When Your Neighbor Becomes Your AI Guide

You know that feeling when you're trying to learn something new, and every tutorial sounds like it was written by someone who's never actually had to explain things to a real person?

That's exactly what James Collins is working to change in Russellville.

We recently listened to James teach a beginner AI class here at The Hub. And what struck me wasn't just what James was teaching. It was how he was teaching it, and more importantly, where.

The Trail Guide Who Learned to Code

James introduces himself the same way every time: "I'm as laid back as I sound and I'm as country as I sound. I'm just the opposite of what you would expect for someone to be programming Artificial Intelligence."

He's not wrong. This is a guy who likens everything to the woods, who built his first AI tools to help the trail-riding community, who spent 16 years as a military videographer before working 20 years at Lockheed Martin in aviation simulation. And now? He's running CPWE AI with his business partner Greg Hyatt right here in Russellville, teaching locals how to use technology that many businesses still think won't matter for another decade.

But here's the thing that makes James different: he gets that most people aren't trying to become programmers. They're trying to run a window and door business. Manage real estate. Build custom homes. Answer their phones without missing the important calls.

"If you own a company or currently are a marketing manager, you know that if you come to hire someone to come do a video in the past, that could be five figures real quickly," James told the class. He wasn't selling fear. He was acknowledging reality—and then showing a room full of local business owners that there's another way.

The Digital Skills Gap Is Real (And It's Expensive)

According to a 2024 McKinsey Global Survey, 87% of companies worldwide are experiencing skills gaps or expect them within a few years. The most acute shortages? Digital and tech skills.

But here's what the surveys don't always capture: the gap isn't just about *having* people with tech skills. It's about having people who can *translate* those skills into practical applications for everyday businesses.

That's where local knowledge becomes invaluable.

One attendee from the real estate industry spoke up: "The most helpful thing for me is to sit down and be like, okay, here's problems we've got. Here's what we're trying to drive towards. How can I shorten that window?"

James's response wasn't a sales pitch. It was practical: "We can come in and be a team member until we set it up and automate it."

Why This Matters for Russellville

The Arkansas Economic Development Institute reports that Arkansas businesses consistently cite workforce development and skills training as top concerns. Meanwhile, small businesses across the state are competing against companies in larger markets that have easier access to specialized talent.

But what if the answer isn't just attracting talent from elsewhere? What if it's also about growing expertise right here—and making sure that expertise stays accessible to the people who need it most?

James and Greg aren't just running a business. They're building local capacity. When James created Arkansas Trails —a comprehensive mapping platform for every trail, waterway, campground, and hunting season in the state—he did it because he's a rider himself. He built it to get people home safe when they're lost in the woods.

That same philosophy carries into his business work. He's not interested in making technology more complicated. He's interested in making it useful.

During the class, he told a story about approaching businesses back in 2023 with AI solutions. "I lost some friends but I gained some friends," he said candidly. "Some people have strong beliefs against it. Where I stand on that, is neutral. I don't know. I just want to get that out there, I don't know where this is going."

That honesty matters. He's not pretending to have all the answers. He's figuring it out alongside everyone else—but he's a few steps ahead, and he's willing to turn around and help others catch up.

The Real Cost of Not Knowing

CPWE made a point in the class that stuck with me: "AI is not going to take people's jobs. People that know how to use AI will take people's jobs."

It's a sobering thought, but he's right. And it's already happening.

He mentioned talking to business managers and founders who've said that if their employees aren't using AI for at least 90% of their tasks, "they're out of there already." That might sound extreme, but it reflects a larger trend. A 2024 report from the World Economic Forum estimates that by 2027, 44% of workers' skills will be disrupted, with analytical thinking and creative thinking topping the list of growing skills.

The businesses that survive won't necessarily be the ones with the biggest budgets. They'll be the ones that adapt fastest—and that often means the ones with access to the right guidance at the right time.

For a window and door business in Russellville, that might mean using AI to generate accurate cost estimates instantly. For a real estate company, it might mean automating reporting so agents can spend more time with clients. For a custom home builder, it could mean creating pricing calculators that give clients realistic expectations before anyone wastes time.

James has already built all of these solutions for local clients. His office is in the back corner of the Innovation Hub, and he's willing to sit down with anyone who's curious.

Learning From Someone Who Speaks Your Language

There's something powerful about learning from someone who gets where you're coming from.

Greg Hyatt, James's business partner, was skeptical about AI just two years ago. "Greg, just two years ago, wasn't a fan of AI, but yet he sits here today as my business partner," James said during the class. "That's pretty amazing to me because he saw the power of it for his local church."

Greg started using AI to build websites and write blogs—tasks that used to take hours now take minutes. He showed the class how he uses custom AI tools to automatically generate 1,500 to 4,000-word blog posts on any subject, optimized for search engines, complete with images.

"If you have a website and you paid for that you know it's expensive," James noted. "Well now you're doing things yourself automated that is putting you higher than an agency like myself may even get you."

The class wasn't fancy. It was held in a conference room. James used a simple presentation. People grabbed coffee and asked questions. It was exactly what learning should look like: accessible, practical, and rooted in real problems people actually have.

Building Something That Lasts

At one point during the class, James talked about his definition of intelligence: "The distance between having a thought or being curious and taking action on that thought."

By that definition, Russellville has an opportunity right now. We have people like James and Greg who are willing to share what they know. We have spaces like the Innovation Hub where learning can happen. We have business owners who are curious and willing to try new things.

The question is whether we'll take action on that curiosity.

James offers three levels of classes—beginner, intermediate, and advanced. He'll work with individual businesses. He'll train your high performers. He'll build custom solutions. He'll even just sit down and brainstorm what's possible.

His approach isn't about selling you the most expensive package. It's about figuring out what you actually need and helping you get there. Sometimes that means a thousand-dollar-a-month voice agent to answer your phones. Sometimes it means a free consultation to point you in the right direction.

"Or at least give it a good old fashioned Arkansas try, I guarantee you," as James puts it.

You can find CPWE AI at their office in the Innovation Hub, visit their website at cpwe.biz, or listen to the full class recording on YouTube to get a real feel for James's teaching style and the kinds of questions local business owners are asking.

If you're in Russellville and you've been wondering how AI might help your business—or if you're just curious what all the fuss is about—James and Greg are the kind of neighbors you want to learn from. They're not trying to sound smarter than you. They're trying to help you get smarter yourself.

And in a world where technology can feel increasingly distant and impersonal, that kind of local expertise might be the most valuable resource we have.