Build Local Economic Vitality
While Strengthening Community
Wednesday, May 28, Noon - 4 pm
Memorial Hall, Hotchkiss
Presentation and Workshop sample outlines and schedule
Have you ever taken a cross country road trip? Along the way you drive through one generic town after another, with the same chain restaurants and stores, cookie cutter strip development, and look-alike shopping malls.
Until you arrive back home in the North Fork Valley. Each of our communities—Crawford, Hotchkiss, and Paonia—is unique. In one down town visit, we can walk to many one-of-a-kind businesses run by our friends and neighbors. In these locally owned independent shops, business decisions are made with the needs of the local community in mind and store profits are kept within the community where they are re-circulated to support the local economy.
With knowledge of our community and passion for their businesses, local shopkeepers create and preserve our vibrant cultural landscape. Our independent businesses reflect the character and diversity of the North Fork Valley with a personal touch on a human scale.
Can the North Fork Valley prosper while keeping its distinctive character intact? If we start planning and organizing to make it happen, the answer is an emphatic yes! Join your neighbors on Wednesday, May 28, at 12 p.m., at Memorial Hall in Hotchkiss, to learn new tools for strengthening our communities and the long-term economic vitality of the North Fork Valley.
The event kicks off with a presentation by Jeff Milchen and Jennifer Rockne, co-founders of the American Independent Business Alliance, a Montana-based non-profit group that has helped dozens of communities nationwide launch successful "buy local" campaigns; branding and marketing efforts; and other activities to help community-based businesses thrive.
The presentation and discussion will be followed by a workshop (2 - 4 p.m.) to plan activities to strengthen locally owned, independent businesses in the North Fork Valley and nurture new businesses to fill unmet needs.
This workshop is not just for business owners—it is for everyone who cares about our valley!
Contact: Robin Smith at 527-4401.
This event is sponsored by the: Chambers of Commerce of Hotchkiss and Paonia; Clary, Inc.; First Colorado National Bank; Sparks; and The Kampe Foundation.
