The Bronze Star Veteran Who Now Helps Companies Stop Being Afraid of AI with Jon Hilton

🎙️ From West Point to ExxonMobil to AI Practice Leader: Jon Hilton’s Unconventional PathJon Hilton, shareholder and AI practice leader at LBMC, earned a Bronze Star in Iraq, spent over a decade at ExxonMobil managing capital projects across the globe, then walked away from that security to earn a master’s in data science at Berkeley — all while raising four kids. What looks like a series of bold pivots is actually one continuous story about doing hard things, building the right team, and leading through uncertainty. Now he helps middle market companies stop experimenting with AI and start getting results.✨ Key Insights You’ll Learn:West Point and two tours in Iraq: training, grit, and the next right step11 years at ExxonMobil’s global projects organization — $40B+ capital programsPursuing a Berkeley data science master’s while working full-time at ExxonMobilWhy AI transformation is a leadership problem, not a technology problemBCG study: 75% of CEOs at large companies are the primary AI decision-makerAI use case ROI stacks — the real value starts at use case three, four, and fiveSales call coaching agent: AI listening to every rep and generating coaching reportsPatient care coordination agent: identifying fall risk from unstructured conversationAudit agent: comparing narrative reports against financial data for discrepanciesWhy hallucinations are declining — and why a human in the loop still matters🌟 Jon’s Key Mentors:Thermodynamics Professor (West Point): Recognized Jon’s aptitude for math and redirected him from political science to engineeringZacher Hussein and Fazl (EY): Taught Jon how enterprises actually approach AI strategy and change management at scaleDr. Charlie Pegian (LBMC Colleague, former Belmont/MTSU Professor): Co-developer of Jon’s problem-first AI framework for client engagementsHis Wife: Held the family together through two Iraq deployments, expat assignments in Norway, France, and England, and a Berkeley master’s program — the unsung heroHis Combat Brothers and Sisters: The community that made the hardest years survivable👉 Don’t miss this conversation about what leading through fear actually looks like, why the middle market is falling behind on AI, and what a West Point education and two combat tours have to do with building an AI practice in Nashville.🔗 Connect with Jon Hilton:LinkedIn: Jon Hilton — LBMCWebsite: lbmc.com📎 Transcript Available: The Bronze Star Veteran Who Now Helps Companies Stop Being Afraid of AI with Jon Hilton📺 Watch on YouTube: Inspired Stories Podcast🌐 Our Website: The Inspired Stories Podcast📎 Special Thanks to Anthony Codispoti & AddBack Benefits Agency: Providing innovative employee benefits solutions that improve employee well-being while optimizing your bottom line. Website: addbackbenefits.com