WASHINGTON (Feb. 11, 2026) — A new study from the Connected Commerce Council (3C) shows that small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are rapidly incorporating AI-powered tools into their business operations and strategies, with 70% of small-business leaders saying they’ve already invested in AI training and adoption or plan to do so. The study, based on…
It’s National Data Privacy Week — a time to focus on how data privacy policy affects not just consumers, but the millions of small businesses that use digital tools to reach and understand their customers, grow, and compete in the digital economy. In the absence of a single national privacy standard, lawmakers across the country…
WASHINGTON (January 27, 2026) — Rob Retzlaff, Connected Commerce Council (3C) executive director, today released the following statement at the outset of National Data Privacy Week. “National Data Privacy Week is an important reminder that consumers deserve strong protections for their personal information—and small businesses need clear, balanced rules that allow them to compete and…
WASHINGTON (Jan. 13, 2026) — 3C Executive Director Rob Retzlaff released the following statement in response to today’s House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee hearing on “Maintaining American Innovation and Technology Leadership.” “Small businesses drive our nation’s economy, and they deserve a regulatory environment that fosters innovation, rewards success, and helps them grow. “Europe’s heavy-handed…
WASHINGTON (Jan. 9, 2026) — 3C Executive Director Rob Retzlaff released the following statement in support of the AI for Mainstreet Act, introduced by Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA). The Act directs the Small Business Administration’s nationwide Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) to provide small businesses with the resources and training they…
In statehouses across the country, lawmakers are considering new “abuse of dominance” (AOD) laws. Intended to curb leading tech companies’ power, the laws would prevent market-leading firms from engaging in practices like offering suites of integrated services, or selling products and services at prices competitors can’t match. These laws pose a serious, if unintended, threat…
A longtime academic and research-program manager, Jocelyn Sheppard never expected to become a farmer. But in 2016, she worked on a project demonstrating that lavender could thrive in the rocky soil atop West Virginia’s reclaimed coal mines. Recognizing the project’s environmental and economic potential, Sheppard in 2018 founded Appalachian Botanical Co. — a social enterprise…
In 1985, Brian Grant and his father launched Grant’s Tool Shack, selling used tools at local flea markets around Lakeville, Massachusetts. When a customer offered them space for a storefront, they leaped at the chance to open their own shop — and in 1988 renamed their business Grant’s Rental. Over time, the business grew into…