Advocate for Local Businesses
Advance Small Business Anti-Displacement Support & Policy
Establish a framework to protect local business tenants from construction- and gentrification-related displacement.
- Develop a regional Small Business Anti-Displacement Task Force composed of commercial developers and municipal partners. This task force will examine best practices from other communities and develop an on-demand small business tenant toolkit of resources.
Expand Municipal Partnerships and Regulatory Reform
Deepen engagement with local governments to foster a more local business-friendly regulatory environment.
- Grow and nurture the Local Economic Ambassador member network to improve regulatory burdens on small businesses and increase cross-municipality collaboration. Host member regulatory listening sessions with multiple municipal partners.
Increase Local Business Procurement Readiness and Access
Empower local businesses to successfully compete for public and private contracts.
- Host or partner on multiple procurement-readiness trainings to demystify the process, explore certifications and improve bid logistics.
- Leverage the municipal partnerships to advocate for policies that increase the volume of local procurement by government entities. Lowcountry Local First staff and board to present to multiple local councils on why shifting government dollars to local business matters.
Cultivate Inclusive Local Business Leadership and Engagement
Build a diverse, informed, and empowered base of advocates to amplify the local business voice across the Lowcountry region.
- Expand the Advocacy & Abundance Committee to include a strategic group of business owners and partner organization representatives. This committee will collaborate, share resources, and provide input to Lowcountry Local First's advocacy efforts.
- Equip local business advocates through an interactive session at Good Business Summit to spur effective civic and community engagement.
VIEW ONGOING ADVOCACY PRINCIPLES
Tell your business's story:
We invite you to share your business's story with our team at any time. If you prefer to write your story, you may use this form. The information you share will be kept confidential unless permission is provided to share the story. Your input guides the work we do and the focus of our advocacy priorities. Thank you for sharing!
How we advocate:
We work to level the playing field for local-independent businesses as our sole focus. As a 501c3 organization, we do not endorse any political candidates. We do highlight the positions of candidates or elected officials on issues pertaining to our mission. Our membership contains incredibly diverse perspectives and we’re made better by that diversity. Our annual Advocacy Priorities are informed by surveys, member meetings, our Policy and Advocacy Committee, and our Board of Directors, who approve the priorities annually.
View examples of our past advocacy efforts and successes.
Questions? Contact us:
Jordan Amaker, Director of Advocacy & Communications: jordan@lowcountrylocalfirst.org
JackRabbit Filly / KingBBQ
