By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Local First recently relocated to a renovated second floor suite at 949 Wealthy St. SE, just a few doors from its most recent home—shared space with Bazzani Associates. Since the group’s inception in 2003, locating to new office space has been nearly an annual event. But this time Executive Director Elissa Sangalli Hillary believes they’re going to stay put for a while.
In the past 18 months, the organization has grown from a one-person entity to include a part-time assistant to the executive director and two interns from Grand Valley State University and Aquinas College. Next semester, a third intern will come on board.
“I think it’s a wonderful move for Local First because, while we still have a strong relationship with Guy Bazzani, our founder and board chair, it was good for us to move and have our own identity,” says Hillary.
The brick building, built in 1910, was renovated to LEED-EB (Existing Buildings) standards by Bazzani Associates a few years ago, but not certified. The 900-square-foot office space was move-in ready. An open office concept with three work stations, vertical storage and a conference table promotes collaboration and fills the organization’s need for meeting space.
“We only had to paint one wall,” Hillary says, “and we painted it the ‘Local First Red.’”
Local First’s membership has more than doubled in the past year, with over 400 locally owned businesses becoming an active part of growing the local economy and promoting the triple bottom line. The organization offers a variety of services, including a directory of member businesses, a new coupon book containing discounts at member businesses, an annual summer street party, and monthly networking events for members.
Source: Elissa Sangalli Hillary, Local First
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media and a member of Local First. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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