same intention:

• Frameworks refined over 20 years, not downloaded templates 
• Conversations with leaders who've actually built something 
• Tools designed for implementation, not inspiration

The bookmark is a sample of the intentional effort that goes into leading yourself first..

Every item in this box was chosen to create an experience worthy of the transformation ahead.

We begin one week from today. Three seats remain.

If you've been waiting for the right time, this is it.

Comment "V2V" or DM me. Let's put your name on one of these boxes.

P.S. This bookmark is just a sample of what's in the box. I don't want to give away all the surprises before our cohort members receive their boxes next week. Details matter, and each item has been specifically curated for impact and meaning.

The Stillness Paradox

Last week, I took my headphones off during a ruck.
Best decision I made all week.

Here in Charlotte, we’ve had a “false fall” the last 10 days or so - cool mornings that beg you to get outside.

Perfect weather for my usual hour-long ruck with a new book queued up.

Ten minutes in, I realized something.
My body was moving, but my mind was stuck.

So I did something I haven’t done since my Ironman days.
I took off the headphones and just walked.

No podcast. 
No audiobook.
No productivity hack.

Just me and my thoughts for an hour.

Here’s what hit me.

We’ve turned every moment into a learning opportunity.

Every walk needs a podcast.
Every drive needs a call.
Every minute needs to “count.”

But when was the last time you just… thought?

That hour of silence helped me work through three major decisions I’d been avoiding.

Not because I learned something new.

But because I finally gave my mind space to process what I already knew.

The irony isn’t lost on me.

Back when I was training for marathons and Ironmans, my best ideas came during long, quiet runs.

No inputs.
Just outputs.

We tell ourselves we don’t have time to think.
The truth is, we don’t make time to think.

Your best insights aren’t hiding in someone else’s content.

They're waiting in the quiet you're too busy to create.

What would happen if you gave yourself permission to think instead of consume?

If you’re ready to create that kind of clarity in your own leadership, I have 3 spots left for our next Vision to Victory cohort kicking off on August 19th.

Comment “clarity” or DM me and we’ll talk details.

This will be a KILLER opportunity for the right leader.

🚨 We’re hiring: Director of Strategy at Foundation 🚨

I couldn’t be more excited about this one.

At Foundation, we’ve always believed strategy isn’t just about running the same SEO playbooks from 2019. The world has changed. Marketing has changed. Discovery has changed.

We’re looking for a Director of Strategy who can:
-> Think holistically about modern marketing in the age of AI, LLMs, and new discovery platforms.
-> Oversee strategies across SEO, content marketing, Reddit, YouTube, and more.
-> Lead strategic planning for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and innovative content distribution.
-> Operate like a “micro-CMO” for clients—tying technical execution back to big-picture business goals.
->Coach and guide a talented team of specialists while contributing to  Foundation’s own IP and frameworks.

Why join us?
✅ We’re fully remote and global.
✅ We’ve worked with some of the top brands in the world.
✅ We believe in autonomy, transparency, and creating great content. 

If you’re a high-empathy, high-performance strategist with B2B and agency experience and you’ve worked with VPs, CMOs, and C-suite leaders:

This might be the role for you.

All the details are on our careers page. Check it out & apply ! 

#Marketing #Hiring

"Will this matter a year from now?"

That question has saved my sanity more than once. And probably my business if I am being really honest.

In this clip from Leadership Unlocked, I share the circuit breaker that stops me from delegating my most important decisions to an emotional state.

Because when we're grinding, pushing, trying so hard, we're not thinking clearly. We're reacting.

The problem? We're emotional beings. When we get stuck in reactive loops, we hand over our biggest choices to our worst decision-maker: stressed-out us.

My circuit breaker is simple. When I'm caught in the grind, I ask myself: Will this matter a year from now?

If yes? Keep going.
If no? Step back. Breathe. Think.

Because here's what I've learned after nearly drowning at 50 meters and grinding myself into the ground more times than I can count:

Pushing harder often slows us down.
Muscling through creates poor time investments.
Reactive mode means we're not changing our environment; we're just responding to it.

Watch how this one question can transform your leadership from reactive to intentional.

What's your circuit breaker for breaking free from the grind?

Bill Forster Thank you for sharing this. It is so true and so absolutely good. The  "Every life has a story" video is one of my all-time favorite leadership videos, and of course it came from Chick Fil A.

Leading a New Era of CEO Collaboration | Building a private network of billion-dollar CEOs | $26+ Billion in EBITDA created for Clients | Founder & CEO at CEO Zones |

One thing I’ve come to admire deeply about Chick-fil-A is how much they genuinely care about people — customers, employees, suppliers… Everyone is treated like family.

From S. Truett Cathy to Jimmy Collins, Dan Cathy, and now Andrew Cathy, that culture of care has stayed strong.

A lesson that stuck with me: Hire the best people, and they’ll attract the best customers.

It may take time, but as Truett believed — time is on your side when you build the right way.

I'm signed up for this webinar and looking forward to it. Obviously, there's so much hype about AI, and I use different AI tools every day. Thinking about it through an executive lens - how to leverage and maximize the value creation while these tools are advancing so quickly is something that's on my mind. How about you?

Open article: Webinar:  AI Market Readiness : How CEOs Turn Hype Into Competitive Advantage  by ceozones.com

Webinar:  AI Market Readiness : How CEOs Turn Hype Into Competitive Advantage 

I can’t wait to be an early adopter here!

Father, Husband, Executive, Investor, Advisor

For the past three years, I’ve been working on strategic initiatives at Vanderbilt University — which included a lot of time on generative AI.

One collaboration in particular stood out: Jules White, Vanderbilt’s leader for AI in education and enterprise, and his team had built a platform that gave students and staff a secure, flexible way to use AI across departments. It was LLM-agnostic, policy-aware, and dramatically cheaper than mainstream tools.

It worked. Really well. So well, in fact, that many other learning institutions deployed it.  Then, commercial enterprises started to express interest in what we were doing.

As we went through this process, we saw one thing with almost every organization - AI Paralysis.  They had communicated a policy and some people were using AI, but they were not yet truly getting results.  Generative AI was not making a true impact at these companies.   

That platform became the foundation for something new. Today, I’m excited to introduce AmplifyAI by CR8.io and announce my role as CEO there.

It’s a hosted GenAI platform that helps organizations turn AI ambition into action — faster, safer, and smarter.  With AmplifyAI, you can:
-Deploy assistants and smart workflows without heavy infrastructure
-Use 20+ top models (like Claude & GPT‑5) with no vendor lock-in to boost innovation and reduce per seat expense
-Stay in control with built-in enterprise security and auditability

We built this to help teams move beyond pilots and finally get real, scalable results from AI. 

If your org is ready to make that leap, I’d love to connect directly.
You can schedule with me and follow along with our journey here:  https://lnkd.in/ebiPa932

#artificialintelligence
#generativeAI
Jules White
Allen Karns

It's so neat seeing a product and company that I care greatly about being lauded and praised by unrelated sources. 

This innovative offering is going to positively impact the lives of millions of workers who are in manual labor positions. The long term effect is truly going to be incalculable

Founder & CEO at Global Village Publishing | Creator of INNOVATE Series, Best of Series & Winning the Away Game | Women of the Future | The Lekker Network | World Traveller & Foodie, 130 Countries & Counting

Innovation doesn't have to be flashy.

Take HeroWear's Apex 2 exosuit – a lightweight, textile-based suit that relieves up to 40% of back strain every time a worker bends or lifts something heavy.

Built from academic roots at Vanderbilt, it's now helping thousands of workers worldwide, reducing injuries, fatigue, and trauma in jobs where every shift demands your spine.

One case study tracked 281,000 work-hours and found zero back injuries where these suits were used!

Sign me up.

HeroWear is featured in INNOVATE® Nashville, proving that greatness isn't always about grandeur. It's often just simple thoughtfulness, built into technology we can all use.

Link to their story in the comments. 👇

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Want to drive more opportunities from LinkedIn?

Dusty Holcomb's Linkedin Analytics

's Best Posts (last 30 days)