EMPOWERMENT GATEWAY

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO JOIN?

Defining "local"

Who's eligible to join any of the I Support My Community program?

Sometimes determining which businesses are local and independently owned can be difficult.

How about a locally owned McDonald’s franchise?

How about an insurance agent with a national company and a local office?

Many businesses participate in cooperative marketing, offer exclusive lines, and have all sorts of other business agreements.

We define a locally owned business:

• as one where the community member has full autonomy and local decision-making authority with respect to his or her business practices.
• where the community member has 50% or more ownership of his business.

A simple survey like this one might help you figure out which businesses in your community are locally owned:

1. Is the business privately held (not publicly traded)?
2. Does the business owner/manager have 50 percent or more ownership and live in your local region?
3. Is the business registered in your area (even if they are a branch operation, i.e. franchise), with limited control from a corporate or national headquarters outside of your region?
4. Can the business make independent decisions regarding the name and look of the business, as well as all business purchasing, practices, and distribution?
5. Does the business pay all its own rent, marketing expenses, and other expenses (without assistance from a corporate head office)?

How does Empowerment Gateway define "local region"? Is it your neighbourhood? Your city? Your county? Your state?

“Local” is really the area that people in the community consider to be local. We tend to use geographically defined areas. I.e. Council areas.

Do natural landscape features, or historic boundaries define your region?

Rural communities may define themselves by county, or by multiple counties.

Some local food campaigns have noted that a two-hour drive from farm to table is often considered a "local" food-shed (like a watershed). In a large city, it may make sense to think in terms of both the greater metropolitan area and the business district neighbourhood, depending on the situation.

The point is to look at what decisions about personal and business purchases will strengthen your local economy and community.

If you buy your food at this store, where will the profits end up?

Will they stay close by and get reinvested locally, or fly off to corporate headquarters in another country for example?

Can you buy steel or building materials from a locally owned supplier, and does that shorten the shipping distance?

Can you buy those items from a local producer?

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