Fall and winter are busy times for all of us. Between year-end bookkeeping, social (distance) engagements, busy storefront hours, and personal holiday shopping, it's no wonder these months fly by. And this year is no exception - plus we have the added stress of rapidly changing safety precautions. It's enough to overwhelm anyone. But it doesn't have to be when we take advantage of our community resources! 

The Local First team has been dreaming and scheming of the day we could build a more robust and modern localfirst.com to champion our local business members across West Michigan. After lots of hard work and feedback, it’s finally here!

Food naturally brings people together. Whether it’s making a meal, supporting a farmer, sharing a recipe, or celebrating a special occasion: food is communal. This is what we celebrate at our Fork Fest events. These events showcase West Michigan's agricultural abundance and focus on the relationships that drive our local food systems.

Independents Week: June 27 to July 4

Locally-owned, independent businesses are the backbone of our community. And they need us more than ever right now. Help us celebrate them during Independents Week!

Local First’s Board of Directors held a town hall-style event with member businesses on Friday, June 12 to discuss the role West Michigan’s local economy plays in systemic racism: as an enabler and as a catalyst for change. Vice-Chair of the Local First Educational Foundation and moderator, Tarence Lauchie of T. Lauchie & Associates, asked participants to think about their:

Thank you for joining the Membership Team for Part II of our marketing webinar series! Kathleen Roark and Katherine Jandernoa were joined by the following panelists to discuss why marketing matters and how to approach it during a pandemic:

Thank you for joining the Membership Team for Local First’s marketing webinar! Kathleen Roark and Katherine Jandernoa were joined by the following panelists to discuss why marketing matters and how to approach it during a pandemic:

If you haven't seen gr_support_local yet, it's time to give it a whirl. It's an easy-to-view list of local businesses and what they're offering during the Shelter in Place order. We LOVE it and wanted to get to know the person who got it up and running.

Atlanta – La Agencia Federal para el Desarrollo de la Pequeña Empresa (SBA) por sus siglas en inglés, ofrece préstamos federales de bajo interés para capital de trabajo a las pequeñas empresas de Michigan que sufren un daño económico sustancial como resultado de la enfermedad del coronavirus (COVID-19), anunció hoy la administradora de SBA, Jovita Carranza. SBA actuó bajo su propia autoridad, según lo dispuesto por la Ley de Asignaciones Suplementarias para la Preparación y Respuesta ante el Coronavirus que fue firmada recientemente por el Presidente, para declarar un desastre a raíz de una solicitud recibida de la Gobernadora Gretchen Whitmer el 17 de marzo de 2020.

ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest federal disaster loans for working capital to Michigan small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza announced today. SBA acted under its own authority, as provided by the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act that was recently signed by the President, to declare a disaster following a request received from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on March 17, 2020.