Triple-Digit ROI from AI Is Real.Moving from Tools to Structure to Innovation.
At the 2026 Greater Cincinnati Vistage Executive Summit, the room wanted to know where the real return actually hides, and how to get there.
Three Stages of AI Maturity
As you read through these, think about which stage describes your organization right now.
People are trying AI on their own. There's not much policy, training, or direction yet, and that's a perfectly normal place to be.
What good looks like: a clear AI use policy, an approved tool list, and real training in place.
Adoption becomes repeatable. There's a committee, a leader, and a framework, so good ideas have somewhere to go.
What good looks like: real savings begin, and IT leads without absorbing the work alone.
Processes, offerings, and business models get rethought, not just sped up. This is where the biggest returns show up.
What good looks like: new products, new customer experiences, and the highest ROI of any stage..
What Innovation + AI Actually Looks Like
Brain Brew started as a contract R&D and manufacturing shop. Its flagship, Noble Oak, is now the fastest-growing super-premium bourbon in 48 states. It was built by asking one question first.
"What could we do for customers that was previously impossible?"
Their answer was the Bourbon Wizard: 13 taste-preference questions generate a custom QR code, a bartender scans it, and the bourbon is blended to the half-ounce from more than 200 building-block components, including smoked and 200-year cherry wood. They applied the same approach to every internal process, not just the product.
Adds real value, is novel, and is non-obvious. Ideas that clear this bar are roughly 500% more likely to succeed. Score high enough, and they spread by word of mouth before a dollar is spent on marketing.
Moves Worth Borrowing
A few Counterintuitive Moves for building an Innovation Culture.
