2. USA - Small Business Economic Trends - GENE MARKS 100926

1945 ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO Small Business Economic Trends Gene Marks evaluates American small business health across several regional trade associations. Steel and iron foundries report strong manufacturing demand and growing order books despite ongoing labor shortages. Similarly, industrial fastener manufacturers experience positive sales growth. Turning to artificial intelligence, Marks highlights growing public opposition toward data center construction. He advises companies to establish clear workplace policies to mitigate risks from unapproved shadow AI usage and corporate data privacy vulnerabilities across commercial software platforms. (2)