The House Committee on Small Business has announced two hearings scheduled for the week of January 19, 2026. The Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Supply Chains will hold a hearing titled “Empowering Rural America Through Investment in Innovation” on Wednesday, January 21 at 10:00 AM ET. This session aims to discuss both the challenges and opportunities arising from the rapid expansion of data centers in rural communities.
Witnesses set to testify at this hearing include Chris Crosby, Chief Executive Officer of Compass Datacenters; Kirk Offel, Chief Executive Officer of OVERWATCH Mission Critical; and Dr. Nicol Turner Lee, Senior Fellow in Governance Studies and Director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institute.
A second hearing titled “Local Ownership, National Brands: How Franchising is a Pathway to Entrepreneurship” will take place on Thursday, January 22 at 2:00 PM ET. The full committee will examine how franchising can serve as an affordable and accessible route to small business ownership.
Testifying at this session are Angie Katsanevas, Owner and Founder of Lunatic Fringe; Tina Patel, Co-Principal and Chief Financial Officer of Promise Hotels; Clement Troutman, Franchise Owner with Troutman Management LLC; and Rico Macaraeg, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of StriveWell.
Both hearings are open to the public and available for viewing online through the Committee’s YouTube channel.
