Gene Marks
AI & Business Keynote Speaker | Forbes columnist | Author • The Marks Group P.C.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States •
More than $10,000
About
I help business leaders make sense of what’s changing — and what they should do about it. My keynotes bring together AI, automation, the economy, Washington and workplace trends in a practical, fast-paced and engaging way. I’m not a highly technical AI speaker or a traditional economist. I’m a CPA, business owner, author and business columnist who spends every day looking at how these changes affect real companies. What makes my presentations different is that I connect the big trends to the specific realities of the audience’s industry. Every keynote is customized, non-technical and focused on practical actions leaders can take when they get back to work.
Speaking Topics
Signature Programs (3)
As a regular columnist for Forbes, The Hill, and The Guardian, Gene Marks spends every week interviewing business leaders, economists, technology executives, and policymakers to understand what’s really happening in today’s economy—and, more importantly, how successful companies are responding. Businesses across every industry continue to face rising labor costs, higher borrowing costs, insurance increases, supply chain disruptions, rapid advances in artificial intelligence, and continued economic uncertainty. Rather than focusing on politics, Gene delivers a practical business briefing filled with real-world strategies companies are using to control costs, improve productivity, increase profitability, and prepare for what’s next. Drawing on his reporting for Forbes, The Hill, and The Guardian—along with insights from hundreds of business leaders he interviews and advises every year—Gene separates headlines from reality and shares practical ideas executives can immediately put to work.
Key Takeaways
- ✓ Navigating today’s higher-cost business environment ✓ Practical AI tools that improve productivity without increasing headcount ✓ Strategies companies are using to manage labor shortages and workforce costs ✓ Pricing, cash flow, financing, and profitability ideas that are working now ✓ Tax strategies, incentives, credits, and government programs businesses often overlook ✓ Economic and workplace trends leaders should actually pay attention to ✓ Supply chain, trade, and regulatory developments impacting manufacturers, distributors, contractors, and service businesses ✓ Technology investments delivering measurable ROI—and those that aren’t ✓ What business leaders should expect over the next 12–24 months
Audience
Business owners, manager, leaders, ceos,
Format
Duration
60 minutes
Delivery
For more than 20 years, Gene Marks has covered business technology for Forbes, reporting 6–8 times per month on the latest advances in artificial intelligence, automation, and enterprise software. In this fast-paced, practical session, he separates AI hype from business reality and explains what is actually impacting industries like construction, manufacturing, distribution, retail, and financial services. Drawing from his interviews with Microsoft, Google, emerging AI firms, and real-world companies implementing these tools, Gene outlines where AI is delivering measurable ROI — and where businesses are wasting time and money. This keynote focuses on AI risks and realities, AI agents and automation in operations, AI in sales/CRM/estimating/forecasting/finance, workforce implications, governance and data management, where to invest in 2026–2027, and what to expect in the next 12–24 months. Attendees leave with a clear, practical technology roadmap — not theory — and a better understanding of how smart leaders are using AI to protect margins and drive growth.
Key Takeaways
- Understand where AI is delivering real business value — and where it is mostly hype.
- Identify practical uses for AI agents and automation in operations, sales, CRM, estimating, forecasting and finance.
- Understand the workforce, governance, risk and data-management implications of AI.
- Know where to invest in 2026–2027 for competitive advantage.
- Prepare for the biggest AI and technology changes coming in the next 12–24 months.
Audience
Business owners, executives, managers, association members, manufacturers, distributors, construction leaders, retailers, banking and financial-services professionals
Format
Duration
60-90 mins
Delivery
Businesses across the country are approaching one of the biggest workforce transitions in decades. Experienced owners, executives, managers, salespeople, technicians and other key employees are retiring — and when they leave, decades of relationships, skills and institutional knowledge can leave with them. At the same time, employers are competing for a younger generation of workers who have very different expectations about technology, career development, flexibility, communication and the workplace itself. Business owner, CPA, author and nationally recognized business speaker Gene Marks will show business leaders how smart organizations are preparing for this “great workforce handoff” — and what they should be doing now to protect their businesses and position themselves for the next generation. Drawing on the latest workplace trends and the hundreds of business owners and executives he speaks with each year, Gene will address some of the most pressing workforce questions facing employers today:
Key Takeaways
- What happens when your most experienced people walk out the door? How organizations can identify critical institutional and tribal knowledge before it disappears — and create practical systems for transferring that knowledge to the next generation.
- What does Gen Z really want from an employer? What younger employees value, where the stereotypes get it wrong, and how organizations can adapt their recruiting, management and retention strategies without abandoning the culture that made them successful.
- Where will the next generation of skilled workers come from? Practical ideas for expanding the talent pipeline through apprenticeships, technical schools, community colleges, industry partnerships and alternative approaches to recruiting.
- How do you turn younger employees into tomorrow's leaders? Strategies for mentoring, cross-training, career development and succession planning that give high-potential employees a reason to build their careers with your organization.
- Can technology help close the labor and knowledge gap? How AI, automation and digital tools can capture institutional knowledge, improve training, increase productivity and enable organizations to accomplish more in an increasingly challenging labor environment.
- What should business leaders be doing right now? Gene will provide a practical roadmap organizations can use to prepare for retirements, strengthen their talent pipelines, retain their best people and begin transferring critical knowledge before it's too late.
Audience
CEOs, business owners, executives, HR leaders, operations leaders, managers, association members, manufacturers, distributors, construction companies and other organizations facing retirements, knowledge-transfer challenges and generational workforce change
Duration
60-90 mins
Delivery
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