TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – Texas is home to about 3.5 million small businesses, accounting for nearly every business in the state, but business owners say staying small or just starting out comes with challenges.
Organizers of the Governor’s Small Business Summit say one solution is to bring entrepreneurs together to share resources, learn new skills and build connections.
That’s what happened Tuesday at the WT Brookshire Conference Center in Tyler. There, executives gathered for sessions on topics ranging from finance and resilience to artificial intelligence.
Small businesses play a central role in many rural areas, but owners say they may need guidance and support to adapt to changing technology and market demands.
“It’s an opportunity to get together with like-minded people and small business owners and learn about the resources available here,” said Jaelyn Abarca, a business owner who attended the event.
The summit travels throughout Texas, connecting entrepreneurs with state and local support programs.
David Cleveland, director of the East Texas Council of Governments, told attendees that while AI can be controversial, learning about it early can reap benefits.
“That can be a dirty word in this field, and you can use it to get on the train and solve it now,” Cleveland said.
Cleveland described AI as a tool that, if used judiciously, can help small and medium-sized businesses operate more efficiently.
“This is a tool that we need to get ahead of and use and integrate into small business operations as quickly and efficiently as possible,” he said.
Other speakers emphasized and cautioned that the impact of AI depends on the user. Oversight Cybersecurity Advisor Chad Adams warned that the technology could be used in harmful as well as beneficial ways.
“AI has given us so much power. AI is a tool and it can be used for good or bad,” Adams said.
Still, summit leaders said the goal is to help business leaders understand how to use AI responsibly as another resource to support growth.
“Essentially, you can think of AI as an extra brain working together to achieve a goal,” Cleveland says.
There are more than 10 locations remaining for the Governor’s Small Business Summit, organizers said. For East Texas business owners who were unable to attend Tuesday’s event in Tyler, the summit is scheduled to return to the area in Nacogdoches on Sept. 3.
Copyright 2026 KLTV. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
