Think Local First Nevada County Foothills

Who's Eligible to Join?

Courtesy of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies

Defining "local"

We define a locally owned business as one where the community member has full autonomy and local decision-making authority with respect to his or her business practices.

Here are the basic criteria for locally owned independent businesses:
1. Is the business privately held (not publicly traded)?
2. Do the business owners, totaling greater than 50 percent of the business ownership, live in your local region?
3. Is the business registered in your state, with no corporate or national headquarters outside your region?
4. Can the business make independent decisions regarding the name and look of the business, as well as all business purchasing, practices, and distribution?
5. Does the business pay all its own rent, marketing expenses, and other expenses (without assistance from a corporate headquarters)?

How does Think Local First Nevada County Foothills define "local region"? Is it our neighborhood? Our city? Our county? Our state?
“Local” is really the area that people in the community consider to be local. Is your region defined by natural landscape features, or historic boundaries? Rural communities may define themselves by county, or by multiple counties. Some local food campaigns have noted that a two-hour drive from farm to table is often considered a "local" food-shed (like a watershed). In a large city, it may make sense to think in terms of both the greater metropolitan area and the business district neighborhood, depending on the situation.