Event Highlights
Join us this September for an exciting LISUG meeting that brings together automation, AI, and real-world innovation. Whether you’re an IT professional, developer, or simply curious about how emerging technologies can solve today’s challenges, this session will offer practical insights and inspiring demonstrations. With two engaging sessions led by your peers at PC Richard & Son, you’ll walk away with new ideas you can put into practice right away.
We’ll kick things off with our pre-session: A Journey to the Truth... with AI and Ansible! presented by Nima Bank & Steve Wolk. This case study dives into how the PCR team used Ansible and AI in creative ways to uncover and fix hidden hardware issues during a major POS rollout. What started as a single hardware failure turned into a bigger discovery that showed how automation and AI can work together to reveal problems before they escalate. Attendees will learn how Ansible goes beyond automation, tips for spotting hidden issues, and practical ways to strengthen infrastructure reliability.
The main session: Building Intelligent Systems with the OpenAI Agent SDK will be led by Ashish Thomas. This session explores the rise of agentic AI—intelligent systems that don’t just respond, but can reason, take actions, and connect to tools and other agents. Through clear explanations and live demos, Ashish will show how to create your own agents, orchestrate multiple ones, and apply them to real-world use cases like customer service, employee tools, and automation across legacy systems. No heavy math—just practical guidance, relatable examples, and a look at how agentic AI can make a real impact.
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, connect, and share with the LISUG community. Come for the knowledge, stay for the networking, and leave with ideas that you can take back to your workplace. We look forward to seeing you there!
A Journey to the Truth... with Ansible!
Connect and enjoy our open bar.
Interactive session over dinner.
Building Intelligent Systems with the OpenAI Agent SDK
Wrapping up with gratitude
Nima is an IT Systems Manager / Assistant Project Manager at PC Richard and Son, and has been with the company almost 9 years. His passion for IT has gotten him involved in platforms ranging from IBM Power, IBM i, SAN/storage, networking, RHEL, Ansible, AI, to Windows, SAP HANA and so much more. Nima’s hobbies include hiking, MLB, the beach, photography (he is the executive photographer of this very user group), meditation & wellness, travel, reading, mountain biking and trying new restaurants.
As CTO for PC Richard & Son, Steve is proud of his 39 year tenure leading teams responsible for all technology for this unique company. He's an IBM i zealot & has been recognized as an IBM Power Systems Champion since 2020. Steve is a long-standing speaker at COMMON conferences, subject matter expert, member of COMMON's Strategic Education Team, & speaks at conferences globally. He's a member of the board of directors for The LUG (Large User Group), a group of over 100 of the world's largest users of IBM technology. Steve is also Vice-President of LISUG, the Long Island Systems User's Group, & enjoys his role as emcee of LISUG's monthly educational & networking events. Steve loves teaching and mentoring, and volunteers his time liberally. If you'd like to strike up a conversation, mention anything related to travel, Disney, or Star Trek!
Ashish Thomas is a Software Development Engineer at PC Richard & Son, where he works on creating practical software and AI-driven tools that streamline processes, automate routine tasks, and make technology more approachable for employees across the company. In addition to his role at PCR, he serves on the Board of Directors at LISUG, contributing to community growth and fostering conversations around modernization and emerging technologies on IBM i. Ashish is also an entrepreneur at heart—he founded the online fashion brand New York BlendIn, leads Creative Branding, a design and branding firm, and actively explores new startup ideas that bring together AI, software development, and creativity. With a background in full-stack development and a passion for solving problems through both technical and creative lenses, he thrives at the intersection of innovation, business, and community.
Learn how real-world challenges at PC Richard & Son were solved by combining Ansible with AI in creative ways. See how automation can go beyond repetitive tasks to uncover hidden issues, prevent failures, and make infrastructure more reliable.
Understand what makes today’s AI different — moving from simple chatbots to intelligent agents that can reason, act, and use tools. Get a clear picture of how agentic AI works and why it’s becoming a game-changer for businesses and developers alike.
Follow step-by-step examples of creating agents, connecting them to tools, and orchestrating multiple agents together. Walk away with practical knowledge, live demos, and real use cases you can start applying in your own projects.