Essex Richards – Croixstone

Building an AI Foundation for Growth

“Artificial intelligence and generative AI may be the most important technology of any lifetime.”
– Marc Benioff (Chair, CEO and Co-Founder – Salesforce)

Taking AI to the Next Level: Like many other organizations, Croixstone has launched a journey to harness the full potential of AI and to drive its value creation. Last week, three of our leaders (Ed Ritter, Brandon Morgan, and Mark Weber) participated in the second of a three-part AI educational series hosted by the Charlotte Chapter of the Private Directors Association (Croixstone serves as a sponsor along with Gold Sponsor Charlotte Business Journal and fellow Bronze sponsors GreerWalker and Essex Richards).

AI Speakers: Last week’s AI educational session featured a diverse panel of speakers including Jeremiah Grant (President, Chief Information Security Officer – EverOak Solutions), Lisa Weil (Board Advisor – Quinnipiac University School of Nursing and former Senior Managing Director, Head of Experience Product Management – TIAA), David Phillips (Founder – Faster Glass) and moderator Carolina Ko (Senior Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager – Bank of America).

AI Key Messages: We appreciated and strongly aligned with the following key messages delivered by the panelists regarding the AI journey:

There is a call to action for EVERY organization when it comes to AI.
Focus first on your employees and their concerns and potential resistance to AI.
Allow for experiential learning to drive AI training.
Organizations must have solid foundations rooted in clean data strategies, great controls environments, and solid governance to support their AI journeys.
Organizations should “right-size” their governance of AI.
Board members need not be AI techies, but rather they should be asking foundational and strategic questions related to AI.

Wondering about how to best launch your organization’s AI journey? Reach out to Mark Weber, Croixstone’s Managing Partner and Co-Founder here.

Learn more about the Private Directors Association. Founded in 2014, the Private Directors Association is dedicated to improving private companies’ growth and sustainability through governance that adds value. Learn more here.

Learn About Exit Planning for Privately Held Companies

We are an Event Sponsor for PDA’s next in-person event: Along with GreerWalker LLP and Essex Richards, P.A., Croixstone is excited to serve as an Event Sponsor for the next in-person event hosted by the Charlotte Chapter of the Private Directors Association (PDA), a professional association with a purpose to enable and enhance the value, growth, and resilience of privately held companies through effective governance.

Event details: The event is taking place on Tuesday, September 26, 2023 from 5pm – 7:30pm at Croixstone’s offices located at 101 S. Tryon Street, Suite 2700 in Uptown Charlotte, NC.

Topic: The program will focus on “how to and why” privately held company owners should initiate an exit plan well before owners are ready to execute on such a strategy. From a private company governance perspective, the discussion provides for multiple alternatives in seeking the best outcome for shareholders while educating all involved on the process.

Subject matter experts from GreerWalker and Essex Richards will address the following topics:

• Exit strategies – when should a private company begin the planning process and what are the strategic options to consider?
• Who should be involved (owners, board members)?
• Independent board members role in the planning process
• Preparation and expectations – issues and potential pitfalls

Interested in attending? This is an in-person event with no virtual option to participate. Members of the PDA can register for $25 by logging into their member accounts here. Non-members interested in attending as a guest of Croixstone can do so by emailing Grace Lynch, Croixstone’s Director of Business Operations, at glynch@croixstone.consulting.