Date & Time
Thursday, September 18, 2025, 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM EDT
Event Highlights
About Event
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!
Schedule
Pre-Session
A Journey to the Truth... with Ansible!
5:00 PM
Networking & Cocktail Hour
Connect and enjoy our open bar.
6:00 PM
Dinner & Q&A
Interactive session over dinner.
7:00 PM
Main Session
Building Intelligent Systems with the OpenAI Agent SDK
8:00 PM
Session Ends
Wrapping up with gratitude
9:00 PM
What Will You Learn?
Smarter Automation with AI and Ansible
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.
The Rise of Agentic AI
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.
Building Intelligent Systems with the OpenAI Agent SDK
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.
Keynote Speakers
Nima Bank
IT Systems Manager | Assistant Project Manager at PC Richard & Son
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.
Steven Wolk
Chief Technology Officer at PC Richard & Son
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
AI Software Engineer at PC Richard & Son
Ashish Thomas is an IBM Champion and AI Software Engineer at PC Richard & Son, specializing in generative AI, ecommerce, and full-stack software development. His work focuses on software development and practical applications of AI in business and development workflows. He volunteers with LISUG as a Director-at-Large, working alongside the board to plan and run member events and support the communications, digital operations, and coordination behind them. Ashish is also the founder of New York BlendIn, a clothing brand, and Creative Branding, a company providing customized merchandise for branding and marketing. Ashish is passionate about AI and building useful technology. His interests include agent-based development, open-source software, and sharing practical ideas and tools with the broader developer community.