Your Operations Are Costing You More Than You Think

Manual work piling up. Systems that don't talk to each other. AI promises that never land. You know something is off but can't see what to fix first.

Breakwater gives you an independent plan: what to fix, what to leave alone, and who should do the work.

See How We Help Book a Call

Sound Familiar?

The Problems Keeping You Up at Night

Buried in Manual Work

Your team re-enters data, chases approvals, and builds reports by hand. That time should go to customers and growth.

Systems That Don't Connect

You own the software but the tools don't talk to each other. Information lives in spreadsheets, inboxes, and people's heads.

AI Hype Without Clarity

Every vendor promises transformation. Nobody tells you which problems AI actually solves and which it makes worse.

How We Help

We Diagnose the Business Before Prescribing Technology

Father-and-son team. Barry: fifty years in operations, supply chain, and retail. Griffin: AI research and technical assessment. You get a plan rooted in reality, not a sales pitch.

Barry / Business & Strategy

Executive interviews: The real operating pressure, not the pitch deck
Workflow review: Delays, handoffs, rework, and costly decisions
Strategic assessment: Supply chain, retail, customer, and market analysis
Provider evaluation: Who should do the work and whether the fit is right

Griffin / Technical & AI

Technical discovery: Systems, data, integrations, and what they can actually do
AI assessment: Test vendor claims against your data, workflows, and risk
Feasibility analysis: What works today vs. what is experimental
Acceptance criteria: Define success before money changes hands

Industries We Know

Deep Experience Where It Matters

Retail & Consumer Inventory, clienteling, vendor management, demand forecasting

Supply Chain & Distribution Procurement, visibility, replenishment, quality, documentation

Professional Services Intake, proposals, knowledge search, scheduling, client communication

Hospitality & Tourism Reservations, guest communication, revenue analysis, reputation

Frame

Define the question, scope, and decisions the work must support.

Examine

Interview your team, observe the work, inspect systems and data.

Evaluate

Compare process change, existing tools, new software, AI, and no action.

Prioritize

Score on value, feasibility, speed, risk, and evidence.

Deliver

Hand you a ranked plan with costs, owners, provider briefs, and a 90-day roadmap.

Three Ways to Start

Pick the Depth That Fits Your Decision

Industry Opportunity Scan

See the landscape before committing

A grounded view of industry shifts, competitor patterns, and the five to ten opportunities most relevant to you. Best when you know something needs to change but aren't sure where to start.

Leadership interview and context review
Industry and peer pattern analysis
Executive infographic summary
Prioritized opportunities and risks
Recommended next step

1–2 weeks · $3,000–$7,500

Scope a Scan

Core Engagement

Operational & AI Audit

The full diagnosis with a ranked action plan

Full review of workflows, systems, data, AI use, and readiness. You get a prioritized portfolio: do now, do next, pilot, defer, or avoid. Each with costs, owners, and a delivery path.

Executive decision brief
Process and pain-point inventory
Systems, data, and AI assessment
Risk and readiness evaluation
Implementation briefs per priority
90-day plan and 12-month roadmap

4–8 weeks · Starting at $7,500

Request an Audit

Selection & Oversight

Independent support through delivery

We help you find the right people to do the work, then stay on your side of the table. You contract directly with the provider. We keep the project honest.

Implementation-ready statement of work
Vetted provider shortlist
Proposal comparison and reference checks
Milestone, budget, and risk oversight
Post-launch outcome review

Selection from $5,000 · Oversight from $2,500/mo

Plan Delivery

Why Independent Advice Matters

We Do Not Sell the Build. That Is the Point.

No Vendor Agenda

We don't sell software, resell platforms, or take referral commissions. The recommendation stays clean.

Judgment Before Tools

We test every option before recommending a path: process change, existing tools, standard software, automation, AI, and no action.

Evidence, Not Opinions

Every recommendation shows value, cost, risk, and owner. You decide with full visibility.

What We Will Never Do

Build custom software or sell proprietary AI packages
Take commissions from providers we recommend
Push AI when a simpler fix is better
Recommend tools your team cannot sustain
Skip the business case for any investment

Team

The Team

Barry Rutherford

Co-Founder, Strategy & Advisory

Former global CEO with fifty years across supply chain, outsourcing, retail, luxury brands, and strategy in the United States, Asia, and Latin America.

Barry brings pattern recognition earned by operating through complexity at scale. He also co-hosts Malestrum.

Contact Barry

Griffin Rutherford

Co-Founder, Technical Assessment

CTO and founder of Coherascent Labs, focused on neurosymbolic and deterministic AI systems. BS and MS in Computer Science from Colorado School of Mines.

Griffin tests what AI can actually do, where it can fail, and whether it fits the problem now.

Contact Griffin

Start Here

Bring the Problem. Leave With a Next Step.

Thirty minutes. No sales deck. We will test the fit and tell you what to do next.

Schedule a Call

Choose a time. We will assess the need and scope the next move.

Book 30 Minutes

Send a Message

Send the context and the decision you need to make.

barry@breakwaterops.com

Pricing is scoped to organization size, complexity, and evidence required.