Five Ways To Protect Your Bottom Line In The Age Of AI BY JOE CURCILLO
Board Converting NEWS INTERNET DIRECTORY
CORRUGATED REPLACEMENTS, INC. www.corrugatedparts.com
AI has moved from shiny headline to background noise. It drafts reports, crunches numbers, and spits out answers before you finish your coffee. Impressive, sure. But here’s the truth: AI doesn’t carry consequences. It doesn’t look a client in the eye. It doesn’t feel the ripple effects of a decision. And it sure as hell doesn’t take responsibility for your bottom line. If the answer the machine generates tanks your reve- nue, alienates members, or erodes trust, you’re the one left holding the bill. That’s why strategy—and the leader- ship behind it—matters more than ever. So let’s move past the hype. Here are five deliberate moves you can make right now to protect your bottom line—and lead beyond the prompt. 1. Sit With the Fog AI thrives on clarity. You ask, it answers. But authentic leadership lives in the fog—messy, high-stakes decisions where trade-offs collide. Budgets. Hiring. Strategic shifts. These aren’t clean equations; they’re ambiguous, political, human. AI can draft a neat pro/con list. Your job is to pause and ask: What’s missing? Who wins? Who loses? What happens next? If you skip that step, the hidden costs will show up later as disengagement, member churn, or bad investments. Picture a board reviewing a new initiative. The AI-gen- erated summary makes the case sound airtight. But the leader who slows down, who asks, “What does this mean for our youngest members? What will this signal to part- ners two years out?”—the one saving the organization from a six-figure mistake. Do this now: At your next meeting, call a “Fog Check.” Ask the three questions: What’s missing? Who wins? Who loses? Don’t let the quick answer become the wrong one. 2. Keep Ethics At The Center AI doesn’t care if the answer is fair, inclusive, or aligned with your mission. It just optimizes. That’s your job. As- sociations and businesses don’t just move fast—they’re trusted to move right. Shortcuts that ignore ethics show up later as lawsuits, reputational hits, and fractured rela- tionships. That’s a direct strike on your bottom line. We’ve all seen organizations save weeks of effort by letting AI automate outreach—only to discover the model baked in subtle bias that alienated the very people they most needed to reach. The “time savings” evaporated into months of damage control. Do this now: Before green-lighting an AI-driven idea, ask: Does this align with our values? Would I defend this decision five years from now? If not, stop. 3. Think In Systems, Not Silos AI speeds up silos, marketing automates campaigns, fi- nance accelerates forecasts, and operations run smoothly. CONTINUED ON PAGE 36
Corrugated Replacements, Inc. is a production powerhouse that manufactures high quality machine parts and replace- ment parts for the corrugated and paperboard converting industries. CRI can redesign, engineer, and manufacture any part while providing a rapid turn-around rate, keeping machines running at their peak performance and limiting down time.
C.U.E., INC. www.AnvilCovers.com
Makers of single and dual-width Timesaver® Anvil Covers, the premier urethane anvil cover for corrugated die cutting. Timesaver® covers feature construction of solid steel back- ing and solid steel locking components to ensure a precise fit every time. C.U.E., Inc. also offers Dura-Latch and Cor- Lock anvil covers, and urethane Lead Edge Feed Wheels.
EMBA www.embausa.com
The EMBA group supports a complete line of corrugated converting machinery for the worldwide market. EMBA’s Quick Set technology enables the highest productivity across a broad range of converting equipment, from mini to super jumbo. EMBA also includes the McKinley jumbo line of flexo folder gluers and rotary die cutters as well as ser- vice, rebuilds and upgrades for both EMBA and McKinley.
EAGLEWOOD TECHNOLOGIES, LLC www.eaglewoodtech.com
Eaglewood Technologies offers trusted cleaning technolo- gies for the world’s best printers and converters. Solutions include the award winning Sitexco+ Anilox Laser System, the Nanovis Parts Washing System, the Sitexco L10 Label System, the innovative Sanilox™ System or Alphasonics solutions. We also offer Xpress™ mobile cleaning service at your facility or ours. ESKO www.esko.com ArtiosCAD and Kongsberg are the most trusted names in CAD/CAM solutions. Esko’s ArtiosCAD is the most widely used CAD software in the world. Esko’s Kongsberg series of tables brings you reliable, outstanding quality for sample- making and short run production.
DOMINO www.dominodigitalprinting.com
Domino is a leading manufacturer and distributor of digital printing and product identification solutions. Celebrating its 44th year, Domino is headquartered in the UK and North America headquarters are Illinois. Domino has 25 subsid- iaries, representation in over 120 countries, and over 2,900 employees worldwide .
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www.boardconvertingnews.com
September 29, 2025
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