“On A Mission” showcases leaders who are going the extra mile each and every day. Each of the people we interview is on a mission to serve, inspire and educate. Our hosts highlight their impact and explore what motivates, engages and fulfills individuals and teams to be more productive, more effective, better at what they do, and happier to do it. Today our hosts, James Fenimore and Della Sellers, spoke with David Vega.
David Vega
CEO at Tridence
Website Address: https://tridence.com/
Short company description:
Tridence is a forward-thinking digital marketing and AI solutions agency that helps brands grow through data, strategy, and innovation. With over three decades of leadership, we combine advanced SEO, geomarketing, and intelligent automation to drive measurable results and long-term trust.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned over your career?
Technology changes fast, but trust compounds. I’ve been in digital marketing and innovation for over three decades.
What nonprofit do you have a heart for and how do you support it?
Triverse Foundation
What’s your favorite way to get involved in the community?
Give back campaigns, whether it’s through our foundation or from Tridence pro-bono services for local businesses.
If you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be?
That I helped people see what was possible before they believed it themselves. Whether it was clients, teams, students, or founders, I’ve always believed in unlocking potential. Technology is a tool. Strategy is a framework. Impact is the goal.
Transcript
James Fenimore
Hi and welcome to On A Mission, where we spotlight those in the community that are doing great work. I’m James Fenimore and joining me always is Miss Della Sellers. Della, how are you?
Della Sellers
I’m wonderful. How are you?
James Fenimore
Very good. Thank you so much. And we have a really special guest today.
Della Sellers
Yeah, I’m really excited, guys. We’re going to get a chance to be joined today by Mr. David Vega with Tridence
James Fenimore
David, nice to meet you.
David Vega
Nice to meet you. Thank you for having me on.
James Fenimore
David, want to tell us a little bit about what you do?
David Vega
For sure. I own Tridence agency, which is a local, agency in Jacksonville. We also have a, an office out in Chicago as well. And, for the past 30 years, we do digital marketing, AI, and also helping, organizations in town to, you know, step up into the AI world and, and, and tackle that monster.
James Fenimore
Well, you said the buzzword AI. We got to talk about it. I know, especially in the faith community, there are a lot of people that are very fearful of what AI is to bring. What would you say to somebody that’s like, I don’t know, I’m the devil. That’s the that’s the common, you know, mantra.
David Vega
But I think it’s a lot more media driven in paranoia than anything else, really, because of of what it can do. I mean, it’s here to aid us. It’s not here to I mean, there’s instances of some things will be replaced. I mean, that’s just common. You know, generational first computers that came along. There’s always going to be something that replaces calculators that first came about. You know, we used to be hand.
So, it’s just a it’s just another tool to use to help us, you know, excel in our human humanity. Really. And it’s up to us as a humanity, as humans, to put it into a right direction. So there’s obviously bad actors, but there’s also a lot of good ones, right?
Della Sellers
It’s always been one of the things that I felt when it came to, whether it was the technology and social media I, that it becomes more about the equipping of individuals. So they can navigate it proactively rather than I feel like especially with our youth, it becomes a reactive standpoint. And then it does sometimes create harm. But if we can go into it understanding what it can and cannot do.
David Vega
Well, I think you need to have some sort of pathway and guidelines. I think for parents as well, is that you obviously always want to monitor your kids online no matter what you’re doing. I especially, especially if you get to that 1 in 1 directional conversational, can be beneficial and also can be harmful. I mean, it, but again, I in general, it’s just a tool to enhance and to help acknowledge and, and educate us and to grow. And I think if we go that route will be we’ll be okay.
James Fenimore
Yeah. I think education is the important thing. I think we have a lot of people that are just hear the stories, and they don’t understand that this is something that we control, doesn’t control us. Now, I’ve seen Terminator and I’m afraid of Skynet and everything else, but no, I really believe that education for people is important, and that’s kind of what you’re doing, right?
David Vega
Yes. So what would you say your, your biggest issue is with a new customer? What do they have the biggest problem with? Let’s say.
Well, I mean, I think where to start. You know, what the whole thing is? That, you know, where are you trying to go? So what’s your problem now? You know, and I with with different technologies, we can find a solution and finding the solution and resolves that that, you know, that problem, that issue.
And that’s we’re trying as we come in to also consult. And we’re working with a lot of faith based organizations now to try to get them in line, to try to help them to figure out, especially for either sermons, how to connect to correctly or even if it’s a youth, you know, pastor type programs for the generation is to, to help them figure out what type of programs curriculum that can be also enhanced, through, mandatory AI education, which I is heavily, you know, part of the whole solution.
Della Sellers
Sure. Absolutely. And I think people get a little scared with AI sometimes it’s just automation that you’re that you’re doing. And that can definitely be very helpful.
James Fenimore
Sorry.
Della Sellers
No no, no you’re good. And I know when we were first getting on, I think it was right before we started. You had mentioned that currently you have an initiative where you were reaching out and trying to partner with some of the faith based organizations in town.
David Vega
Yes. Can you tell us a little bit more about that?
Sure. You know, we also have a nonprofit tribal foundation was also transitioning more into the faith based service, for for kids in education to try to understand the technology where they can, aid themselves to be useful for their future generations.
And, you know, part of that, we also help organizations as well get established and, and, you know, not only just website design, digital marketing, but to really utilize AI into to what it can do for the future.
And that’s sort of the concept of what we’re trying to bring now within the, you know, Jacksonville area for, for all the smaller organizations and faith based organizations.
James Fenimore
If you are going to give them one tip to get started, what would it be?
David Vega
Well, one of the main tips is to really, you know, figure out what you want to accomplish, like anything else, because I in general can it goes wherever you want to dictate it to go.
So it’s if it’s, you know, what I would say is, is to figure out where you want to go and then find a solution and have a guide to get you there. So if it’s if it’s something with if you want to start a youth program is to then you know, we can definitely learn something faster now AI with curriculums and and interaction and things of that nature.
Or if it’s TV media as well, to do some sort of AI interactions with humans and, and avatars and things of that. You know, that’s another whole step. So it’s basically, you know, find your foundation to build upon.
Della Sellers
What should we be nice to it in case it does rise up and take a little something to remember us.
David Vega
Well, yeah, I it’s just a regular conversational piece. So I think in general, if you’re always a good person, you talk. Well, you just the same principle.
Della Sellers
I always pray when I go and do it, I just start all of my ChatGPT is where I just invite the Holy Spirit in. And I was like, you know, at a minimum, it can’t be bad because I’m just going to make sure he’s in control and we’re going to run out to any other authorities and we’re going to welcome him in.
And then we kind of go from there. So I kind of give somebody advice at the end of go and pray about it, because in case my advice was absolute garbage, God’s gotcha. I’m doing my best to try to help that.
James Fenimore
So all right, before we wrap up one question, what would you say for the average user, the best overall tool they should probably be using in AI?
David Vega
Wow. I mean it’s it’s it’s also your own personal, you know, preference on how things are. But obviously the common one is ChatGPT. That’s the first one. You know, you do have Gemini that comes in now that has agents, which you call agents or more automation that’s integrated with a lot of platforms that you already use, from emails to instant messaging and things of that nature.
I think overall start with the basics. Is one church apps probably one of the easiest ones to kind of learn it, understand it, what you know, what it can do for you, and then check on some other ones that you can if you get more advanced.
James Fenimore
Thank you so much, David. This has been this has been a real treat meeting.
Yeah. And, I want you to know, all your information is going to be right below this video. Yes. So if anybody wants to reach out to either about ministries or their actual business, that they’ll be definitely, definitely reaching out right now and trying to help others.
David Vega
We’re doing some pro-bono as well. And, also I just released a human, my book called humanizing in an AI world. So you can get that on Amazon as well. Amazing. By my name, I appreciate it.
James Fenimore
Thank you so much for joining us. It’s been a real pleasure.
David Vega
Thank you.
James Fenimore
This is Della Sellers, I’m James Fenimore, this has been On A Mission and we can’t wait to see you next time.
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