Talking AI at the 2026 Governor's Small Business Summit
I had the chance to sit on a panel at the 2026 Governor's Small Business Summit in Nacogdoches. The session was called "The AI Advantage: Practical AI Strategies for Small Business Owners," and it ran from 11:25 AM to 12:20 PM.
For anyone new here, Acer Texas is my side business and AI lab. I have been building it for two years now, alongside my day job at NacSpace.
The Panel
Our moderator was Justin Blount, Associate Dean of the Rusche College of Business at SFA. I shared the panel with Tim Leonard, CIO of Commercial Bank of Texas, and Heather Nichols, Chief Growth Officer of Big Harvest AI.
What I Talked About
I came at the topic from two directions.
The first was Acer Texas and our experience as an AI laboratory. We have tried hundreds of AI tools, all to help local businesses navigate a landscape that keeps changing. That way, business owners do not have to sort through every new tool on their own.
The second was cybersecurity. My day job is at NacSpace, where I handle all things IT, from cybersecurity to physical security. From that side of my work, I talked about why a robust cybersecurity environment is critical in the age of AI.
Watch the Full Session
Texas Economic Development posted the full recording of the panel on YouTube. If you missed it, you can watch it here.
Where to Start
If y'all are curious where AI fits in your business, I would be glad to talk. Book a discovery conversation, and we can walk through how your team works today and where AI tools could help.
Email me at henry@acer-texas.com to set it up.
Henry de Koeyer