New book has launched! Zero to Something,
a Novel Inspired by True Events

970-502-7437 
steve.p.urban@gmail.com 
steve.urban@riderflex.com 
SPU@jwlinternational.com 
Personal site: steve‑urban.com 
Resume: https://shorturl.at/glPFu   
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevepurban/ 
Amazon Author Page: https://shorturl.at/yAFyd 
Cameo Creater (get a private video message from me): https://v.cameo.com/e/kXKxFmibBXb 
New book has launched! "Zero to Something", available on Amazon: https://a.co/d/hzlhOvg

CEO, COO, CAIO, VP, Executive Recruiter, Author | AI and Robotics Strategy & Implementation

I am an executive operator who builds, scales, and modernizes organizations at moments of change. For more than 30 years, I have led P&L responsibility up to $80 million, run multi site teams of 200 plus, turned around underperforming businesses, and launched companies across recruiting, legal services, AI, robotics, retail, and consumer goods.

My work sits at the intersection of operations, people, and technology. I specialize in fixing broken systems, simplifying complexity, and building operating structures that allow performance and teams to scale together. I’ve driven double digit growth in difficult cycles, improved profitability by more than 35 percent, and rebuilt leadership teams that were misaligned, stalled, or unclear on ownership.

AI and robotics strategy and implementation -
AI and robotics are now central to my work. I focus on practical deployment, not hype. That includes AI driven recruiting and workforce systems that reduced hiring timelines by more than 40 percent, predictive maintenance and analytics supporting robotics operations, and hands on work with autonomous and field robotics environments.

My approach to AI keeps speed and efficiency high while maintaining accountability, governance, and the human element. I help organizations decide what to automate, what to augment, and what must remain human as work is redesigned.

Workforce transformation and reskilling -
I work closely with leadership teams to redesign roles, reskill talent, and prepare organizations for the future of work. That includes workforce planning, organizational design, leadership alignment, and practical reskilling initiatives as AI and automation reshape job functions.

This work is grounded in execution. Not theory. The goal is to scale without unnecessary headcount, reduce friction, and build teams that can adapt quickly.

Executive leadership and business turnarounds - 
I am most effective in environments that need clarity, structure, and decisive execution. Turnarounds, scale ups, operational resets, and modernization efforts are where I consistently deliver results.

Career highlights include building Riderflex into a multi million dollar recruiting firm with more than 4,000 placements, leading organizations through downturns, optimizing operating costs across national brands, and modernizing operations through cleaner data, better systems, and tighter accountability.

Economic development and public sector experience -
I also bring public sector experience in economic development. I represented the State of New Mexico across a four county region, working directly with employers, tribal partners, and local governments on business retention and expansion, incentives, workforce development, and site readiness.

That experience sharpened my understanding of how policy, capital, talent, and infrastructure intersect with private sector growth and operational reality.
Advisory work and current roles

Today, I lead talent and brand strategy for a growing law firm, chair robotics and home services companies, and advise founders, executives, boards, and public sector leaders on operations, workforce transformation, AI and robotics adoption, and organizational alignment.

I work with organizations that need to move faster, operate cleaner, and make better decisions without losing discipline or culture.

Keywords

Executive leadership and operations
Executive operator, business transformation leader, operational excellence, operating model redesign, executive leadership, P&L leadership, multi site operations, scaling organizations, operational turnaround, turnaround leadership, margin improvement, cost optimization, systems modernization, data driven operations, execution focused leadership, founder advisor, board advisor, interim executive, fractional COO, strategic operator, private company operations, professional services operations
AI strategy and implementation
AI strategy executive, AI implementation leader, applied artificial intelligence, generative AI in business, enterprise AI adoption, AI governance, human in the loop AI, AI driven decision making, AI systems deployment, automation strategy, intelligent automation, AI workflow design, AI operating models, practical AI adoption, AI for executives
Robotics and automation
Robotics strategy, robotics operations, humanoid robotics, field robotics, autonomous systems, robotic process automation, robotics systems integration, predictive maintenance systems, ROS2, sensor driven systems, edge AI, machine vision, robotics workforce support, robotics service operations, automation systems, emerging robotics technologies
Workforce transformation and talent
Workforce transformation, workforce reskilling, future of work strategy, talent strategy, executive recruiting, AI driven recruiting, recruiting systems, hiring process optimization, leadership team alignment, organizational design, workforce planning, role redesign, talent modernization, HR strategy executive, people and operations alignment
Business growth and scale
Scaling businesses, growth strategy execution, scale up leadership, go to market operations, operational leverage, process improvement, performance management systems, KPI design, dashboarding, operating cadence, accountability systems, founder led growth, second stage companies
Economic development and public sector
Economic development leadership, business retention and expansion, BRE strategy, incentives strategy, workforce development programs, site readiness, public private partnerships, tribal economic development, state economic development advisor, infrastructure driven growth, policy and private sector alignment, community economic strategy
Law firm and professional services
Law firm operations, legal services operations, professional services scaling, law firm talent strategy, law firm modernization, legal industry transformation, professional services leadership, service based business operations
Consulting, advisory, and thought leadership
Executive advisor, operations consultant, AI advisor, robotics consultant, workforce transformation consultant, turnaround consultant, strategic advisory, founder mentoring, leadership coaching, board level advisory, author, speaker, podcast host, business thought leadership
Buyer intent and problem based searches
Fix broken operations, scale without adding headcount, modernize legacy systems, prepare teams for AI and automation, align people and systems, reduce hiring timelines, improve operational efficiency, redesign work for automation, build accountability, operational clarity for leadership teams