08/18/2012
AMEX, AMIBA Partner to Grow Buy Local Initiatives
GDA Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 8/17/2012 1:06:59 PM
NEW YORK - American Express has partnered with the American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA) to inspire more people to buy locally. Both companies have joined forces to help small business and community groups to launch "buy local" campaigns throughout the United States to inspire more consumers to shop more small, local businesses year round.
Under the new partnership, AMIBA and American Express will host as many as 20 training events from September 2012 through May 2013 to help communities and merchant coalitions develop "buy local" campaigns with the goal of initiating local action and enabling successful long-term organizing on behalf of local small businesses.
Upcoming presentation and training events include Oregon and Washington, Sept. 25-28; New England and New York, Oct. 8-13; Mid-Atlantic states, Oct. 15-18; and California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah, Nov. 5-9. More events will be added throughout the year.
In addition to the training sessions, AMIBA will also develop "Train the Trainer" programs for facilitators, who will eventually lead other training events for hundreds of small business owners and advocates who will help encourage more pro-local business initiatives throughout the country. AMIBA is a non-profit organization that helps communities launch and successfully operate buy local campaigns and broader Independent Business Alliances (IBAs) coalitions of locally-owned independent businesses, citizens and community organizations that work to build vital local economies and support local entrepreneurs.
AMIBA and American Express have also produced a primer to give small business owners and advocates guidance on how to successfully nurture a culture of support for local business within their community. The 12-page, illustrated magazine outlines the steps for business owners to effectively implement outreach through one's own business as well as initiate community-wide campaigns; copies of the primers are available upon request from AMIBA.
"These community events greatly increase the likelihood of local success in the critical start-up phase for local campaigns and alliances," said Jennifer Rockne, co-founder, AMIBA, in a statement. "Through our partnership with American Express, more communities now will be able to access these trainings. American Express is playing a key role in helping ‘buy local' initiatives succeed."
AMEX is the founding partner of Small Business Saturday, which was an initiated a national program in 2010 in response to small business owners concern over more demand for their products and services. The program, which is supported by President Obama and elected officials in all 50 states, encourages an estimated 103 million Americans to shop at independently-owned small businesses in 2011.
"American Express' collaboration with AMIBA advances a shared goal - to support America's independent small businesses," said Mary Ann Fitzmaurice Reilly, senior vice president, American Express OPEN, the company's small business credit program. . "Our joint efforts will lead to many new local alliances that will help raise awareness of the value small businesses bring to communities and motivate consumers to ‘shop small' all year around - including on Small Business Saturday."
