Why Do We Love Northeast Ohio?

Why do we love Northeast Ohio?

There’s no one answer.

Is it because we grew up in the area or came here to start a family? Maybe we’re partial to the changing of seasons. Perhaps we are enamored with the availability of stadium mustard?

Jokes aside, those that are here made a conscious decision to be on the North Coast, and for that, we are in this together. There’s something in the air (and certainly in the water) that instills a fierce loyalty that comes out when others denigrate the area: from list-obsessive national magazines to snaggletoothed, Muppet-looking Chicago basketball players.

But as distressed as NEO has been portrayed, locals still muster the strength to start businesses big and small every single day. Given the chance, these local businesses can provide products, services, and experiences that outperform the national brands. Unfortunately, many of these businesses go unnoticed because of time, convenience or budget.

But if you have the means (and the time), we have a competition for you.

One of our clients, Northeast Ohio’s own Council of Small Enterprises (COSE) is giving us just that opportunity with the second annual Buy Local Week. For the week of July 3 through July 10, COSE is encouraging consumers to take the Buy Local Week challenge by pledging to redirect $100 to local businesses, which you can do here.

Not sure if you want to stray from the big box store but want to take part? Some other ideas are below.

1. Write a blog post about Buy Local week with the information found here: http://ibuyneo.com/localweek.asp
2. Place the widget on your Facebook page or blog http://www.ibuyneo.com/buylocalgraphics.asp#widget
3. Encourage others to signup by tweeting out the pledge with the #buylocalneo hashtag
   

If everyone in Northeast Ohio faithfully participated, we could raise nearly $48 million dollars for local businesses. While $48 million may be a drop in the bucket within the overall economy, that sum of money would be huge for the area. That money would be reinvested in the form of new jobs and a healthier, more vibrant Northeast Ohio.

For the record, we’re not anti-big brand nor do we want to mandate what others should purchase. And certainly, we are not perfect in every buying decision we make.

But Buy Local Week gives Northeast Ohioans an opportunity to reinvest in our community and see the fruits of our labor right in front of us. By participating, we are supporting not only our hometown, but also our neighbors, family, and friends that help make NEO home to us all.

At the very least, try it and see if it grows on you.

Flickr photo courtesy of JW Ogden