After an Affordability Election, Business Owners Press New Leaders on Insurance, AI Data Centers and Energy Bills

Business leaders from California, Michigan and Ohio are available for interviews on what affordability looks like on Main Street

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, November 5, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Voters made affordability and the cost of living the defining issue of the 2026 midterm elections. Two dozen business owners working with the American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN) say the new Congress and incoming state leaders should start with two of their fastest-rising costs: insurance and energy.

About nine in 10 voters said the cost of living was a crucial or major factor in their vote, according to CNN Election Day exit polls. In NBC News exit polling, 86% of voters said they were concerned about the cost of utilities, and 76% said they opposed construction of new data centers in their communities.

“Business owners in every state we work in are running the same math: Costs they can’t control are eating the money they would use to hire and grow,” said David Levine, president and co-founder of ASBN. “These problems have practical solutions, and the business community is ready to help build them with leaders at the state and national level.”

Over the past three months, ASBN gathered business owners’ accounts of rising insurance premiums in California and rising energy bills in Michigan and Ohio, collected as written statements and short videos ahead of Election Day.

California: Insurance costs land on the next commissioner’s desk
The race for California insurance commissioner remained too close to call as of Thursday, as votes are still being counted to decide between Jane Kim (D) and Ben Allen (D). Whoever takes office inherits a market where businesses face fewer statutory caps on rate increases and weaker non-renewal protections than residential policyholders.

Twenty business leaders spoke out this fall about California’s insurance market, describing premium spikes, non-renewals and the money those costs pull away from hiring.

“We manufacture in Santa Ana, and we’re committed to staying in California. But our workers’ comp and liability premiums have gone up year after year, with no change in our operations or claims history. That’s money we could be investing in equipment and jobs,” said Veejay C. Patell, founder and CEO of beyondGREEN biotech, Inc.

“We realize that the $8,800 that we spend every single month could hire two new employees. Our insurance premiums have increased anywhere from 7 to 24% year after year, and in the last five years we’ve had zero claims,” said Lisa Puckett, Founder and Chief Compliance Officer of BayArea Compliance and Founding Executive Director of NETZERO360™ Sustainable Waste Solutions.

“Every business needs insurance. We do. What no business can plan around is coverage that disappears. Building codes that reward resilience, and premiums that charge for real risk, would give insurers a reason to stay and give the rest of us a reason to prepare,” said Amberjae Freeman, CEO of Etho Capital.

Read more from California business leaders: When Insurance Becomes an Operational Crisis: Why California Business Leaders Are Paying Attention to the Insurance Commissioner Race (https://asbnetwork.org/when-insurance-becomes-an-operational-crisis-why-california-business-leaders-are-paying-attention-to-the-insurance-commissioner-race/).

Michigan and Ohio: Energy bills and the cost of AI data centers
In ASBN’s Business Leaders for Affordable Energy video series, eight business owners in Michigan and Ohio described electricity costs that have become harder to predict and harder to pass on to customers. Several raised concerns about who pays for the grid upgrades that new data centers require. Ohio voters also faced 21 local ballot measures related to data centers this year, including proposed bans in 13 municipalities. Overwhelmingly, Ohioans voted to pass bans and restrictions on the ballot, ushering in an era of increased data center transparency. Ohio voted for data-center-related measures in 18 municipalities, more than any other state in this election.

“Even though we voted against it, and don’t want them in our communities, they’re still pushing through on [data centers], and we’re going to be stuck paying the energy cost,” said Khadija Wallace, founder and CEO of Joyful Treats Catering in Michigan.

“There’s an auction for this backup power, and when the utilities bid on the backup power two years ago, the backup power cost $29. This year, it was $335,” said Anne Chambers, principal of 17 WAYS in Ohio.

“If energy costs keep rising, then we have to change the pricing to make sure that we’re covered,” said Barry Cik, founder and technical director of Naturepedic, an Ohio-based company with three stores in California.

ASBN's Pennsylvania research on data center costs (https://asbnetwork.org/who-pays-for-the-ai-boom-new-report-on-data-centers-and-small-business-impacts/) found that utilities approved roughly $492 million in data center transmission connection costs in Pennsylvania in 2024, costs that are recovered through ratepayers' electric bills.

“When large new users like data centers drive up grid costs, those costs shouldn’t land on the corner bakery’s electric bill,” said Mike Green, senior policy advisor for climate and energy at ASBN. “Candidates in both parties campaigned on this. Now they can act on it by making sure new large-load customers pay their fair share, and by helping small businesses cut their own energy use.”

Watch the videos: Michigan (https://youtu.be/svWAd_QlHok) and Ohio (https://youtu.be/sod_iNYwyTU). Businesses can sign the Businesses for Affordable Energy open letter to U.S. House and Senate leadership at bit.ly/BusinessesForAffordableEnergy.

“We’ll be bringing these business owners' stories to the new Congress and state leaders in the months ahead,” said Camilla Taylor, executive director of ASBN. “They know better than anyone which policies will lower costs, because they see the results on every bill.”

Available for interviews

ASBN:
Camilla Taylor, executive director
David Levine, president and co-founder
Mike Green, senior policy advisor, climate and energy

Business leaders:
Veejay C. Patell, beyondGREEN biotech, Inc. (Santa Ana, California): insurance costs for manufacturers
Lisa Puckett, Founder and Chief Compliance Officer of BayArea Compliance and Founding Executive Director of NETZERO360™ Sustainable Waste Solutions (California): premiums with zero claims
Amberjae Freeman, Etho Capital: climate risk pricing and insurance availability
Barry Cik, Naturepedic (Ohio, with California stores): both energy costs and insurance
Khadija Wallace, Joyful Treats Catering (Michigan): data centers and energy costs
Anne Chambers, 17 WAYS (Ohio): electricity capacity costs and energy-saving solutions
Additional business leaders available by request.

To schedule an interview, contact Anayana White at anayana@asbnetwork.org.

Anayana White
American Sustainable Business Network
anayana@asbnetwork.org
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