Dustin Lifford
Kingsport, Tennessee · Northeast Tennessee

Analysis, AI, and digital systems for people who need the real answer.

I work where messy information, practical technology, and real-world decisions meet: OSINT, AI implementation, web infrastructure, automation, and digital strategy without the buzzword fog.

Send Me the Problem View Resume Tri-Cities AI Lab
OSINT AI Systems Web Ops Strategy

Dustin Lifford is an intelligence analyst, AI consultant, and digital strategist based in Kingsport, Tennessee. His work sits at the intersection of OSINT, applied AI, web infrastructure, and automation. He helps organizations turn messy information into practical decisions, whether that means investigating corporate structures, building AI-assisted workflows, fixing web systems, or translating technical problems into plain English.

He is an Intelligence Analyst with Barrister Intelligence, supporting law firms and litigation teams through corporate structure research, forensic intelligence reporting, asset tracing, and OSINT investigations. He is also the founder of Tri-Cities AI Lab, a regional consulting practice focused on practical AI for local businesses.

Before that, Dustin spent more than 20 years in web development, technical SEO, analytics, WordPress infrastructure, digital operations, and custom software development, including director-level roles at Six Rivers Media.

Outside of work, he hikes the Appalachian Mountains, smokes meats on the Blackstone, spends time with his family and granddaughter Rosie, and leans into his lifelong habit of being a nerd.

What I do

01 / Find the facts

OSINT, corporate structure research, and litigation support

Open-source intelligence, corporate entity research, litigation support, public records, asset context, and digital footprints, sourced carefully and reported clearly.

Learn more →
02 / Build useful AI systems

AI workflows, document intelligence, and practical automation

AI workflows, document intelligence, custom assistants, automation, and practical implementation built around how your operation actually works, not how a demo says it should.

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03 / Fix digital infrastructure

WordPress, technical SEO, analytics, and web performance

WordPress, technical SEO, analytics, web performance, platform troubleshooting, and systems that need to work reliably without constant intervention.

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InputMessy information
ProcessResearch + verification
BuildAI and workflow systems
OperateWeb and digital infrastructure
OutputUseful decisions
Common problems I help with

Does this sound familiar?

01

We need to understand a person, company, asset trail, or digital footprint.

02

We want to use AI, but we do not want generic slop or risky automation.

03

Our website is slow, broken, outdated, or not showing up correctly in search.

04

Our analytics, forms, tags, ads, or reporting are not trustworthy.

05

We have too much scattered information and need a clear answer.

Selected Work

A cross-section of real projects across 20+ years: government, education, utilities, media, nature & parks, and AI consulting.

Past · Director

Regional media infrastructure

Six Rivers Media · Apr 2021 to Oct 2025

Director-level web development and operations across a portfolio of regional news properties in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. Custom WordPress development, plugin work, technical SEO, analytics, ad operations, performance troubleshooting, and infrastructure support.

timesnews.net johnsoncitypress.com erwinrecord.net thetomahawk.com
Current · Founder

AI consulting platform

Tri-Cities AI Lab · 2024 to Present

Founded and built a regional AI and digital consulting practice helping small and mid-sized businesses adopt practical AI tools. Full-stack build including custom Flask application, blog platform, AI consulting services, and the AI Without the Slop campaign.

tricitiesailab.com
Past Work · Design & Dev

Government-scale website

City of Kingsport · kingsporttn.gov

Designed and developed the City of Kingsport's municipal website. Government-scale web project serving tens of thousands of residents with public records, department information, services, and civic resources.

kingsporttn.gov
Past Work · Dev & Support

Utility customer platform support

BrightRidge · mybrightridge.com · brightridge.com

Development and support work for Brightridge, the regional electric utility and broadband provider serving Kingsport and surrounding communities. Customer-facing digital infrastructure for a critical utility operation.

mybrightridge.com brightridge.com
Past Work · Education

Higher education web presence

Mountain Empire Community College · mecc.edu

Web development and digital support for Mountain Empire Community College, serving students and staff across Southwest Virginia. Educational institution web presence with course, admissions, and institutional resources.

mecc.edu
Past Work · Design & Dev

Regional destination website

Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium · baysmountain.com

Designed and built the public-facing website for Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium, one of the largest city-owned nature parks in the United States. Covered park information, event listings, planetarium programs, and visitor resources.

baysmountain.com

Resume

Career path focused on analysis, development, digital operations, troubleshooting, and systems that hold up under real-world pressure.

Oct 2025 to Present

Intelligence Analyst · Barrister Intelligence

Supports law firms and litigation teams through OSINT research, corporate structure analysis, forensic intelligence reporting, asset tracing, and litigation support deliverables.

2024 to Present

Founder · Tri-Cities AI Lab

Founded a regional AI and digital consulting practice helping small and mid-sized businesses adopt practical AI tools. Full-stack build, AI consulting services, and the AI Without the Slop campaign.

Jun 2023 to Oct 2025

Director of Web Development and Services · Six Rivers Media

Oversaw web infrastructure, digital operations, technical strategy, troubleshooting, site performance, analytics, advertising technology, and development support across regional media properties.

Apr 2021 to Oct 2025

Senior Developer · Six Rivers Media

Built and maintained web systems, WordPress infrastructure, digital products, analytics implementations, SEO improvements, and operational tooling.

Jan 2013 to Apr 2021

Director of Programming and Development · The Net360

Led front-end and back-end web application development, custom programming, site builds, design implementation, and client technical support.

Aug 2011 to Jan 2014

Owner · WordPress Blog Man

Provided website design, WordPress development, SEO, social media marketing, customer service, and digital consulting for clients.

Jan 2009 to Aug 2011

Technical Support · Apple Computers

Provided technology support with an emphasis on troubleshooting, customer service, Apple systems, and practical problem resolution.

Skill set

A practical blend of intelligence research, AI implementation, software/web development, analytics, marketing technology, and infrastructure support.

Intelligence & Research

  • OSINT
  • Corporate Structure Research
  • Asset Tracing
  • Forensic Reporting
  • Public Records Research
  • Litigation Support
  • Source Verification
  • Structured Analysis

AI & Automation

  • AI Consulting
  • AI Workflow Design
  • Document Intelligence
  • Prompt Engineering
  • Custom AI Systems
  • Workflow Automation
  • Python
  • Process Mapping

Web & Development

  • WordPress
  • PHP
  • HTML5
  • CSS3
  • JavaScript
  • jQuery
  • MySQL
  • phpMyAdmin
  • CMS
  • Website Development

Digital Operations

  • Technical SEO
  • Google Analytics
  • Google Ads
  • Digital Marketing
  • Web Analytics
  • Email Marketing
  • Project Management
  • Troubleshooting
  • Customer Service
People usually come to me when

They have a real problem
and need a real answer.

Not a sales deck. Not a discovery call that leads to another discovery call. Just honest work on the actual problem.

01

The research problem is messy and the facts matter

Corporate entities, ownership structures, litigation history, asset context, digital footprints. Work that has to hold up under scrutiny.

02

They want to use AI but don't trust generic AI advice

Practical implementation over hype. Real workflows, real systems, real results. Built around how the business actually operates.

03

A website, system, or digital workflow isn't working right

Twenty-plus years of troubleshooting across WordPress, analytics, SEO, ad ops, hosting, and custom development. I find what's actually wrong.

04

They need someone who can move between strategy, code, and investigation

Most consultants live in one lane. I work across intelligence, AI, and web infrastructure because the real problems rarely stay in one box.

Field Notes

Writing on intelligence, AI, web systems, and digital strategy. How things actually work, not how they're marketed.

Field Notes

Thinking Next to a Machine

What AI has made clearer about human judgment.

AI & Automation

How I Actually Use AI, Not How I Tell Clients to Use It

The practical, messy version of AI work: filings, code, OCR, spreadsheets, and verification.

OSINT & Research

Screenshots Are Not Evidence

Screenshots are useful leads, but they are not evidence by themselves. Here is why source verification matters.

All Field Notes →
Contact

Send me the messy version.

Tell me what is broken, confusing, scattered, or not working. I can usually help you figure out whether the problem is research, workflow, AI, website infrastructure, SEO, analytics, or something sitting between them.

Web issue, AI workflow, research problem, or messy system. Send the context and I will tell you where I would start.

Email Dustin Connect on LinkedIn 423-967-5584