About Ashland Insights

Operators, not software salespeople.

Helping small and mid-sized businesses put AI to work. Practically, locally, on their terms. That's the mission. The rest of this page is how we got here and who we are.

Book a free 15-min call

The partners

Who you'll actually be working with.

Tom Merkle

Partner · Strategy

Tom spent his career at the intersection of operations and technology. He was at UiPath through the company's IPO, leading enterprise automation for Fortune 500 clients during the hypergrowth years. Software, sales, and supply chain. He's done the work on all three sides.

He studied mathematics at Willamette University and started an MS in Computer Science at Georgia Tech. He left the program after a semester to found Hashbranch, a US datacenter brokerage platform, run on the same playbook he now brings to clients: AI and automation applied to operations that would normally require a team three times the size.

He started Ashland Insights because businesses everywhere across the US deserve the same caliber of AI strategy that Fortune 500 companies get. From someone local, who'll sit across the table.

UiPath

Was at UiPath through the company's IPO. Led enterprise automation for Fortune 500 clients.

Hashbranch

CEO and co-founder. A US datacenter brokerage platform run on AI and automation.

Education

B.A. Mathematics, Willamette University. Started an MS in Computer Science at Georgia Tech, left after a semester to found Hashbranch.

Deepak Atyam

Partner · Implementation

Deepak came up in aerospace. He worked across NASA centers and SpaceX, and at Purdue led NASA-funded projects including the first university-developed 3D-printed rocket engines. He holds multiple patents in aerospace manufacturing and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for his contributions to aerospace, energy, and manufacturing innovation, with additional recognition from Aviation Week and the LA Business Journal.

He founded and ran Tri-D Dynamics as CEO, and led the company to a successful acquisition by a publicly traded company (ASX: TTT). He co-founded Hashbranch with Tom, where he's COO and runs technical operations on a 35MW US datacenter platform.

At Ashland Insights, Deepak owns implementation. The engineering bar at Ashland is his. If we can't ship it cleanly, we don't recommend it.

Forbes 30 Under 30

Recognized for contributions to aerospace, energy, and manufacturing innovation.

Tri-D Dynamics

Former CEO. Led the company to a successful acquisition by a publicly traded company (ASX: TTT).

NASA · SpaceX

Worked across NASA centers and SpaceX. Led NASA-funded work on the first university-developed 3D-printed rocket engines at Purdue.

Hashbranch

Co-founder and COO. Runs technical operations on a 35MW US datacenter platform.

Engineering

M.S. Aerospace Engineering, Purdue. B.S., UC San Diego. Multiple patents in aerospace manufacturing.

Mark Wright

Partner · Client Success

Mark has spent his career in enterprise sales. Most recently at LightSource, where AI is being applied to procurement for companies that move real dollars. He's seen what works and what gets shelved inside real organizations.

At Ashland Insights, Mark runs client success. He's the person who figures out whether we can actually help you before we take your money, and the person who stays in your corner once we do.

If your team is going to be asked to change how they work, Mark is who makes sure it lands.

LightSource

Enterprise AI sales. Procurement automation for companies that move real dollars.

Sales methodology

Trained in Command of the Message (Force Management). Ten-plus years in enterprise GTM.

Change management

Specialty: making sure software actually gets used after it's installed.

Why we started this

Because good businesses deserve better than sales pitches.

AI is everywhere right now. Every week, a new tool claims it'll transform your business. Most of it is noise. Some of it is useful. And almost none of it is being sold by someone who's actually run a business that looks like yours.

Good businesses are being asked to figure out AI on their own while Big Tech spends billions convincing them to buy a platform they don't need. We think that's backwards.

Ashland Insights is three partners who've built and run operations using this technology before offering it to anyone else. We work alongside local businesses to make AI actually work for them.

How we work

Strategy. Implementation. Rollout.

Every engagement follows the same three-step shape. We get our bearings before we build. We build only what aligns with the plan. And we treat rollout, the part where most AI projects die, as its own serious piece of work.

We aren't tied to a platform. We don't sell licenses. If the honest answer is that AI isn't the right move for your business right now, that's what we'll tell you.