3C Brings Chicago Small Businesses Together for AI Workshop and Advocacy Conversation

CHICAGO (Oct. 22, 2026) — On Wednesday night in Chicago’s West Loop, small business owners gathered at Bunker to learn how AI can help them run and grow their businesses, then shifted the conversation to how those same experiences should inform policy.

Hosted by the Connected Commerce Council (3C), Chicago Small Biz Connect focused on the practical ways small businesses are using AI and digital tools to operate more efficiently, reach customers, and compete, while also giving attendees a chance to hear from peers who have taken their stories and perspectives directly to policymakers. 

Illinois State Rep. Jawaharial Williams joined the event and addressed the group before the workshop. Later that evening, Chicago small business owners Michael Salvatore of Heritage Hospitality Group, Anthony Qaiyum of Merz Apothecary, and Amanda Kezios of Mojo Spa explained why they chose to share their experiences directly with policymakers.  

“Digital tools helped me expand my business from one bike shop to five locations across Chicago,” said Salvatore, who opened his first business 15 years ago in Chicago’s Lake View neighborhood. “It’s vital that such tools remain available and affordable to small businesses.”

The importance of digital tools extends well beyond the businesses in the room. A recent survey found that nearly 70% of Illinois small businesses said digital tools are important for navigating inflation and economic uncertainty, and 85% of small business advertisers said digital ads help them reach new customers.

At Merz Apothecary, a Chicago business with roots stretching back more than 150 years, Qaiyum said AI is becoming another tool for helping a small team operate more efficiently.

“Today’s digital tools help my 151-year-old business stay competitive,” said Qaiyum. “AI helps us work more efficiently and keep growing, and I hope this event gives other business owners the confidence to explore what these tools can do for them.”

Amanda Kezios, who was recognized this week as Illinois’s Retailer of the Year, spoke about how e-commerce and digital tools have helped Mojo Spa grow beyond its Wicker Park storefront.

“When I started Mojo Spa 25 years ago, I never imagined I could reach customers across the country,” said Kezios. “Online marketplaces made that possible. Today’s workshop showed how digital tools can open new doors for small businesses and why keeping them accessible matters.”

But the conversation went beyond how to use the technology.

During the fireside discussion, Salvatore, Kezios, and Qaiyum described their own experiences engaging with lawmakers and emphasized that business owners do not need to become policy experts to participate in debates that affect them. Their firsthand experience running a business, they said, is often precisely what policymakers need to hear.

That message comes as lawmakers at both the state and federal levels continue to consider new approaches to AI, data, digital advertising, e-commerce, and other parts of the digital economy.

“Small business owners shouldn’t be an afterthought in debates over AI and the digital economy,” said Rob Retzlaff, Executive Director of 3C. “If policymakers want to understand what new rules will mean in practice, they need to hear from the people using these tools to run a business every day.”