THE BIG PICTURE TWO STORIES: THINK LOCAL FIRST COUNTY OF SANTA CRUZ By Michael Olson, Think Local First Board President Why think local, first? Story #1: I was once engaged in conversation with the advance person for a carnival coming to town. During our conversation she blurted out, “Michael, I am always getting lost!” When I asked why, she said, “Every city I go to looks exactly the same as the last city. Each has the same restaurants, same grocers, same retailers. Every city is so much like the last I literally have to look at my calendar to remind me which city I am in! But Santa Cruz is its own city, and that’s why I love coming here.” Story #2: In 2012, Think Local First sought to demonstrate the efficacy of thinking local by racing five $100 checks from five local financial institutions through the Think Local First community of member businesses for 30 days. Each business that received a check redeemed it for goods or services at a fellow business. In 30 days the five $100 checks generated $8,700.48 in business. That Think Local First multiplied $500 17.4 times in 30 days made for a good story, but only a little story! It could have been made much bigger if the Think Local First businesses had continued to circulate the five $100 checks, as they did in 2012, for the 120 months from then to now: $8,700.48 X 120 months = $1,044,057.60! The biggest story, however, is the one that could be told if each of the 274,255 Santa Cruz County residents were to circulate their own $100 check through the local business community! In 10 years, the community could generate an extra $8.3 billion in local business without ever having to send a single cent of it across the seas to fuel coal-burning factories! Will the biggest story ever be told? Perhaps not. But it could be! All we need do is think local, first!
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