2026-06-11 · Ippon Technologies USA — 3431 W Leigh St, Richmond, VA
AI is not just changing finance at large banks and enterprise companies. It is also creating real leverage for small business finance teams that are willing to experiment, build, and rethink how work gets done. Join AI Ready RVA’s Financial Services Industry Cohort for a practical conversation with Chris Clark, Director of Finance at Gelati Celesti Ice Cream, as he shares an inside look at what it takes to build AI-powered infrastructure inside a small business with a finance team of two. Over the past six months, Chris has built a stack of workflow automations and is now developing an internal ERP system tailored to Gelati Celesti’s specific business needs. This session will walk through real builds, lessons learned, practical architecture decisions, and the mental models that helped him move from AI experimentation to operational infrastructure. Attendees will get a finance-seat view of what is possible with tools like Claude, workflow automation, and custom internal systems, especially in a resource-constrained environment where every hour and every decision matters. This session is designed for finance, banking, insurance, accounting, operations, and business leaders who want a clearer, more practical understanding of how AI can move from idea to implementation. What You’ll Learn How a small finance team is using AI to build internal business infrastructure Where Claude and automation tools fit into real finance workflows What it takes to move from experiments to repeatable systems How finance leaders can think about AI architecture, risk, and practical adoption What becomes possible when small teams build with intention Featured Speaker Chris Clark Director, Finance Gelati Celesti Ice Cream Who Should Attend Finance professionals, FSI leaders, operators, small business owners, analysts, consultants, and anyone exploring how AI can improve financial workflows, reporting, operations, and internal systems. Hosted by AI Ready RVA’s Financial Services Industry Cohort
This event took place on Jun 11, 2026 in Greater Richmond and has already happened. AI Ready RVA runs free and member events across the region every month — see the upcoming events calendar for the next session, or explore our industry cohorts to keep learning between events.