Speaking · John Marshall
Where AI actually makes money, and where it is just noise.
John has run businesses in seventeen industries, from a top lumber and building materials dealer to a specialty manufacturer. Now he shows owners, executives and industry groups where AI pays off, how better decisions get made, and what it takes to move a company from individual use to real results.
His deepest bench is lumber and building materials. His audiences go well beyond it.
Why he works for your audience
An operator in front of operators.
He is one of them first.
John ran businesses long before he was an AI practitioner: seventeen industries, including President and COO of Wilson Lumber and Chairman of a specialty manufacturer. In a room of owners, that record does more work than any technology background. He is not an outsider explaining their business back to them.
He works from real numbers.
In lumber and building materials, GenAI adoption among Construction Supply 150 dealers went from under half to roughly two-thirds in a single year, according to Webb Analytics’ 2026 Construction Supply 150. But it clustered in communications and admin, not estimating, quoting or margin. That gap, between AI use and AI value, is what John presents from the stage, whatever the industry.
He does not sell from the podium.
John signs no-promotion clauses without negotiation. His frameworks are taught as teaching tools, not lead magnets. Organizers get a session, not a sales call.
He builds toward a takeaway, not applause.
Every session is built backward from what an owner can do Monday morning rather than what sounds impressive from a stage. Tell him what you want your attendees walking out with and he will build the session to deliver it.
Signature sessions
1
45 minutes · Owners, presidents, GMs
Where Companies Are Actually Making Money With AI (And Where They Are Just Making Noise)
The gap between where companies use AI and where it makes money. Includes one company walked through in full, with the dollar value attached to each category: executive leverage, commercial improvement, reduced friction and risk reduction.
LBM edition: Where LBM Dealers Are Actually Making Money With AI, opening with the Construction Supply 150 adoption data, department by department.
2
45 to 60 minutes · Executive teams
Better Decisions, Faster: AI as an Operating Discipline
Not content generation. Decision speed and decision quality. How a leadership team runs a real decision through a structured method and reaches a defensible answer in an afternoon instead of a quarter.
3
45 to 60 minutes · Facilitated peer discussion
Roundtable: What Is Actually Working With GenAI
A working session, not a panel. Attendees bring the problems they are trying to solve and John facilitates against real applications already running at other companies in the room’s industry: what is working, what is not, and what it cost. Best paired with either session above.
Who he speaks to
Built for rooms of owners and operators. Lumber and building materials is home ground, not the limit.
- LBM dealers and their associations
- Suppliers, wholesalers and distributors
- CEO and business-owner peer forums
- Finance leaders and CFO groups
- Manufacturers
- Sales teams
Recent and upcoming stages
Upcoming
- ProDealer Industry Summit, HBS Dealer · Chicago · October 2026
- BLD Connection · Olathe, KS and Omaha, NE · December 2026
Recent
- LBM Strategies Conference, Nashville 2025 · AI adoption across the LBM channel, recapped by LBM Journal
- BMSA CFO Roundtable · AI and finance
- C12 Business Forums
- NAWLA Applied AI Series · Five-module series, developed and delivered
- LBM Executive Council · Speaker
- LMC Annual · Advanced AI marketing seminar
Credentials
- 40+ years across seventeen industries. From sole proprietorships to executive roles, with turnaround and growth as the common thread.
- Three-time C12 Member of the Year. Has spoken and written for C12 Business Forums, a peer network of business owners across industries.
- Former President and COO, Wilson Lumber Company. 500% revenue growth in seven years; named ProSales Dealer of the Year.
- Chairman, Tara Manufacturing. As interim CEO of the specialty manufacturer, put AI to work on his own job for an estimated $650,000 in value in eight months.
- Contributor on AI and enterprise value. LBM Journal, BLD Magazine, the Webb Analytics newsletter, and BLD’s Material Matters.
- Publisher, The Decision Layer. A newsletter translating GenAI developments for mid-market operators.
- Creator of the AIGP Prompt Framework (CARGO). Context, Actor, Request, Guardrails, Output.
- NAWLA Applied AI Training Series. Built and delivered five modules for supplier and distribution audiences.
- Integrates AI with EOS. Speaks the operating language dealer owners already use.
What leaders say
“I first met John when he was COO at Wilson Lumber and my magazine named it ProSales Dealer of the Year. It was immediately clear that this guy knew how to run a top-notch lumberyard and lead a team. Then and now, John searched constantly for ways to improve processes. His work in artificial intelligence combines with all his past experiences to make his recommendations especially valuable.”
Craig Webb, President, Webb Analytics LLC · webb-analytics.com
“I have known John Marshall for years, dating back to when he was President of Wilson Lumber in Alabama. His expertise and passion for AI go back several years, and he has fully embraced the rapid evolution of this technology — particularly as it applies to the LBM industry. John has personally helped me better understand how AI can improve efficiency and productivity in my consulting business. Whenever I have a question about using AI more effectively, John is my go-to resource. He is straightforward, honest, knowledgeable, and practical in his approach. I recommend him without hesitation to anyone looking to better understand and apply AI in the LBM space.”
Mike McDole, LBM Industry Advisor and Sales Trainer
How he works with organizers
Formats
45-minute keynote, 60-minute breakout, facilitated roundtable, or panel moderation. Travels from Huntsville, Alabama.
Built to your brief
Tell him the audience, the room, and what you want attendees walking out with. He builds the session to deliver it rather than shipping a stock deck.
No selling from the podium
No-promotion and no-solicitation clauses signed without negotiation. Frameworks are taught as teaching tools, not lead magnets.
On your deadline
Slides, handouts, bio, and headshot delivered to your production schedule. Available for pre-conference promotion: webinar, podcast, or article for your membership.
Book John for your event.
Tell us the audience, the date and what you want attendees walking out with. Krista will confirm availability.
Krista Prince, Business Coordinator
krista@aigrowthpartners.net
