MAR 2018 – President’s Article by Scott Welsh

Make March The Month You Become a Champion of Local Business!

Now is a great time to double down on your commitment to Shop Local.  In accepting this position, I made a commitment to lead by example, and my family will consider a locally owned business with every purchase.  This doesn’t mean that we will never eat at In-N-Out, or buy a backpack online, but we will choose to spend our hard earned dollars locally first.

Studies of the business of business show that shopping local is the single biggest key to a thriving community.  A much bigger portion of every dollar you spend locally gets re-circulated into the local economy. In fact, almost 70% of the locally spent dollars stay in the community compared to less than 40% spent with big box retailers. And 0% when you shop online!

That is a BIG deal.

Think about this:  local businesses are more likely to employ local workers who support their families, contract with local marketing and other services like plumbers, electricians, and accountants, and those local businesses also are more likely to spend those dollars locally as well.  A wonderful cycle of events is created when you keep your dollars local.  Local businesses are also much more likely to support local non-profits and service organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of Redlands, Redlands Family Services and the Chamber of Commerce.

And when that local money is taxed each time, our local government can provide improvements in beautification and in our quality of life here in Redlands.

So I challenge all of us – all 600 plus Chamber members – to make just one more purchase decision each week with a local business.  Imagine the change we can make! It will pump tens of thousands of dollars into our local economy – just by supporting each other.  It’s a simple concept when you really think about it.

So, next time you are hungry, think about the Tartan, Eureka! Burger, Rok n Fondue or Darby’s, or any number of awesome locally owned and operated restaurants in town.  The next time you are about to make an online purchase, ask yourself “can I buy this locally?”  Together, we can make a great impact.

Shop Local.  Do it now.  Do it every day.