Local First Reaches 500 Member Mark

PRLog (Press Release) – Jul 30, 2009 – (GRAND RAPIDS, MICH) Seven years ago, Guy Bazzani, local developer and owner of Bazzani Associates, and a group of enthusiastic community members started Local First, formerly known as BALLE West Michigan (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies).
Since the name change in 2003, Local First’s mission to boost local spending has grown from 35 members in 2004 to over 500 members representing numerous industries in 2009.
Membership Timeline

2002 – Organization created

2003 – Changed name from BALLE West Michigan (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies) to Local First

2004 – 35 Members

2007 – 150 Members

2008 – 350 Members

2009 – 500+ Members
“Local First was created to not only educate consumers to understand that local spending means local economic growth, but also to bring people together, says Guy Bazzani, Owner of Bazzani Associates. “To see it grow this big has been encouraging to our original dream of unifying a community.”
Some notable members were eager to comment on the organization's milestone due to their success of being a part of Local First.
“The main reason we are a member is one of our four bottom line organizational results is a philosophy of local, environmental and sustainable business practices,” says James Berg, Owner, Essence Restaurant Group (Bistro Bella Vita & The Green Well), and newly elected Local First board member.  “Local First for us is an obvious choice to act that out.
“Being a member benefits our organization by bringing more value to our local business philosophies,” Berg continues, “We receive this benefit in many ways:

•   Helping mold our local business culture,

•   Building awareness with our guests,

•   Interacting with other local business owners,

•   Learning from other local business owners especially the ones not in our industry,

•   Partnering on events,

•   Board member participation

•   An overall belief that we are doing the right thing and helping our community to become conscious of their spending habits.  Ultimately, conscious enough that they actually began to change their spending habits.”
“I'm a member because I believe the best way to grow our economy is locally, says Rob McCarty, Co-Owner of The Image Shoppe in Grand Rapids. “I’ve made many business contacts and feel connected to businesses and members I might not otherwise know about.”
Besides the relationships formed and contacts made, Local First’s belief that spending locally will boost the economy was confirmed through the Greater Grand Rapids Economic Impact Study and Market Analysis that was completed in 2008. Funded by the Steelcase Foundation, it showed the economic impact of locally owned and nationally owned businesses in four target areas: pharmacies, grocery stores, full-service dining restaurants, and banks.  The results included opportunities for job creation and policy analysis.
"A tremendous potential economic impact could be enjoyed in Kent County if consumer behavior’s resulted in a 10% shift in market share from chains to locals across the retail landscape," notes Local First Executive Director Elissa Hillary. "That 10% shift could result in an additional 1600 jobs in Kent County with wages of $53 million being added to local payrolls."
The 1600 additional jobs created would have been enough to increase employment by one-half of one percent in 2007. Output for the county could be increased by $137 million as well and this benefit would be spread among many industries, not only the retail sector.
Local First - www.localfirst.com

Local First is a non-profit organization, whose mission is to encourage the development of a vibrant, sustainable West Michigan economy by promoting local business ownership, social equity, and environmental stewardship through education, support and collaboration.