In June, the Southeastern Alliance (SEA) marked its first year of educating consumers and advocating on behalf of local independent businesses in our region. Much of our first year was consumed with organizational tasks associated with launching this exciting new group. We formed a steering committee, hammered out membership criteria, applied for and received a grant, and created a membership brochure and a website to help us recruit new members. Still, we did find time to do the really important (and fun) stuff that is our mission. SEA members testified at public hearings and in front of the legislature in support of local independent businesses. This is why we exist.
SEA is now poised to do even more advocacy and consumer education in the year ahead. I plan to begin more regular blogging, so watch this space for plenty of thoughts on building a sustainable local economy. We’ll have some ideas and perhaps even some discussions on ways to keep our local economy strong. We want to hear from you, our friends and neighbors, about ways to keep our community a fun and interesting place to live and visit.
So don’t be shy–dive into the discussions, come to a meeting, and join us.
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