In October 2025, Volaris Group’s Smith portfolio hosted its talent development event, EDGE, in Southern California – bringing over 200 incredible minds from over 30 companies across the globe. Over four days, participants engaged in more than 100 breakout sessions covering over 60 unique topics, all designed to foster collaboration, share best practices, and strengthen relationships across the portfolio.
As a global organization where many teams operate remotely, the event offered a valuable opportunity to connect face-to-face, exchange ideas, and learn from one another’s experiences.
EDGE, which stands for Educate, Develop, Grow, and Expand, embodies the culture of perpetual learning that defines the Smith portfolio and Volaris Group as a company. This year’s theme centered on growth, profitability, and AI empowerment, uniting leaders around a shared goal: to build stronger, more resilient, and more profitable software businesses through the power of knowledge and collaboration.
We are encouraging our teams to harness the power of AI to unlock new opportunities and drive smarter decision-making. We look forward to seeing how these lessons are taken back home and translated into operational excellence, innovation, growth, and long-term profitability.
– Gordon Smith, Portfolio Leader, Volaris Group
Growth, Profitability, and AI: At the Heart of EDGE 2025
The event opened with remarks from Portfolio Leader Gordon Smith, who set the stage by emphasizing this year’s central theme: growth, profitability, and unlocking business potential through AI. Following the keynote, Chris Wildsmith, Head of Business Transformation at Volaris, shared insights into the organization’s AI vision and roadmap for adoption across the company.
Attendees were encouraged to challenge the status quo, step outside their comfort zones, and explore practical ways to integrate AI into their operations – driving innovation, efficiency, and long-term value creation.
Every company is facing both the challenge and opportunity of the AI revolution. At Volaris, our vertical focus gives us a strategic edge—but our true advantage lies in our people and our mindset.
– Crystal Germond, General Manager, eQuip
On the second day of EDGE, attendees gathered for a fireside chat featuring Volaris Group’s COO and CFO Brian Beattie and Portfolio Leader Gordon Smith. The interactive session gave participants the opportunity to engage directly with both leaders in a candid discussion. The conversation explored Volaris’ long-term growth strategy, leadership philosophy, and the importance of maintaining curiosity and agility in an evolving business landscape.
On the final morning of EDGE, attendees took part in a panel discussion on change management and AI, moderated by Julie Fry, Strategy and Integration Manager. The panel featured Crystal Germond, General Manager of eQuip; Lauren Galietti, VP of Marketing at Centurisk; and Mark Vernon, Managing Director of Gold-Vision CRM. Together, they shared insights on leading teams through transformation, integrating AI into daily operations, and building cultures that embrace continuous learning and adaptability.
Learning in Action: Breakout Sessions That Drive Impact
Over the course of four days, EDGE participants had the opportunity to choose from more than 100 breakout sessions covering over 60 unique topics. Each session offered a focused learning experience led by an internal subject matter expert and included up to 15 participants – creating an engaging, collaborative environment where peers could openly share challenges, successes, and lessons learned. These discussions encouraged participants to learn not only from each other’s wins but also from the missteps along the way, reinforcing a culture of continuous improvement across the portfolio.
This year’s program focused on two primary tracks: Growth and Profitability.
Some of the topics covered in the Growth track sessions included, but were not limited to:
- Automation: The Bridge Between Sales and Marketing
- The Role of Data Analytics in Strategic Decision-Making
- Navigating the Road to General Management: Strategies for Success
- How to Use AI to Improve Your Customer Care Response Team
Profitability track sessions explored topics such as:
- Pricing Strategies for SaaS Profit Maximization
- AI Experimentation Success Stories
- Accelerating Marketing Lead Gen with AI Toolkit
- Setting the Course for Business: Profitability Strategy
I value EDGE because it cuts through the noise with honest conversations, practical ideas, and clear next steps I can bring back to my team to make real progress.
– Donogh Roche, General Manager, UBS
All sessions offered participants a valuable opportunity to step back from their day-to-day responsibilities and think beyond the ordinary – gaining fresh perspectives and practical insights to apply within their respective areas of business.
AI Expo Competition: From Vision to Implementation
Volaris Group continues its mission not only to educate businesses about AI but also to empower them to implement it across their operations and products. At EDGE, the Smith portfolio hosted an AI Expo, where over 30 businesses showcased how they’ve integrated AI within their organizations.
Each company created a detailed poster outlining its AI implementation, highlighting its purpose, impact, lessons learned, and measurable outcomes. Throughout the event, attendees explored he exhibits and voted for the companies they believed best demonstrated innovation, collaboration, and real-world application.
Three awards were presented to recognize outstanding achievements:
- Most Collaborative AI Effort – Intellicene: Recognizing the team that best integrated AI across multiple functions and departments
- “Wow, I Didn’t Know AI Could Do That” – Intellicene: Celebrating the most creative, outside-the-box application of AI
- AI Efficiency Champion – medaptus: Honoring the team that leveraged AI to supercharge productivity and streamline operations
In addition to attendee voting, a panel of judges formed the AI Voting Committee to recognize the top contenders across additional categories. The committee included: Patrick Stephens (Portfolio CTO), Ian Reay (AI Architect Lead), Riley Roberts (AI Engineer), Jeff Chow (VP Integration and Strategy), Gordon Smith (Portfolio Leader), and Chris Wildsmith (VP of Business Transformation). After carefully reviewing all submissions, the committee presented the following awards:
- Honorable Mention – InTempo: Recognizing the novel use of embedding AI directly into a product
- 3rd Place – Centurisk: Acknowledged for achieving the fastest time to value through rapid experimentation
- 2nd Place – Delacon: Commended for conducting the most experiments and establishing AI pods that drove significant organizational change and a mindset shift towards innovation
- 1st Place – Intellicene: Celebrated for the greatest ambition with their experiments and the most comprehensive vision of how to become an AI-first business
The AI Voting Committee’s recognition underscored the diversity of approaches and creativity across the portfolio, from early adopters experimenting with AI applications to those reshaping their operations and culture around AI-driven thinking.
The effort and thought that had gone into all the AI submissions was truly fantastic, and it is incredible to see the progress that has been made in the last six months.
– Chris Wildsmith, VP of Business Transformation, Volaris Group
Intellicene fully embraced the AI Expo Competition, earning top recognition across three categories at EDGE 2025.
Across our organization, from R&D and customer support to sales and marketing, we’ve thoughtfully integrated AI into every facet of our business to keep our focus centered on the customer. Being recognized by the Volaris Business Transformation team as the AI Challenge winner was incredibly gratifying, and we’re truly honored to be acknowledged by our peers across the Smith portfolio.
– Greg Colaluca, General Manager, Intellicene
The AI Expo not only showcased the creativity and technical expertise across the portfolio but also reinforced the collective drive to embrace innovation and continuous learning – core values at the heart of both EDGE and Volaris Group.
After Hours at EDGE: Celebrating Together
EDGE wasn’t all business – it was also a celebration of connection, culture, and shared success. The week began with a lively welcome reception, featuring a cover band that set the tone for four days of learning, collaboration, and meaningful connection.
Throughout the event, attendees enjoyed evening gatherings that offered the perfect balance to the day’s sessions – a chance to unwind, celebrate wins, and strengthen relationships across the portfolio. The farewell party, held on the rooftop of one of the hotels, was a highlight – complete with a live DJ and saxophonist, a local beer-tasting experience, a roaming photographer, and a sunglass case engraving station that added a fun and personal touch to the evening.
EDGE also embraced health and mindfulness with sunrise yoga and run club sessions, keeping both body and mind energized throughout the week.
Looking Ahead: Continuing the Journey of Perpetual Learning
As EDGE 2025 came to a close, one message resonated across every conversation – learning never ends. The event reaffirmed the Smith portfolio’s commitment to fostering a culture of perpetual learning, where leaders are encouraged to experiment, collaborate, and grow together.
As someone who has attended many conferences over the years, EDGE was a breath of fresh air with sessions that provided valuable insights into subject matter that we at Alpine will find value in. AI tends to still be very ambiguous at most conference sessions I’ve attended, but at EDGE, there was much more substance and real-world use cases that Alpine will benefit from implementing as internal initiatives.
-Stephen Price, a first-time EDGE attendee and CEO of Alpine Testing Solutions Inc., a recently acquired Smith portfolio company
The insights gained, connections made, and inspiration sparked throughout the week will continue to shape how teams lead and innovate across the Smith portfolio. With each event, the journey of learning continues – reminding us that the future truly belongs to those who keep growing.
