The floor is buzzing in downtown Bentonville, but the real signal is trust. We step into Slalom’s Innovation Day at The Record to explore how a local-first consulting model, a practitioner mindset, and a world-class partner ecosystem turn AI from flashy demos into business outcomes. From quick, no-code agents that capture leads on a phone to a lakehouse foundation that unifies data for analytics and governance, the conversations focus on what customers actually need—and how fast they can get there without sacrificing safety or ethics.
Saint Fults, General Manager at Slalom, lays out Slalom’s ethos: take on the hardest problems with a local team you know by name. That proximity changes everything—strategy becomes concrete, timelines get tighter, and results get measured in customer impact. Marco Kilongkilong, Senior Principal at Slalom, dives into trusted AI, unpacking why governance, responsible inputs, and clear design choices are the bedrock of adoption. John Mathis, Managing Director at Slalom, zooms out to the big picture: leaders are drowning in options, so the path forward is to pick practical use cases, start small, and ship value quickly while protecting privacy and staying compliant.
Partners bring the engine. Databricks explains how the Data Intelligence Platform and Agent Bricks lower the barrier to agentic systems so non-technical teams can orchestrate tasks and content with real guardrails. Salesforce shows how a unified platform lets business users build AI-powered workflows rapidly—no code required—while highlighting zero-copy data sharing across providers like Google and Databricks to finally unlock end-to-end insights. Throughout the night, one theme keeps returning: the future belongs to teams that blend clear governance, solid data foundations, and human-centered change.
If you’re navigating AI hype, looking for your first high-impact win, or rebuilding trust with tech that actually works, this conversation offers a roadmap you can use tomorrow. Subscribe, share with a colleague who’s stuck at “pilot,” and leave a review with the AI use case you want us to unpack next.
More About this Episode
The Future of Innovation: A Deep Dive into Slalom’s Vision for Trust, AI, and Human-Centered Solutions
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is redefining how businesses operate, how problems are solved, and most importantly, how organizations connect with their customers. At the heart of this transformation stands Slalom, a consulting firm that doesn’t just talk about innovation. They bring it to life.
At a recent Slalom Innovation Day in Bentonville, Arkansas, we had the opportunity to engage directly with Slalom leaders, partners, and industry experts who are not only implementing cutting-edge technology but also cultivating a culture rooted in trust, local relationships, and practical problem-solving. What unfolded at this vibrant, packed event wasn’t just a showcase of AI tools. It was a vision for the future of business itself.
Why Trust Is Slalom’s Most Valuable Asset
From the moment the event began, one theme stood out: trust. It wasn’t just a buzzword; it was a foundational philosophy echoed by every Slalom team member and partner throughout the night. Saint Fults, who leads Slalom’s operations across Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas, summed it up perfectly: “You’re not going to ask us to help with your hardest problems if you don’t know anything about us.”
In today’s hyper-connected world, trust is more than a nice-to-have, it’s essential. Especially in the realm of emerging technologies like AI, where clients need to feel confident not only in the tech itself but in the people deploying it. Slalom understands that trust isn’t built through flashy pitches; it’s built through consistent, local engagement, partnerships grounded in shared values, and results that speak for themselves.
Slalom’s Local-First Model: Innovation Where You Live
Slalom’s business model is refreshingly simple yet deeply impactful: stay local. Founded on the belief that consultants shouldn’t have to live on airplanes, Slalom’s offices only work with clients in their immediate geographic areas. That means when they open an office in Bentonville, it’s not just another pin on a map. It’s a long-term investment in the local community.
Events like Innovation Day serve as tangible proof of this commitment. With clients, partners, students, and tech professionals gathering to exchange ideas, build relationships, and see demos in action, Slalom is doing much more than networking. They're embedding themselves into the community they serve.
AI Is the Moment - But Only When It’s Practical
Artificial intelligence, particularly generative AI, was front and center at the Innovation Day. But instead of vague promises about the future, the conversations focused on practical, real-world applications that deliver immediate value.
According to Marco Kilonkilong, who specializes in the intersection of people and technology at Slalom, the biggest challenge companies face right now is not whether to use AI, but how. “Everybody talks about it,” he said. “But what we find is a lot of people don’t know what to do with it.”
Marco emphasized that for AI to be effective, it must be built on strong governance and ethical foundations. “Do you trust that it performs as expected? Do you trust that the inputs are safe and responsible?” These are the types of questions that define whether a business is truly ready for AI. And they’re questions Slalom helps its clients answer every day.
From Strategy to Execution: Bridging the AI Gap
While excitement around AI is high, many businesses find themselves stuck between experimentation and execution. This "AI gap" was a recurring topic among both Slalom representatives and their tech partners.
John Mathis, a leader in Slalom’s data and analytics team, explained that most companies aren’t struggling with technology itself. They’re struggling with focus. “What do I do?” is the question he hears most often. “There’s so much going on in the space, it’s overwhelming. That’s where we come in to help you decide where to start and how to make something real.”
John emphasized the need for practical, high-impact use cases that can scale over time. Rather than taking months to launch an initiative, Slalom helps businesses quickly identify opportunities and deliver value through small, targeted projects that can grow and evolve.
Partner Ecosystems: Innovation Without Borders
Another major theme of the evening was collaboration. Slalom’s strength lies not only in its internal expertise but also in its robust partner ecosystem. Companies like Databricks, Salesforce, Okta, and AKRA Collective were present at the event, each contributing unique capabilities to support shared clients.
Isaac Ke from Databricks shared insights into how their platform simplifies AI adoption through low-code tools like Agent Bricks, allowing business users to build, govern, and deploy AI agents in under 10 steps. This democratization of AI, making powerful tools accessible to non-technical users, is a game-changer for industries like retail and consumer packaged goods (CPG), where speed and agility are essential.
On the Salesforce side, we saw firsthand how AI can be integrated into everyday workflows. With the use of agentic technology, Salesforce reps showed how leads from a trade show could be captured and organized through natural language prompts with no coding required. The platform’s zero-copy initiative further enhances data accessibility by allowing seamless data sharing across platforms like Google and Databricks, removing friction from decision-making.
Education and Ethics: The Responsibility of AI Adoption
Joseph Paul Clifton, co-founder of the AKRA Collective, brought a vital perspective to the table: education. In a world flooded with AI hype, misinformation is rampant. AKRA Collective focuses on bridging this knowledge gap through strategic education and ethical guidance, helping executives and frontline workers alike understand how to use AI responsibly and effectively.
“We think it’s really important to enable people who are not bad actors around what generative AI is and what it’s not,” Joseph said. “You can’t navigate something this powerful without guidance, and that's where we come in.”
The Human Element: Why Slalom Is Different
Perhaps the most refreshing takeaway from Innovation Day was Slalom’s commitment to staying fiercely human. While many firms rush to automate, Slalom remains rooted in human-centric consulting. They view technology as a tool, not the solution. The solution is always tied to people: customers, teams, communities.
Andrew, one of Slalom’s local leaders, put it best when he said, “We’re not here to sell. We’re here to connect. If we can build real trust and prove ourselves by solving your hardest problems, everything else will follow.”
What Slalom Offers Businesses Today
For companies navigating digital transformation, Slalom offers more than technical expertise. Their services span:
- AI and generative AI strategy
- Data governance and analytics
- Organizational change management
- Digital product development
- Customer experience optimization
- Cloud migration and infrastructure
- Technology-agnostic solution delivery
- Local consulting with global expertise
They combine this breadth with a personalized, community-first model that’s rare in the consulting world.
What’s Next for Business Innovation?
If Innovation Day in Bentonville revealed anything, it’s that the future of business belongs to those who can balance bold innovation with practical execution and do so while maintaining the trust of their clients, employees, and communities.
Slalom isn’t just talking about transformation. They’re helping companies lead it. With an unwavering focus on people, a deep network of expert partners, and a playbook built on trust, they are setting the standard for what modern consulting should look like in the age of AI.
