Forward Deployment Strategist, embedded AI for trades and construction across the Okanagan
Your competitors are getting AI built into their operations.
This is how that happens.
69% of businesses say they can't find a clear use case for AI. That's exactly where I start. I embed inside your company, identify where AI creates real leverage, then build and deploy the system, connected to your actual data and workflows. I don't hand it off. I stay in.
The problem
You know AI is coming. You just don't know where it fits, or how to do it right.
According to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, 69% of B.C. businesses that aren't using AI say the same thing: they can't identify a clear business case. They're not against it. They just don't know where it fits.
Meanwhile, the ones who jump in often skip governance entirely. Who's responsible when AI gets something wrong? What data is it touching? Where are the boundaries? Without clear answers, you're building on sand.
The proposal that takes three days when it could take ninety minutes. The estimator buried in spreadsheets instead of landing the next job. The project knowledge that walks out the door every time someone leaves. These are real use cases hiding in plain sight.
I find them. I embed inside your company, build the system connected to your actual data and workflows, and make sure the right guardrails are in place. Then I stay in. This model (Forward Deployed Engineering) is how Palantir, OpenAI, and Anthropic deliver AI to their largest clients. Jarvis Strategies brings it to trades and construction SMBs across the Okanagan.
The engagement model
Practical first. Always.
AI Use Case Discovery
This is where every embedded engagement begins. 69% of B.C. businesses say they can't identify a clear use case for AI. This is how we find it. A structured, data driven assessment that tells you exactly where AI fits in your business, what to prioritize, and what governance needs to be in place before we build anything.
What's included
Discovery Call
30-60 minA structured conversation about how your business operates: workflows, friction points, who owns what, and where time and money are leaking. Not a sales call.
AI Readiness Survey
Private & brandedA customized online assessment scored across 6 dimensions: Leadership & Alignment, Process Maturity, Data Readiness, Technology Foundation, People & Change Readiness, and Governance & Risk Controls.
AI Readiness Score
Quantified /100A deterministic score based on your survey data, not opinion, not vibes. You'll know exactly where you stand and where the gaps are, backed by evidence.
Pain Point Diagnostic
Cross-referencedYour highest-impact challenges, biggest time sinks, and lowest-maturity processes cross-referenced to surface the use cases hiding in your operations.
What you walk away with
AI Readiness Assessment Report
A written report combining your discovery call findings with your scored survey data, including your readiness score, identified use cases, and where your call answers aligned with or diverged from your survey responses.
Prioritized Roadmap
What to do first, what to avoid, and the right sequence for implementation. Based on evidence from your assessment, not assumptions.
Governance Baseline
A clear picture of where you stand on accountability, data boundaries, quality controls, and transparency, AND what needs to be in place before you implement anything.
Embedded Build Sprint
I embed inside your company for a month. Diagnose where AI creates the most value, then design, build, and deploy the system, connected to your actual data, tools, and workflows. Governance built in from the start: clear ownership, data boundaries, quality controls, and team training so it gets used.
Proposals, estimating, documentation, client communication, job costing: wherever the highest leverage is. Scope confirmed after your AI Readiness Assessment.
Strategic Partnership
At the same monthly value as the build sprint, I stay embedded. Ongoing iteration, new use cases, governance oversight, and continued support as your AI usage grows and the field evolves. The build doesn't end at handoff. It compounds.
12-month strategic retainer.
AI Workshops for Your Team
Your team doesn't need to become AI experts. They need to understand what AI can and can't do, where it fits in their day-to-day, and how to use it responsibly. These workshops are built for the people who do the work, not just leadership.
AI Fundamentals
What AI is, what it's good at, where it falls short, and how to evaluate whether a tool is worth your time. No jargon, no hype.
Hands-On with AI Tools
Your team works with real AI tools on real tasks from their own workflows. They leave knowing how to use it, not just what it is.
AI Governance & Responsibility
What your team needs to know about data, privacy, quality control, and when a human needs to stay in the loop. The stuff most workshops skip.
Custom to Your Business
Every workshop is tailored to your industry, your tools, and the specific workflows your people deal with every day.
Available for teams of 5-30. In-person (Okanagan) or virtual (Anywhere). Pricing based on group size and format.
Governance
AI without guardrails is a liability.
Most AI implementations skip governance entirely. That works until it doesn't, until AI sends something wrong to a client, touches data it shouldn't, or makes a decision nobody can explain. I build governance into every embedded engagement from the start, not as an afterthought.
Accountability
Who's responsible when AI makes a decision in your business? Clear ownership from the start, not after something goes wrong.
Data Boundaries
What data is AI touching? What stays off-limits? Your client information, your IP, and your team's work all need clear lines.
Quality Control
AI outputs need human review. I build checkpoints into every workflow so your team stays in control of what goes out the door.
Transparency
Your team and your clients should know where AI is being used and where it isn't. No black boxes. No surprises.
Results
What the embedded engagement delivers.
Case Study: Excavation Company
Proposal turnaround: days → 90 minutes
An excavation company was spending days turning around proposals. By the time they got back to potential clients, they were often already talking to someone else.
We identified their proposal workflow as the highest leverage point for AI integration. After implementation, turnaround dropped to roughly 90 minutes without adding headcount and without sacrificing quality.
Faster proposals. More bids out the door. More work won.
Case Study: Avionics Company
Engineering time recovered: 80/20 → 50/50
An avionics company's engineers were spending 80% of their time creating, updating, and maintaining documentation and only 20% on the hardware design and software development they were hired to do.
We targeted the documentation workflow for AI integration, reducing documentation time by 30–40%. That shifted the ratio closer to 50/50, effectively doubling the time engineers spend on actual engineering work.
Same team. No new hires. Just more of the work that matters.
Who this is for
Built for companies that build things.
Good fit
Construction contractors and GCs
Accountants and Bookkeepers
Manufacturing and fabrication
Trades businesses scaling up
SMEs with 5-50 employees
Owners who want results, not reports
Companies ready for an embedded engagement
Not the right fit
Enterprise companies needing custom platforms
Businesses looking for a chatbot and nothing else
Anyone expecting AI to replace their whole team
Companies not ready to change how they work
About
I'm Scott.
I spent 18 years in construction and administration operations. I know how a trades business runs: the estimating cycles, the proposal chaos, the knowledge that walks out the door when someone leaves. Most AI consultants don't.
I founded Jarvis Strategies as a Forward Deployment Strategist: I embed inside client companies, build AI systems connected to their real data and workflows, and stay in to make sure they work. This is the model Palantir pioneered and that Anthropic and OpenAI now use for their largest enterprise clients. I bring it to trades, construction, and manufacturing SMBs across the Okanagan.
I work with mid-size companies with 5–50 employees. Owners who are done experimenting and ready to build something that changes how the work gets done.
My goal is simple: help your team work smarter and keep your operation competitive.
Insights
Thinking out loud.
Construction is dead last in B.C. for AI adoption
The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade found that construction lags every other sector in B.C. for AI adoption, 11% below the Canadian average. Here's what that means for contractors.
Where to start with AI if you run a trades business
You don't need a strategy deck. You need to know which part of your day-to-day is eating the most time for the least return. That's where AI goes first.
Edmonton just bet big on AI in construction
The Edmonton Chamber of Commerce launched an initiative to make the region a North American hub for AI in construction and engineering. Here's why it matters for contractors in construction and engineering.
Contact
Ready to get AI built into your operation?
Whether you want to book a conversation or just ask a quick question. Pick whichever works for you.
Send an Email
Have a question or want to share some context before we talk? Drop me a line and I'll get back to you within one business day.
sjarvis@jarvisstrategies.comBook a Call
30 minutes. I'll ask a few direct questions about how your business runs. If there's a fit, we'll talk next steps. If not, I'll tell you honestly.
No pitch. No pressure. Just a conversation.