How Do We Define Local?

Buffalo First business members are local and independent.  To be considered such they must meet the following five criteria:

1.      Businesses must be privately held (i.e. not traded on the stock market)

2.      50% of their ownership must live in the Buffalo area

3.      they must be registered and headquartered in New York (i.e. subject to NY law)

4.      they must be able to make independent decisions, and

5.      the business must pay all of its own expenses.

This helps ensure that businesses are part of our area (i.e. when they benefit, our community benefits!) and makes them relatively more accountable to our area (really, who wants to pollute in their own back yard?).  When businesses operate on a smaller scale their decisions are more likely to consider the costs and benefits to the community in which they are based. 

Looking for a Local Independent Business?

Look for the Buffalo First! window decal in the store window, ask the store clerk, or use our Online Marketplace to look for a local product, business or organization. 

For more information on the benefits of local businesses please see Michael Shuman’s The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses are Beating the Global Competition, available at our very own local independent bookstore, Talking Leaves Books.