How We Got WHere WE Are

Momentum AI was born out of real-world necessity and proven experience. During the challenging years of the Great Recession, from 2008 through 2010, Momentum AI Founder and President Craig Turner served with the regional Chamber of Commerce in Buffalo Niagara. At a time when businesses were scrutinizing every expense, Craig recognized that Chambers needed to deliver substantial, hands-on value to justify their membership fees.

Responding to this critical need, Craig led a dedicated team of seven professionals on an ambitious mission: personally visiting 400 member companies to intimately understand their unique challenges, gather actionable insights, and deliver customized support. Each team member was tasked with identifying at least three specific, personalized strategies for every business visited. This proactive, tailored approach proved extraordinarily successful, driving an unprecedented membership retention rate of 88% amidst economic turmoil.

MOMENTUM FOR BUSINESS GROWTH

Inspired by this experience, Craig founded Momentum with a clear vision: helping companies maximize their memberships with Chambers of Commerce and associations through strategic, relationship-driven consulting. Momentum essentially functions like a sports agent – just as an athlete relies on an agent to navigate contracts, relationships, and career strategies, Momentum manages Chamber and association relationships on behalf of its clients. Leveraging deep industry knowledge, relationships, and strategic expertise, Momentum ensures its clients gain significantly more value from their memberships than typical businesses do. Craig personally advises clients on event participation, strategic sponsorship investments, and membership decisions to optimize their return on investment.

MOMENTUM FOR CHAMBERS

As Momentum’s reputation grew, Chambers of Commerce themselves began approaching Craig, eager to replicate his highly effective member-value approach within their organizations. Embracing his entrepreneurial spirit, Craig expanded Momentum into two core areas: Momentum for Business Growth, focusing on client-side consulting, and Momentum for Chambers, providing strategic consulting, ambassador training, and member value programs directly to Chambers.

MOMENTUM AI

With the advent of AI technology, particularly OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Craig immediately recognized its transformative potential for business growth and relationship management. Deeply committed to supporting Chambers and small businesses, Craig dedicated himself to mastering AI—rigorously researching, testing, and curating the most impactful AI tools and strategies. Momentum quickly became a leader in AI-driven business solutions, training and consulting with more than 2,500 organizations nationwide to integrate AI effectively into their daily operations.

This comprehensive expertise naturally evolved into the creation of a new company, Momentum AI, and the development of a ground-breaking platform specifically designed to blend cutting-edge artificial intelligence with proven Chamber and association engagement strategies. Today, Momentum AI offers customized AI platforms, strategic AI consulting, dynamic training programs, and innovative solutions that help businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), along with Chambers of Commerce and associations, leverage AI for exponential growth.

MOMENTUM AI TODAY

Today, Momentum AI connects practical implementation with a broader question: what does AI mean for the future of businesses and the communities they serve? Our corporate work remains hands-on. We build custom AI solutions, tools, dashboards, and operational systems around the people and processes already inside an organization. Our niche is the last mile: making AI useful in the way work actually happens.

That same perspective shapes our work in AI and economic development. When local businesses gain new capabilities, customer expectations shift, and the skills needed to compete change, the effects reach beyond a single company. Chambers of commerce, economic-development organizations, and community leaders have a role in helping existing employers and Main Street businesses navigate that change.

Heading into 2027, this connection is a growing focus of Craig Turner’s speaking, writing, and advisory work. Through The New Center of Gravity, leadership briefings, and practical insights, Momentum AI brings business competitiveness, workforce capacity, and community readiness into the AI conversation. The goal is not simply to talk about new technology. It is to help people, businesses, and communities put it to work.

 

Want to learn how your company or organization can grow with Momentum AI? Book a call with Craig today.