Federal Contracting: The U.S. Department of War awarded a $400M civil engineering services IDIQ in the Pacific to three small businesses, including Native-owned firms, with work spanning bases across the Pacific through 2031. SMB Finance & Community Banking: Bank of Cave City won an ICBA national service award after mobilizing to keep banking running and support recovery after an EF3 tornado. Local Business Growth: Nairobi boda boda riders formed a self-help group, saved monthly, and used cooperative financing to expand into motorcycles and bigger opportunities. AI Visibility for Services: A new Fast Hippo Media benchmark says most U.S. small service businesses are underprepared for AI-driven recommendations, with average AI visibility scores at 30/100. Policy & Costs: Wyoming’s revenue committee weighed energy and data-center tax ideas, including possible changes that could affect investment costs. Energy Savings via Community Solar: Reactivate and the Obama Foundation partnered to anchor Illinois community solar projects, aiming to cut bills for low-to-moderate income households and local small businesses. Local Retail & Safety: A Valdosta restaurant break-in turned into a “14 bottle bandit” story after a suspect spent hours inside. Workforce Compliance Tool: BrightHR Australia launched a Fair Work Act Navigator to help SMEs manage rising Fair Work complaints and reduce compliance risk.