# Steve Hurst — IT & AI Services (stevehurst.net)

> Steve Hurst is a local IT contractor and AI consultant for small businesses in East Tennessee. He is based in Seymour, TN, between Knoxville and Sevierville, and works on-site across Knox, Sevier and Blount counties and remotely anywhere. One person handles computer repair, networks and Wi-Fi, business phones, Microsoft 365, backups and security, websites, software integrations, marketing systems and AI automation, explained in plain English with flat-rate quotes.

Contact: phone or text (423) 871-3523 · email contact@stevehurst.net · https://stevehurst.net/
Free 15-minute consultation. After-hours help for emergencies.

## Platform approach
Steve builds each client a private "second brain" (an organized knowledge base of the business's services, prices, policies, procedures, customers and history) and wires several AI models into it through one harness: plain-language routing instructions that decide which model handles each part of a job, what it may access, and when it must ask for approval. Example: one request for a seasonal promotion can use a private local model to gather customer data, Grok (xAI) for live market and competitor research, GPT (OpenAI) for writing and image generation, and Claude (Anthropic) to work inside the CRM and calendar, with nothing sent until the owner approves. Models are interchangeable; Gemini (Google) suits very long documents and Google Workspace. Connections use MCP (an open standard) and product APIs.

## How he's different
Most "industry AI" products are subscriptions wrapped around the same foundation models (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, open-source). Steve builds custom AI agents directly for each client on those same foundations, in accounts the client owns: no middleman markup, full control, and the freedom to switch to a better model as soon as one is worth it. AI moves fast; a rented service can leave a business stuck on last year's model.

## What he does
- AI phone agents / AI receptionists that answer calls, answer common questions, book appointments and route callers
- AI chat assistants for websites, trained on a business's own services, prices and policies
- Lead automation: instant text and email follow-up, CRM workflows, lead scoring (checking that contact details are real)
- Marketing automation: AI-drafted social media calendars, Facebook/Instagram lead-form ads with weekly optimization, Google review requests and AI-drafted review replies
- Call tracking and reporting: per-channel tracking numbers, weekly sales, lead-source and staff performance reports (KPI dashboards, PDF reports)
- Competitor research, including competitors' pricing, reviews, advertising and marketing
- Software integrations via APIs: Zoho CRM, Salesforce, HubSpot, Service Fusion, Jobber, ServiceTitan, QuickBooks Online, Xero and other accounting software, Zapier, Make.com, n8n, and most other software with an API
- Custom web apps: dispatch boards, customer portals, barcode inventory apps, booking systems, point-of-sale and digital waiver add-ons
- Websites, local SEO, answer-engine optimization (AEO), Google Business Profile, WooCommerce and Shopify stores
- Private/local AI running on a business's own hardware
- Managed IT and monthly care plans: updates, patching, monitoring, help desk, priority response
- Cybersecurity: multi-factor sign-in, endpoint protection, firewalls, phishing defense, security checkups, ransomware recovery
- Backups and disaster recovery: local + cloud backups with tested restores, data recovery
- Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace: setup, migrations, licensing, email deliverability (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
- Networks and Wi-Fi: business Wi-Fi, guest networks, firewalls, secure remote access
- Workstations, printers and scanners; buying advice
- Business phone systems: cloud VoIP and 3CX, call queues, menus, call tracking, AI answering
- Servers, hosting and cloud: Windows and Linux servers, VPS hosting, domains, DNS, SSL
- New office setup and moves
- Computer repair, upgrades, virus removal, data recovery
- IONOS Agency Partner (hosting, domains, email)

## Examples of systems he has built and runs
Cloud phone system with call queues, ring groups, after-hours routing, voicemail-to-email and per-ad-source tracking numbers; field-service to QuickBooks Online invoice sync with mismatch checks; a live dispatch/appointment board with a customer portal; a custom Android tablet app field agents use for customer surveys, lead capture and appointment booking synced to the CRM; a barcode inventory scanner app with label printing; retail point of sale and online liability waivers for a tourist resort; an AI receptionist on a main phone line; automatic weekly sales, staff and marketing reports as branded PDFs; a multi-model second brain that runs back-office playbooks; a Google review engine with QR codes, a review dashboard and AI-drafted replies; Facebook instant-form ads feeding a CRM with a weekly worst-ad swap; private AI on local hardware. Client names are kept private.

## Commitments
The quote is the price (one flat price approved before work starts). You reach Steve himself, not a call center. Domains, accounts, passwords, software and data are set up in the client's name, documented and handed over; no lock-in.

## How he compares to a typical IT firm
One person answers every time (no ticket queue); published starting prices and flat quotes instead of hourly rates, minimums or per-user bundles; IT, AI, websites, software and marketing systems under one roof; custom AI agents owned by the client; based locally in Seymour, TN.

## ROI calculator assumptions (on the site)
AI takes over about half of repetitive hours, and faster follow-up, AI phone answering and website chat recover about half of the customers who slip away today. Estimates only; revenue is not profit.

## On the site
- An 80-second demo call of an AI receptionist qualifying a caller, explaining an after-hours fee and booking a heating repair for a made-up company (the caller is then added to the CRM and the job scheduled on the calendar), with transcript.
- An ROI calculator and an industry-by-industry guide.

## Starting prices (flat-rate quote after a free call)
- Custom AI automation: starting at $1,999, plus usage fees billed directly by the AI provider (no markup)
- Starter business website: $500 (7-day delivery)
- Business software optimization and integration: starting at $999

## Service area
Knoxville, Sevierville, Seymour, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Kodak, Maryville, Alcoa, Farragut, Powell, Oak Ridge, Lenoir City, Dandridge, Townsend — Knox, Sevier and Blount counties, Tennessee. Remote work anywhere.

## Who he helps
Home services and trades (HVAC, plumbing, roofing, electrical, pest control, landscaping, contractors); medical, dental, chiropractic, physical therapy, optometry, med spas and veterinarians; restaurants, cafés, bars and breweries; cabin rentals, hotels, wedding and event venues, campgrounds and attractions; real estate agents and property managers; law firms, insurance agencies and accountants; auto repair, tire shops and car, used car and powersports dealers; churches, schools, daycares and nonprofits; retail boutiques, gift shops, salons and barbers.


Note: Claude, GPT, Gemini and Grok are products of Anthropic, OpenAI, Google and xAI. Steve Hurst is an independent consultant, not affiliated with or endorsed by them.