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Press Release April 23, 2007
 

PIEDMONT UNVEILS PLANS FOR LOCAL BUSINESS NETWORK

Isabel Piedmont, Democratic candidate for City Council District 5, has announced a plan for creating a local business network in Bloomington as part of her focus on increasing community sustainability. “Local businesses are a vital part of Bloomington’s economy,” says Piedmont. “The city can support local businesses by creating a visible network and publicizing that network to highlight the excellent locally-owned and operated businesses in our community.”

Piedmont explains that supporting local business is related to one of the key goals of her campaign, to increase sustainability. “Profits from local business stay in the local economy, and local business owners are members of our community who have a stake in its long-term well-being.” She cites a study of Austin, Texas that showed that for every $100 in consumer spending at a national chain bookstore the local economic impact was $13, while the same amount spent at locally based bookstores put $45 back into the local economy. Piedmont also points out that buying products grown or made locally reduces the negative environmental impact of transporting those goods.

The first step of Piedmont’s plan is to define which businesses would be eligible to be listed as locally owned. The business must be physically located in Bloomington and the proprietor or majority owner must be a resident of Monroe County. Whether or not franchised businesses would be allowed to participate is a question which Piedmont says must be investigated further. “The important thing is that the business owner has the ability to make important management and marketing decisions without having to consult the parent corporation. Thus most franchises would be excluded, but some may be included if they meet certain criteria.”

The second step is a voluntary, low-cost registration of local businesses with the city’s Economic Development Office. The city would send an invitation to all businesses that may meet the “local” criteria, and interested businesses would then apply to be part of the local business network. Members of the network would receive a decal to display in their place of business to let consumers know they are local. 

Robyn Thompson, owner of Natural Elements on the courthouse square, supports the idea. “Having a visible sign displayed in the store window is much like a seal of approval from the city – promoting the economic and creative value of local businesses.” According to Piedmont’s plan, the member businesses would also be listed on a city website and perhaps a printed brochure available to consumers.

The third step of the plan is a meeting of all business owners who have registered with the city’s local business network. This would provide a forum for the development of further joint marketing plans and, perhaps, collaboration in purchasing or business-to-business exchanges. “From that point on, it would be up to the businesses to decide whether and how they would like to collaborate further,” says Piedmont.

Ray Stidd, owner of Sole Sensations, one of the few locally-owned shoe stores in Bloomington, praised the plan as providing “a viable, creative alternative to other existing agencies to promote small locally-owned businesses.”

Piedmont cites the Local First initiatives in Grand Rapids (Mich.), Seattle, and Chicago as models for what local business networks can achieve. The Grand Rapids Local First network has grown to include over 200 western Michigan businesses since it was founded in 2004. It provides integrated marketing as well as workshops for business owners on topics such as sustainable business practices and corporate social responsibility. The Grand Rapids non-profit Local First organization is part of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, an association of 52 local business networks in the US and Canada.

Piedmont’s campaign for city council focuses on three goals: increasing sustainability, reducing poverty, and advancing collaboration. For more information on the campaign, please see www.PiedmontForCouncil.org.

Paid for by Isabel Piedmont-Smith