AI Engineer December 2025 Meetup

Ready to level up your AI game with the real-world knowledge you need to ship? This month, we're diving deep into two of the most powerful tools reshaping how engineers work: cloud-based agent frameworks and agentic coding workflows. Which cloud platform should you choose when building production agent systems? What are the real-world trade-offs between Azure, AWS, and GCP? And how do you integrate AI assistants into your daily development process to ship faster? Join us for an evening packed with practical insights from engineers shipping AI in production.

Choosing the right AI agent framework can make or break your production deployment—but with Azure AI Agent Service, AWS Bedrock Agents, and Google's Vertex AI Agent Builder all competing for mindshare, how do you decide? Michael Halagan will be presenting a comprehensive comparison of agent frameworks across the three major cloud platforms. As founder and CEO of Local AI, a Minneapolis-based consulting firm, Michael brings hands-on experience helping organizations navigate cloud-based AI infrastructure. He'll break down the real-world trade-offs between these platforms, covering development experience, deployment patterns, cost structures, and integration capabilities. This session is perfect for engineers who want straight talk about what actually works in production—no marketing fluff, just practical insights you can apply to your next agent deployment.

Then Michelle Thorsell will be presenting on Advanced Claude Code Workflows. As a Lead Engineer at Blank Metal with extensive experience delivering production front-end solutions, Michelle recently completed training directly with Anthropic's team on Claude Code—their premium agentic coding tool. She'll share practical patterns for integrating Claude Code throughout your development process, from initial architecture decisions through implementation and debugging. Attendees will leave with actionable workflows they can apply immediately to ship faster and more confidently.

Whether you're evaluating which cloud platform to use for your next agent deployment or looking to accelerate your development workflow with agentic tools, this session will arm you with actionable techniques that actually work in the real world.

Agenda
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
🥨 4:00 PM – Doors open + snacks and networking
👋 4:30 PM – Welcome and intro remarks
🎤 4:40 PM – Michael Halagan presents: Comparing Agent Frameworks Across the Big Three: Azure, AWS and GCP
🎤 5:10 PM – Michelle Thorsell presents: Advanced Claude Code Workflows
💬 5:40 PM – Networking and discussion
🚗 6:00 PM – Go home and build

Parking
Multiple parking options available:

• Riverplace parking ramps ($2/hour, 24/7 access)
• Metered street parking on surrounding streets ($1-2/hour)
• Surface lots near Nicollet Island Inn

What to Bring
Just yourself! We've got everything covered.

Snacks + Drinks
Snacks and beverages will be provided at 4:00 PM courtesy of our sponsor, Blank Metal Consulting.

Important to Know
Please register in advance - this event is free to attend but we need to plan for capacity.

Accessibility
The Garamond Conference Room is wheelchair accessible through the attached Riverplace parking ramp or the FRGMNT coffee shop entrance on Main St.