Corvallis Independent Business Alliance

August Commentary by Jack Wolcott

The Corvallis Independent Business Alliance (CIBA) recently welcomed new members to our board of directors and looked forward to what the organization wants to accomplish in the coming year.

Our new directors are: Kay Dee Cole (Associate), Kate Lindberg (Animal Cracker Pet Supply), Peg Obrist (Citizen’s Bank, Circle Office), and Rebecka Weinsteiger (First Alternative Food Cooperative).

I would also like to acknowledge our new officers: Bob Baird (The Book Bin), president; Pat Sardell (Country Vitamins), vice president; Rebecka Weinsteiger, secretary; and Ilene Anderton (A & S Accounting), treasurer. Our officers put in many hours of community service for CIBA and deserve your support, so please let them know you appreciate their dedication to locally owned, independently operated businesses.

Our orientation for new and returning board members was also a planning session for the coming year. Using a “S.W.O.T. analysis” to give us a fresh perspective, we identified CIBA’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, from which a strategic action plan is being developed.

As a member-based organization, we know our greatest strength is directly related to the passion and commitment our members feel toward their community and their chosen profession. A few other strengths were also targeted for discussion:

We are part of the American Independent Business Alliance and have full access to all their resources.

We are perceived as a strong and influential organization locally and are regularly asked to participate in planning sessions with other business associations.

We hold meaningful bi-monthly membership meetings with topics chosen that are of particular interest to small businesses today.

We have a diverse membership from all around Corvallis, with new and multi-generational businesses — large and small.

We feel our primary weaknesses relate mostly to the need for better informing our community to the values we provide — and these can be resolved through education and better organization. We also have a lack of volunteers, resulting in the same people doing too many different things — often reducing our effectiveness.

Opportunities appear to be our greatest area for making best use of our strengths, while resolving the expected “weaknesses” that seem to come with all relatively new organizations. Our greatest opportunity lies with the fundamental support and loyalty of our customers and community. Beyond that, we can:

• Improve our relationships with the local media to improve public awareness & education. We are the only IBA in the country with the privilege of a regular newspaper column!

• Develop more business-to-business promotions.

• Locate a grant writer to help fund organizational projects to improve long-term stability. Seek interns who want to learn business “from the ground up.”

• Reach out to new businesses, offer a first year discount on dues, co-operate with other organizations to improve access to students, seniors, retirees and tourists.

• Educate our members about how to successfully compete with big box stores. Educate the public on the benefits of healthy small and diverse businesses.

The threats we identified relate mostly to perception and can also be addressed through education. We may be perceived as invisible, “anti-growth” or “anti-big business.” We are not a reactionary organization. It is fundamental that our community understands that we are FOR locally owned, independently operated business, and as advocates, will work positively with the other business and legislative organizations to insure our position receives fair consideration.

We value community input, so please send your comments to us at info@corvallisiba.org">info@corvallisiba.org.

jerryheilman@consbio.org">jerryheilman@consbio.org">jerryheilman, 11:05 AM [link]

July Commentary by Jack Wolcott

When you take a trip this summer, remember to bring a little bit of it back to share with your community. I don’t mean “gifts” in the physical sense of the term. I am suggesting that while you are visiting other places, you take a somewhat analytic and questioning view of their overall business community. And when you return, share your impressions and suggestions with our business organizations.

The Corvallis Independent Business Alliance values our close working relationship with the Downtown Corvallis Association and the new organization formed by the merger of the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership. We each have our unique focus, but we are united in our determination to keep Corvallis unique, prosperous, diverse and healthy. We are constantly seeking community input and researching appropriate solutions that provide a solid foundation for our future.

During your visit, ask your friends about the business support for their community, schools and cultural programs. How do they feel about the commitment of the local businesses to serve their customers and invest in the local economy?

Are their downtowns vibrant, clean and pleasant to walk around? Do they have unique shops with long-term local owners? Are the shoppers friendly and the clerks helpful and knowledgeable? Or perhaps only widely scattered businesses, located along long strips, with lots of driving and no local character — just national retailers and big box stores?

One irony and potential downfall is the fact that those of us who have practically never left the mid-valley really do not have anything to which we can compare Corvallis. We may never have seen a dying downtown, endless strip malls, national retailers and big boxes in every town, etc. We only have the words of those who have moved here to escape another fading town and who are drawn to our quality of life. We don’t have the experience of driving from one town to another and discovering that they seem to be alike, with little diversity or local character to give the town its characteristic flavor and unique identity.

It is only natural to be critical of your everyday surroundings if you have no comparative perspective. We need this outlook to avoid following other towns down a path from which we cannot return. Without this insight we face a loss of our local character, the decline in the stability of local financial support for our community and inadequate respect for the future of our children.

I am concerned that many of the requests to seek national retailers and the willingness to submit to their requirements originate from Corvallis residents who have never seen what happens to a town that loses its locally owned, independently operated businesses.

I realize that when someone is vacationing, everything takes on a special “wonderfulness,” and I certainly do not want to suggest anything that may detract from your vacation. Perhaps these questions are best put to those who have moved here. But I believe that everyone can still be aware enough of the areas they visit to share some insights when they return. There will also be plenty of positive experiences that our business community can learn from, so please come back and share some of your perceptions and feelings so we can keep Corvallis unique and vibrant.
jerryheilman@consbio.org">jerryheilman@consbio.org">jerryheilman, 11:02 AM [link]


		Home » Archives » August 2006 Monday, August 28th August Commentary by Jack Wolcott The Corvallis Independent Business Alliance (CIBA) recently welcomed new members to our board of directors and looked forward to what the organization wants to accomplish in the coming year. Our new directors are: Kay Dee Cole (Associate), Kate Lindberg (Animal Cracker Pet Supply), Peg Obrist (Citizen’s Bank, Circle Office), and Rebecka Weinsteiger (First Alternative Food Cooperative). I would also like to acknowledge our new officers: Bob Baird (The Book Bin), president; Pat Sardell (Country Vitamins), vice president; Rebecka Weinsteiger, secretary; and Ilene Anderton (A & S Accounting), treasurer. Our officers put in many hours of community service for CIBA and deserve your support, so please let them know you appreciate their dedication to locally owned, independently operated businesses. Our orientation for new and returning board members was also a planning session for the coming year. Using a “S.W.O.T. analysis” to give us a fresh perspective, we identified CIBA’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats, from which a strategic action plan is being developed. As a member-based organization, we know our greatest strength is directly related to the passion and commitment our members feel toward their community and their chosen profession. A few other strengths were also targeted for discussion: We are part of the American Independent Business Alliance and have full access to all their resources. We are perceived as a strong and influential organization locally and are regularly asked to participate in planning sessions with other business associations. We hold meaningful bi-monthly membership meetings with topics chosen that are of particular interest to small businesses today. We have a diverse membership from all around Corvallis, with new and multi-generational businesses — large and small. We feel our primary weaknesses relate mostly to the need for better informing our community to the values we provide — and these can be resolved through education and better organization. We also have a lack of volunteers, resulting in the same people doing too many different things — often reducing our effectiveness. Opportunities appear to be our greatest area for making best use of our strengths, while resolving the expected “weaknesses” that seem to come with all relatively new organizations. Our greatest opportunity lies with the fundamental support and loyalty of our customers and community. Beyond that, we can: • Improve our relationships with the local media to improve public awareness & education. We are the only IBA in the country with the privilege of a regular newspaper column! • Develop more business-to-business promotions. • Locate a grant writer to help fund organizational projects to improve long-term stability. Seek interns who want to learn business “from the ground up.” • Reach out to new businesses, offer a first year discount on dues, co-operate with other organizations to improve access to students, seniors, retirees and tourists. • Educate our members about how to successfully compete with big box stores. Educate the public on the benefits of healthy small and diverse businesses. The threats we identified relate mostly to perception and can also be addressed through education. We may be perceived as invisible, “anti-growth” or “anti-big business.” We are not a reactionary organization. It is fundamental that our community understands that we are FOR locally owned, independently operated business, and as advocates, will work positively with the other business and legislative organizations to insure our position receives fair consideration. We value community input, so please send your comments to us at info@corvallisiba.org">info@corvallisiba.org. jerryheilman@consbio.org">jerryheilman@consbio.org">jerryheilman, 11:05 AM [link] July Commentary by Jack Wolcott When you take a trip this summer, remember to bring a little bit of it back to share with your community. I don’t mean “gifts” in the physical sense of the term. I am suggesting that while you are visiting other places, you take a somewhat analytic and questioning view of their overall business community. And when you return, share your impressions and suggestions with our business organizations. The Corvallis Independent Business Alliance values our close working relationship with the Downtown Corvallis Association and the new organization formed by the merger of the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership. We each have our unique focus, but we are united in our determination to keep Corvallis unique, prosperous, diverse and healthy. We are constantly seeking community input and researching appropriate solutions that provide a solid foundation for our future. During your visit, ask your friends about the business support for their community, schools and cultural programs. How do they feel about the commitment of the local businesses to serve their customers and invest in the local economy? Are their downtowns vibrant, clean and pleasant to walk around? Do they have unique shops with long-term local owners? Are the shoppers friendly and the clerks helpful and knowledgeable? Or perhaps only widely scattered businesses, located along long strips, with lots of driving and no local character — just national retailers and big box stores? One irony and potential downfall is the fact that those of us who have practically never left the mid-valley really do not have anything to which we can compare Corvallis. We may never have seen a dying downtown, endless strip malls, national retailers and big boxes in every town, etc. We only have the words of those who have moved here to escape another fading town and who are drawn to our quality of life. We don’t have the experience of driving from one town to another and discovering that they seem to be alike, with little diversity or local character to give the town its characteristic flavor and unique identity. It is only natural to be critical of your everyday surroundings if you have no comparative perspective. We need this outlook to avoid following other towns down a path from which we cannot return. Without this insight we face a loss of our local character, the decline in the stability of local financial support for our community and inadequate respect for the future of our children. I am concerned that many of the requests to seek national retailers and the willingness to submit to their requirements originate from Corvallis residents who have never seen what happens to a town that loses its locally owned, independently operated businesses. I realize that when someone is vacationing, everything takes on a special “wonderfulness,” and I certainly do not want to suggest anything that may detract from your vacation. Perhaps these questions are best put to those who have moved here. But I believe that everyone can still be aware enough of the areas they visit to share some insights when they return. There will also be plenty of positive experiences that our business community can learn from, so please come back and share some of your perceptions and feelings so we can keep Corvallis unique and vibrant. jerryheilman@consbio.org">jerryheilman@consbio.org">jerryheilman, 11:02 AM [link]

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