AI is choosing your competitors. We change that.

We make AI recommend you by name — then automate the operations to handle the growth.

The numbers don’t lie.

58%
of consumers used AI to find a local business this year
BrightLocal, 2025
4.4×
higher conversion rate from AI-referred customers vs. Google search
Salesforce, 2025
1.2%
of local businesses currently appear in ChatGPT recommendations
Profound, 2025

Two practices. One complete system.

We built a practice around the truth that your growth engine and your delivery engine have to scale together — or neither does.

The Openridge Protocol.

A straightforward process that fits around how you actually run your business — no big-bang overhauls.

01

Foundations

We audit your current workflows and AI visibility across 32 signals. You see exactly where you stand — your operational friction, your competitive blind spots, and where the money is.

02

Automations

We design and deploy agentic workflows for your operations and rebuild your AI presence with schema, structured data, and citation architecture. Real agents handling your actual tasks.

03

Scale

Monthly optimization against real attribution data. As the market shifts, your positioning shifts with it. As your operations grow, your agents grow with them. The advantage compounds.

Start with Foundations — Run a Free Audit →

The businesses that built America deserve better than a template.

HVAC contractors. Property managers. Regional retailers. CPAs. The trades and services that hold the local economy together — the quiet majority that employs more people than any tech company and serves more customers than any national chain.

These businesses were built on proximity, reputation, and trust earned one job at a time. Big tech built AI for big tech — seven-figure budgets, engineering teams, enterprise playbooks. The cornerstone economy got left out. Openridge exists to change that.

Industries we serve
HVAC & Trades Property Management Accounting & CPA Retail & Apparel Construction Professional Services

Built by people who already shipped this.

Nick Cooke
Nick Cooke
Co-Founder · Sales Operations

3x founder, 2x exited, patents pending. Built AI shopping assistants at Fortune 1 scale, post-IPO conversion funnels, and venture-backed fintech. Now architecting the commerce layer where agents negotiate, transact, and complete missions on behalf of customers. Helping brands and retailers navigate the shift from search to intent.

Nick leads every sales operations engagement — the same AI commerce infrastructure he built at the world’s largest retailer, adapted for the businesses that need it most.

Casey Blustein
Casey Blustein
Co-Founder · Business Operations

2x exited COO across venture-backed VR, AI, crypto, consumer, and robotics companies, deploying the intelligent workflows and automation architecture that eliminate manual overhead and scale operations without adding headcount.

Casey leads every business operations engagement — translating the same automation architecture used in enterprise-scale robotics into working systems for trades, property management, and professional services.

One built the AI commerce infrastructure at the world’s largest retailer. The other builds the agentic operations systems that let businesses actually deliver. Same architecture. Adapted for the businesses that need it most.

Both problems are compounding. Right now.

They’re connected. AI agents send customers to businesses that are operationally ready to receive them. Fix one without the other and you’re leaving money on the table either way.

The ops trap
Overhead is a growth ceiling you can’t push through manually
The average mid-market operator spends 23 hours per employee per week on administrative tasks that don’t require human judgment — scheduling, invoicing, data entry, reconciliation. That’s not a staffing problem. It’s an infrastructure problem. Every hour your team loses to manual overhead is an hour not spent on the work that actually compounds revenue. The ceiling is invisible until it stops you — then it stops you hard.
The visibility trap
AI-native competitors are training on their data right now
58% of consumers used AI to find a local business this year — up from 12% just two years ago. AI-referred customers arrive with 73% purchase intent vs. 31% from Google. The businesses that establish AI presence in the next 12 months become the default recommendation — for years. Only 6% of independent operators have any structured data readable by AI agents. After the window closes, the gap isn’t a challenge. It’s a wall.
Window of opportunity Based on AI adoption curve analysis
You are here
2024 · Early movers Now · Open window 12mo · Narrowing fast 18mo · Structural lock-in
See where you stand — Run a Free Audit →

What AI is changing — and what we do about it.

How do I make my business show up in ChatGPT?
ChatGPT recommends businesses based on structured data, citation signals, and content architecture — not traditional SEO. Only 1.2% of local businesses currently appear in ChatGPT recommendations. An agentic readiness audit identifies the specific signals your business is missing — schema markup, citation architecture, and AI-optimised content. The businesses that fix these signals now become the default recommendation in their category for years.
What is agentic readiness and why does it matter?
Agentic readiness measures how well your business can be found, recommended, and transacted with by AI agents like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google Gemini. It covers three pillars: Source (can AI find you), Convert (can AI-referred customers book with you), and Retain (can your operations deliver and keep them). 58% of consumers now use AI for local business recommendations — up from 12% two years ago.
How much does AI visibility cost for a local business?
A free 60-second audit shows you where you stand. A full AI Visibility Sprint with 32-signal audit and competitor analysis starts at $3,500, delivered in 5 days. A complete visibility fix runs $12,000–$20,000. Ongoing conversion retainers start at $5,000 per month. Full infrastructure programs covering visibility, conversion, and operations run $35,000–$80,000.
What is the difference between SEO and AEO?
SEO optimises for Google’s search results page. AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) optimises for AI agent recommendations — ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overviews, Claude. SEO drives clicks. AEO makes AI agents recommend you by name, sending pre-qualified traffic that converts at 4.4× the rate of traditional search. AEO requires structured data, schema markup, citation signals, and content architecture that AI systems can extract and cite.
Can AI agents handle scheduling and operations for my business?
Yes. Agentic workflows automate scheduling, dispatch, invoicing, email routing, data entry, and cross-platform reconciliation without replacing your team — they free your team. The average mid-market business spends 23 hours per employee per week on admin tasks that don’t require human judgment. We deploy AI agents that handle those tasks so your team focuses on the work that grows revenue.
What you need to know before we talk.
What does the free audit include?
We scan your business across 32 signals — AI visibility, operational readiness, competitive positioning — and give you a scored breakdown with specific recommendations. It takes 60 seconds and you own the results whether you work with us or not.
What industries do you work with?
Trades (HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical), property management, accounting and CPA firms, retail, construction, and professional services. If you’re a mid-market business with 6–200 employees, we’re built for you.
How long does an engagement take?
Most engagements run 4–8 weeks for the initial build. You’ll see working prototypes within the first two weeks — not a slide deck, a working agent handling your actual tasks.
Do I need technical knowledge?
No. We handle the technical build end to end. You bring the domain knowledge — how your business actually runs. We translate that into working systems your team can use without training.

The window is open. It won’t stay that way.

We’ll scan your business across five pillars and show you exactly where you stand — your AI visibility, your operational overhead, and the gap between you and your competitors. Before any money changes hands.