Buy Local Rather than Bye, Local!
November 11, 2008 by Mary Ellen
Networking events and big celebrations run the risk of being boring. Happily, that wasn’t the case at last week’s annual “Keep it Querque” gala presented by the Albuquerque Independent Business Alliance.
This year’s event at Albuquerque’s Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Cultural Center had little of the ambiance of stodgy meetings. For one thing, the food, catered by Los Poblanos, was a far cry from those rubber chicken events I long to miss; I highly recommend the mini cupcakes from Slate Street Café.
The program emphasized Home Grown Marketing for Indie Businesses and two speakers addressed the theme. Steve Wedeen, owner and president at Vaughn Wedeen Creative, discussed three big words that make a difference in business: positioning, differentiation and value proposition. He managed to weave in a few stories and specific examples to showcase the benefits of “Buy Lcl.” Monte Skarsgard, better known as Farmer Monte of Los Poblanos Organics, spoke passionately about community supported agriculture and its impact on the local market. Local restaurateur and emcee, Myra Ghatis of Slate Street tied both presentations together with tales of organic eggs delivered in 200-dozen increments from Taos.
Supporting local business makes sense (dollars and cents, too) for any number of reasons, not the least of which can be that it’s fun. By way of disclosure, I’m prejudiced in favor of the organization as one of its Board members and the incoming president. I’m excited to be a part of AIBA. Here’s to vibrancy, authenticity, and independence! Look for these kind of characteristics when you look to expand your networking.
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