the pdf - Local First Arizona Foundation

LOCAL FIRST ARIZONA
ANNUAL REPORT
2015
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ABOUT LOCAL FIRST ARIZONA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
WHO WE ARE
Local First Arizona is a nonprofit organization that celebrates independent, locally owned
businesses. We support, promote and advocate for a strong local business community and
raise public awareness of the economic and cultural benefits provided by strong local
economies. Local businesses contribute to a sustainable economy for Arizona and build
vibrant communities we're all proud to call home.
OUR BUSINESS COALITION’S MISSION
Local First Arizona promotes, supports and celebrates a vibrant and sustainable Arizona
economy by educating citizens about local business ownership, social equity, cultural
diversity, environmental kinship and collaboration.
OUR FOUNDATION’S MISSION
Local First Arizona Foundation is a statewide organization focused on community and
economic development in order to build self-sufficient, healthy, and prosperous
communities. The Foundation is the 501c3 nonprofit sister organization to Local First
Arizona and together, we are creating a movement that has proven results across a wide
variety of measurables including youth retention, job creation and economic gains.
OUR VISION
An Arizona economy that is sustainable, resilient and celebratory of diverse cultures.
4 2015: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR
6 A NOTE FROM OUR DIRECTOR
8 OUR BUSINESS COALITION
CONNECTION & COLLABORATION
10 BUSINESS COALITION
12 LOCALIST PROGRAM
13 SAVOR SOUTHERN ARIZONA
14 DEVOUR PHOENIX
16 CERTIFIED LOCAL FALL FESTIVAL
EDUCATION
18 BUSINESSES
20 CONSUMERS
23 SUSTAINABILITY
ADVOCACY & OUTREACH
25 DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS
26 MEDIA, OUTREACH & SPEAKING
27 KEY PARTNERSHIPS
THANK YOU
28 TO OUR SUSTAINING MEMBERS
30 OUR FOUNDATION
32 FUERZA LOCAL BUSINESS ACCELERATOR
34 AZ RURAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
37 HEALTHY LOCAL FOODS INITIATIVES
THANK YOU
39 TO OUR KEY FUNDERS & DONORS
40 BEHIND THE SCENES
41 AWARDS & MILESTONES
42 VOLUNTEERS & INTERNS
44 LOCAL FIRST ARIZONA STAFF
46 OUR BOARD MEMBERS
47 TAKE ACTION
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LOCALIST EVENTS
UNIQUELY CURATED FOR AN
AUTHENTICALLY ARIZONA
EXPERIENCE
2,740
BUSINESS MEMBERS
UP 4.5% FROM 2014
131,000
FOLLOWERS
ACROSS
ALL SOCIAL
MEDIA
PLATFORMS
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STATEWIDE STAFF
17,000
NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIBERS
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BOARD
MEMBERS
400
VOLUNTEERS
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A NOTE FROM OUR DIRECTOR
As we face incredibly challenging social issues such as inequality, economic hardship, and depleted
resources across the United States, Local First Arizona is leading the nation in innovative
conversations about building community wealth. A surprising and hopeful outlook is awakening
thanks in part to our work, which has been addressing these issues over the past twelve years with a
diverse array of programs and initiatives. The Local First Arizona Foundation, the sister organization to
Local First Arizona, has implemented robust strategies to build better and more inclusive economies,
including increasing access to healthy food, entrepreneurial training in under-served communities, and
rural economic development. All together, we are helping Arizonans to build prosperity for themselves
and each other, creating a resilient Arizona we are proud to call home.
The outcomes of our work over the last year are outlined in this 2015 Annual Impact Report. I hope you
enjoy reading about our many successes, and I’d like to highlight a few of them which have developed
far beyond our optimistic goals. After another year of incredible growth, the Local First Arizona and
Foundation teams now include 22 staff members with offices in Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff and
Cottonwood. Additionally, our Boards of Directors have grown to include 28 community leaders from
the state and our Rural Advisory Board represents all 15 counties. I am incredibly thankful for their
innovative and engaging leadership across a broad spectrum of new programs. We are positioned now
more than ever to tackle local economy issues in every community across Arizona.
Our Healthy Local Foods initiatives grew tremendously this year. We re-launched the Good Food Finder
AZ website, which has already registered over 700 statewide local food producers, and our foods
focused newsletter The Locavore has garnered over 2,300 subscribers in its first year of
production. Both growers and connoisseurs of healthy local foods alike are using our resources
regularly, making Local First Arizona the key hub of information exchange we set out to be. We also
hosted several significant food events, including the Farmer+Chef Connection, the Food and Farm
Finance Forum, Savor Southern Arizona, and the award-winning Devoured Culinary Classic. These
events seek to create a healthy local food system in Arizona that is at once educational, economically
practical, accessible, and fun. Moving forward, our objective will be to ensure that our food initiatives
are diverse and inclusive of all Arizonans, many of whom struggle each day to access any food, much
less healthy food. In 2016 we are planning several strategies to address some of these challenges and
have outstanding partners committed to help us reach our goals.
2015 IN REVIEW
The Fuerza Local Business Accelerator Program, under the umbrella of the Local First Arizona
Foundation, aims to develop more entrepreneurs in under-served, Spanish-preferred communities. To
date, there are 44 graduates of the program who have reached incredible milestones including 27
first time checking accounts, 56 new jobs created, and $875,000 in new business generated since
the program launched two years ago. In 2016 we will increase the size of the Fuerza Local Business
Accelerator Program to double the number of micro-entrepreneurs we reach annually.
As in past years, Local First Arizona works at the local level, but is always fully engaged in the national
conversation around building strong local economies. I was fortunate this year to speak at the
International Economic Development Conference in Anchorage, Alaska, as well as the Rooting
Opportunity: Doing Economic Development Differently Conference in Washington, D.C. Both events
hosted a diverse array of professionals and luminaries in the community wealth building movement,
positioning Local First Arizona as a national leader in this area. To build on this reputation, we were
honored to host an international conference in Phoenix this year focused on local wealth and
community-building solutions for the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). Over 600
people from across the globe descended on downtown Phoenix to experience Arizona through our eyes
and witness the work that Local First Arizona has been able to accomplish. To showcase successful
programs across the state, we took conference attendees on tours of urban food production farms and
facilities, our incredible downtown Phoenix small business community, the urban laboratory Arcosanti
and the thriving, rural Old Town Cottonwood that is home to Arizona’s best wine tasting rooms.
This is only a snapshot of the tremendous year that Local First Arizona had in 2015. I encourage you to
spend some time paging through this Annual Impact Report to understand the full scope of our
community pride and wealth building initiatives. Special thanks to our nearly 2,800 business coalition
members, 1,000 individual Localist members, 85 sustaining and legacy members, and countless
donors and supporters, all of whom work every day to build a better Arizona and contribute so much to
advancing our mission. Arizona is stronger because of you.
Locally Yours,
Kimber Lanning
Founder & Director, Local First Arizona
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OUR
BUSINESS
COALITION
business development
& placemaking
In this section learn more
about Local First Arizona’s
initiatives, signature events
and programs that are all
centered around making
Arizona a better place by
supporting locally owned
businesses and building
vibrant communities that
residents are proud to call
HOME.
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2015 BUSINESS MEMBERSHIP BY THE NUMBERS
“Getting involved with Local First
Arizona has been beneficial to
Noble Beast in so many ways:
we've made the news through
media referrals, learned how to
reach out to customers, and met
wonderful colleagues...”
- Marsha Vallee & Alison Chandler
Owners, Noble Beast
Total Southern Arizona Members:
Total Northern Arizona Members:
Total Fuerza Local Members:
TOTAL MEMBERS OVERALL:
501
203
85
2,740
TOP 10 MEMBERSHIP CATEGORIES
Food & Dining
Business Services
Shopping & Retail
OUR COALITION
CONNECTION & COLLABORATION | BUSINESSES
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP & FUERZA LOCAL | localfirstaz.com/join
At Local First Arizona, our primary goal is to make Arizona a better place by supporting
locally owned businesses and building vibrant communities that residents are proud to call
home. One of the main ways we work to achieve this goal is direct support of local
businesses through our local business coalition. Now at more than 2,700 members strong,
the coalition offers members a forum to come together and collaborate on common goals,
a platform to promote themselves to a wider audience, and a variety of opportunities and
programs to gain important skills and resources to better operate their businesses.
Entertainment/Arts
Agriculture/Food Production
Communications/Media
Not For Profit
Home & Garden
Construction/Repairs
Health/Medicine
Within Local First Arizona’s business coalition is Fuerza Local, an initiative aimed at bringing
the Buy Local message to Spanish-speaking communities. The Latino business community
is a significant factor in the health of Arizona’s overall economy, and it is important to
engage this vital group in the conversation about supporting local businesses and keeping
our dollars in Arizona’s local economy. Fuerza Local holds regular membership events to
connect Spanish-speaking business owners in the community.
Local First Arizona hosted over 50 networking events for LFA business coalition members
across the state. One of our primary goals is fostering collaboration among local
businesses, and our mixers offer a great way for owners and representatives of local
businesses to connect with one another. Once these individuals connect and form
relationships, they are more likely to do business with one another, keeping more dollars
circulating in the local economy.
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OUR COALITION
CONNECTION & COLLABORATION | LOCALIST
LOCALIST MEMBERSHIP | localfirstaz.com/localist
The Localist program is Local First Arizona’s individual membership program, a way for
individuals to hold a stake in the Buy Local movement and have fun while supporting local
businesses. Throughout the year, Local First Arizona curates exclusive events, experiences,
and opportunities for Localists to connect with each other and the community, in turn
spurring economic activity with local businesses across the state.
By connecting Localist members to other individuals and local businesses in their
communities, they will experience a more defined sense of place. An extensive Knight
Foundation study titled "Soul of the Community' demonstrated that a strong connection to
place was the main indicator of prosperity in a communities across the country. The
Localist program works to create prosperity throughout Arizona by inspiring individuals to be
proud to call Arizona home, to put down roots here, and to increase their civic engagement in
building their community. Great places are built by people who love their place.
“I believe in supporting the local
economy, and I would like to see
more local businesses succeed.
Plus, I love the social aspect of it
too. As a Localist I’m always
meeting new people and trying
new things!”
-Lora Dalbo, Localist
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UNIQUE
LOCALIST
EXPERIENCES
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“There is no doubt that our Cibo
Localist event turned out to be the
event of the year for us...the localists
who participated in our "wine tasting
through Italy" event were the perfect
crowd, smart, fun, curious and
passionate about their local community.”
-Michael Krassner, Cibo
PROGRAM EXPANDS INTO
FLAGSTAFF
FOR STATEWIDE REACH
INITIATIVE
OUR COALITION
CONNECTION & COLLABORATION | SAVOR
SAVOR SOUTHERN AZ FOOD + WINE FESTIVAL | saaca.org/savor
Savor Southern Arizona Food + Wine Festival is the region's premier annual culinary event.
Restaurant and vendor participation nearly doubled from the previous year, featuring over 75
local restaurants, food purveyors, wineries, breweries and exhibitors. The success of Savor
marks Southern Arizona's growth as a culinary arts destination which will promote local and
national tourism as well as cultivate community pride. Savor also helps to keep more dollars
circulating in the local food and dining economy by introducing consumers to local
restaurants they may not otherwise know about.
This year’s highlights:
» Over 1,000 attendees
» 91% of ticket holder survey respondents said they would attend the event again
» Over 75 food and beverage participants
“Whether you are a foodie, a
wine or brew enthusiast, a
devotee of desert gardening, a
would-be philanthropist, Savor
Food & Wine Festival offers the
perfect opportunity to savor the
distinctive flavors of Southern
Arizona.”
-Lori Nannini, Arizona Daily Star
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DEVOURED WEEK | devouredphoenix.com
Devoured Culinary Classic
The Devoured Culinary Classic, founded on the idea that food
can bring people together, is the region’s premier annual
culinary event that has grown into a week-long celebration.
This 6th annual event showcased the state’s fine food and
drink producers while furthering metro Phoenix as a dining
destination worthy of international prestige. The Devoured
Culinary Classic is an amazing opportunity to shine the
spotlight on the culinary curators and purveyors who support
the Arizona food, beverage and restaurant industries.
Attendees had the chance to partake in innovative culinary
demonstrations, meet top chefs and restaurateurs as well as
taste an enormous array of culinary excellence from the
region’s best chefs, restaurants, local food artisans, brewers,
and vintners.
OUR COALITION
CONNECTION & COLLABORATION | DEVOUR PHOENIX
DEVOUR PHOENIX | devourphoenix.com
Restaurants are the heart and soul of every great city. Devour Phoenix is Local First Arizona’s
city-wide coalition of select, independent restaurants that work together to maintain a forum
for sharing ideas, purchasing power, and marketing dollars to advance Phoenix as a world
class dining destination with a robust local food economy. Devour Phoenix shares
resources to strengthen and grow restaurants in Phoenix, and manages and hosts events
such as the Devoured Culinary Classic and fun, educational, food-oriented events like
dessert socials and brewery tours that strengthen business and build awareness of our top
tiered chefs and dining establishments. Additionally, Devour Phoenix identifies and
encourages the use of local agriculture, artisans, and distributors as a means for
increasing sustainability in the region.
Devour Phoenix is a team of great chefs and restaurateurs working together, under the
Local First umbrella, to build a sense of place and provide a unique identity for Phoenix that
increases hometown pride, drives tourism dollars, and strengthens our state's overall food
system.
DEVOUR PHOENIX GIFT CARD | devourphoenix.instagift.com
Devour Phoenix’s eGift Card is redeemable at 35 locations of Phoenix’s best local
restaurants. It is a quick, easy, and affordable solution for individuals or businesses looking
for a unique gift idea for any occasion. The cards are easy to order online in any
denomination ranging from $10 – $100, and can be printed or emailed as gifts. An
alternative to standard gift cards to big box retailers, the Devour Phoenix eGift Card offers
consumers an alternative that keeps dollars in the local economy but gives gift card
recipients an option for where to spend their gift, all while supporting the local restaurant
culture and the local economy.
Total Devour Phoenix Gift Card Sales in 2015:
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$23,980
The Devoured Culinary Classic highlights the culinary talent
here in Arizona and helps drive local and national tourism,
contributing to Arizona’s claim as a food and dining
destination. In 2015 the event sold out for the third
consecutive year and was named a finalist in the Arizona
Restaurant Association’s Foodist Awards as well as crowned
the 2015 Best Culinary Festival by the Phoenix New TImes.
Devoured Bartending Competition
To celebrate Phoenix’s cocktail culture, “Startenders” from
eight Devour Phoenix restaurants armed themselves with
locally distilled spirits from Arizona Distilling Company at the
Crescent Ballroom for a mix-off of epic proportions. This
year’s event saw the highest attendance yet, drawing 528
attendees to enjoy nine locally-inspired craft cocktails from
some of the best local restaurants and bars in the Phoenix
Metro area. The big win this year went to Citizen Public
House’s Brandon Casey, with his moonshine cocktail, the
“Springtime Shine.”
A ‘Toward Zero Waste’ plan implemented during the event
diverted 200 gallons of recyclables from the landfill.
DEVOUR PHOENIX
MEMBERS
Barrio Cafe
Barrio Urbano
Beckett’s Table
Binkley’s Restaurant Group
Bliss/reBAR
The Breadfruit & Rum Bar
Café at the Downtown
Phoenix Public Market
Cibo
Cocina 10 at Crescent Ballroom
Corduroy
Crudo
Federal Pizza
FEZ
The Gladly
green Vegetarian
Hana Japanese Eatery
Hula’s Modern Tiki
Humble Pie
Joyride Taco House
Okra Cookhouse & Cocktails
Otro Cafe
Parlor Pizzeria
Phoenix City Grille
Pizza People Pub
Postino WineCafe
Rollover Doughnuts
Short Leash Hot Dogs
Sierra Bonita Grill
Southern Rail
St. Francis
Switch Restaurant & Wine Bar
Tammie Coe Cakes
Urban Beans Cafe & Bar
Tuck Shop
The Larder + The Delta
The Vig
Vovomeena
Windsor/Churn
Palette to Palate
To add to the culinary excitement, Local First Arizona added
another event to the Devoured Culinary Classic week
celebration. Palette to Palate is an event that blends the
visual arts and culinary arts by pairing chefs and painters to
nterpret each other’s work for a show that is at once unique
and insightful into the worlds of the two artists. This year’s
Palette to Palate featured five artists paired with five chefs
and offered attendees an intimate culinary experience.
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2015 BY THE NUMBERS
• 100+ local vendors
consisting of restaurants, food trucks, retailers, services and non-profits
• 26 breweries, wineries, and distilleries in the Hensley Beverage Garden
• 500 free gift bags given away
• 141 donated items from Local First AZ members for the raffle
• 148 donated items from Local First AZ members for the silent auction
• 55 new & renewing Localist memberships sold
• 442 pounds of compostable waste diverted away from the landfill
• Nearly 1,100 pounds of recyclable material diverted away from the landfill
WHAT DOES AN EVENT THIS SIZE TAKE TO IMPLEMENT?
OUR COALITION
CONNECTION & COLLABORATION | FALL FESTIVAL
CERTIFIED LOCAL FALL FESTIVAL | localfirstaz.com/fall-festival
Our 11th Annual Certified Local Fall Festival was the biggest yet with an expanded beverage
garden, many vendors, and an estimated 12,000 attendees. Families enjoyed various
activities brought by local business vendors, including face painting, a bounce house, lawn
games, a musical instrument petting zoo, and much more. The event brought the
community out to connect with each other and with local business owners from around the
state.
Studies show that when citizens feel more connected to their community, home, and place,
those communities see higher incidents of civic engagement and social philanthropy.
Furthermore, a recent Knight Foundation study which shows “connection to place” as the
single-most leading indicator in places that have prosperity. The Certified Local Fall Festival
is one way Local First Arizona is helping Arizonans feel more connected to this state and
inspiring them to be proud to call Arizona home.
• A passionate Local First Arizona team
• 121 Local First Arizona volunteers dedicating over 425 hours of service
• 37 generous title, community, activity and media sponsors
• A supportive community that is proud to call Arizona home
"An amazing Fall Festival! Layout
was perfect, great crowd, and the
businesses all took such pride in
being there. Nice work! I’m honored
to be a part of it."
- David Tyda, Phoenix Pizza Festival
LFA Member and 2015 Participant
"Of all events I've ever been a part of, the
2015 Fall Festival was the most organized,
well-planned one I have attended. I had
access to everything I needed and knew
where everything was including ice, cups,
and supplies. I feel as though I am a part of
a community and larger movement."
- Sam Pillsbury, Pillsbury Wine Comany
LFA Member and 2015 Participant
This year Local First Arizona was able to implement a ‘Toward Zero Waste’ plan which
diverted a total of 58% of all waste from the landfill. LFA recycled 1,100 pounds of material
with the City of Phoenix and 442 pounds of food and paper waste with composting partners,
Recycled City.
Total estimated
number of attendees:
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12,000
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5
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Local First Arizona’s Source AZ program looks at the
purchasing power of locally owned businesses and anchor
institutions with a goal of getting these businesses to switch
their purchasing from national to local companies.
Encouraging all local businesses to make this switch halts
economic leakage and keeps more dollars circulating in the
local economy, ultimately benefiting the surrounding community.
L
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SOURCE AZ | helene@localfirstaz.com
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Tucson’s Downtown Clifton Hotel
OUR COALITION
EDUCATION | BUSINESSES
EZBZ | localfirstaz.com/myezbz
Local First Arizona partnered with EZBZ to
create an online sub-marketplace where
users can create inquiries and send them
directly to businesses that carry the Local
First Arizona badge in real time. Need a
locksmith? Find the closest one with one
outgoing notice, which immediately reaches
all locksmiths in the database. The joint
venture combines EZBZ’s innovative
marketplace and bidding technology with
Local First Arizona’s local power to reach Arizona-based businesses that promote
responsible and sustainable business practices. EZBZ enables consumers to hire
contractors and service providers and purchase goods based on shared values rather than
Google rankings. This partnership is just another way that LFA is working to connect
consumers to Arizona’s local businesses.
LFA worked directly with Tucson’s Downtown Clifton Hotel to source local products for the in-room
minibars in the new downtown boutique hotel. We obtained samples of over 30 local products, several
of which were eventually purchased for the hotel. We hosted a food product “tasting” with the Downtown
Clifton owners that was covered by Tucson Foodie. In addition to creating a business relationship for
several local food producers, the project received highly positive press attention. The project was
presented to the Southern Arizona Concierge Network and Visit Tucson partners as a case study for how
to incorporate local products into the hotel experience. Several of the food products chosen were
prominently displayed at the hotel’s Grand Opening party on March 28, 2015.
SEMINARS, WEBINARS & WORKSHOPS | bit.ly/LFABizMemberEvents
Local First Arizona hosted nine seminars and online webinars for LFA business coalition
members. These classes offer technical assistance and important information to give local
businesses a better chance at competing in the marketplace. Many local businesses are
disadvantaged by having to compete on an uneven playing field, so equipping local
businesses with all the tools and resources helps them stay in business and keep dollars
circulating in the local economy. Course topics offered in 2015 included marketing, branding,
legal affairs, business planning, productivity and time management, storytelling, and others.
B CORPORATIONS | localfirstaz.com/qia
Local First Arizona continued to partner with B Corporation in 2015. B Corps are for-profit
companies certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and
environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. In January, new legislation
allowed Arizona businesses to incorporate as benefit corporations, and Local First Arizona
worked to educate businesses about this new option on how to structure their companies.
This year’s highlights:
» Held the first B AZ mixer, attended by almost 40 business owners interested in becoming B Corps
» Continued the Quick Impact Assessment - 95 businesses have taken the assessment
» Launched the Local Impact Champions series to highlight business coalition members that are going
above and beyond in operating their business with social responsibility in mind.
» LFA staff attended the inaugural Measure What Matters Summit organized by B Corporation in Portland
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NATIONAL INDEPENDENTS WEEK | localfirstaz.com/independents-week
Every year during the week of Independence Day, Local First Arizona celebrates national
Independents Week, which is a weeklong campaign to spread the Buy Local message and
lend support to local, independent businesses across the state.
To encourage spending in locally owned businesses, Local First Arizona offered a 20% off
Golden Coupon and hosted a series of local events across the state. Participants
downloaded coupons from our website or picked them up at a variety of locations and used
them at over 250 participating businesses. LFA distributed 20,000 printed Golden Coupons
across the state and received nearly 30,000 visits to our Independents Week webpage that
week.
Participants spent over $40,000 shopping at Local First Arizona member businesses
including toy stores, restaurants, music stores, jewelry stores, plumbers, salons, yoga and
massage studios, printers, candy companies, boutiques, pet stores, sporting goods stores,
coworking spaces, and more. Those dollars re-circulate up to four more times in the local
economy when local businesses in turn hires other locals to do business with, a
phenomenon called the multiplier effect.
OUR COALITION
EDUCATION | CONSUMERS
SMALL WONDERS MAPS | localfirstaz.com/small-wonders
Local First Arizona's Small Wonders maps are pocket-sized guides for different
neighborhoods and cities across Arizona. Each map features locally owned restaurants,
retailers, hotels, and entertainment in an expertly designed guide that locals and visitors
alike enjoy using as a resource to find the best local businesses in their area.
In addition to connecting people to local businesses, the Small Wonders maps also serve as
a place-making tool by showcasing the unique character of that area. These maps help
define the sense of place in a community based on the clusters of local businesses and
types of events offered in each area. The Small Wonders maps foster community pride and
help keep dollars circulating in the local economy.
In 2015, thanks to all of the participating businesses, patrons, organizations, and 30 media
partners, Local First Arizona drove people into local businesses and injected cash into the
local economy during the long hot summer months.
2015 HIGHLIGHTS
Over $40,000 spent with participating businesses
Over 300 radio PSAs aired, 20 earned press stories, and support from 30 media partners
30,000 hits on Independents Week site
In 2015, LFA produced four new editions of Small Wonders maps for Scottsdale, Tempe,
Tucson, and the Verde Valley. We also continued distribution of already-printed Small
Wonders maps for Mesa, Gilbert, Phoenix-Central and Phoenix-Arcadia. Maps were
distributed to convention and visitors bureaus, tourism offices, hotel concierges, Phoenix
Sky Harbor International Airport, realty offices, local businesses, and at the hundreds of
events we attended throughout the year.
Number of new Small Wonders Maps printed in 2015:
200,000
SMALL WONDERS MAPS RELEASED IN 2015
Tucson Small Wonders Map | Volume 3
Verde Valley Small Wonders Map | Volume 3
Tempe Small Wonders Map | Volume 3
Scottsdale Small Wonders Map | Volume 3
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“Independents Week is a great way to bring the local
businesses together and help bring the local community out
of their homes during the hot summer months!” - Frances Boutique
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BUY LOCAL MONTH | localfirstaz.com/buy-local
Americans spend more than $600 billion annually during the holiday season, offering Local
First Arizona a great opportunity to redirect many of those dollars into the locally owned
businesses in our economy. We do this with our month-long campaign Buy Local Month
beginning on Black Friday and concluding on Christmas Eve. During this time we engage in
a variety of advocacy and promotional opportunities to remind holiday shoppers to support
local businesses for their holiday needs. We promote holiday craft fairs with local vendors,
collect offers and opportunities from hundreds of our business members, plan events to get
Arizonans in the doors of local businesses, and encourage shoppers to utilize our online
local business directory for gift ideas. Our main goal is to operate as a resource for
Arizonans to find local businesses for the holidays, which boosts investment in the local
economy and further promote economic development.
We also hosted some events of our own to encourage local holiday shopping. In Tucson, we
partnered with the Tucson Museum of Art and the 30th annual Holiday Artisans Market to
kick off Buy Local Month with Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild. The event featured more
than 100 juried artisans of finely crafted pottery, glass, jewelry, textiles, fine art, and gift
items, and offered a great way for consumers to keep their holiday spending in the local
economy. In Flagstaff, we held the Flagstaff Shopping Passport contest, where consumers
could shop at a combination of 21 participating businesses for the chance to win prize
packages and gift cards. The campaign received entries from nearly 100 holiday shoppers
that spent over $30,000 in these locally owned businesses, pumping more money into the
Flagstaff economy. For this year’s Holiday Shopping Road Trip, we brought a busload of
Phoenicians to downtown Flagstaff to enjoy some unique, local shopping in Arizona’s winter
wonderland.
Additionally we distributed thousands of our popular hand-stamped “Gifted Locally” gift tags
so that consumers could let their loved ones know that their holiday gifts were purchased
from a local business or created by a local artisan. This year, businesses could also
purchase their own stamp kits and sets of gift tags to hand out to their customers and clients.
ECONOMIC IMPACT DURING BUY LOCAL MONTH
Downtown Tucson Gift Card Sales
$12,100
Devour Phoenix Gift Card Sales
$14,750
Passport Sales from Retailers
$30,000
OUR COALITION
EDUCATION | SUSTAINABILITY
Encouraging environmental sustainability is important to Local First Arizona’s mission to
create resilient communities. This year, LFA took a larger step towards embracing
environmental sustainability throughout all major events as well as creating resources and
providing information to business coalition members who were interested in implementing
sustainability practices.
BUSINESS SUSTAINABILITY | bit.ly/LFABizRecyclingResources
Every year, Americans create 251 million tons of trash, and 164 million tons ends up in
landfills. To encourage sustainable behavior throughout LFA's business coalition, Local First
Arizona worked closely with several local businesses to decrease their waste and help them
incorporate sustainability initiatives, including Short Leash Hot Dogs, Amici Catering, and
Historic Brewing. LFA found that recycling is an easy first step for businesses to increase
their sustainability impact, as recycling reduces the amount of waste in landfills, saves
energy, reduces pollution, conserves natural resources and helps create new jobs. To
encourage business coalition members to recycle, LFA held an informational session
regarding “recycling in the workplace” in partnership with Keep Phoenix Beautiful, as well as
created an extensive resource list for recycling by city across the state of Arizona.
INFLUENCING POLICY
Local First Arizona attended the American Sustainable Business Council's conference in
Washington, D.C. which gathers business and policy leaders from across the country to
discuss how legislation is affecting businesses. A major takeaway from this conference was
that local businesses have an important voice and elected officials must hear from them.
LFA also went to Congress’ Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship with a
group of leaders interested in advancing policies, where LFA relayed the stories of business
coalition members who are making a positive impact in their community by local sourcing,
giving back, creating quality jobs and incorporating environmentally sustainable behavior.
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SUSTAINABILITY AT LOCAL FIRST ARIZONA
In the last year, Local First Arizona diverted over 9,000 pounds from the landfill for several of
LFA's major events including the BALLE Conference, Devour Phoenix Bartending Competition,
Arizona Rural Policy Forum, and Certified Local Fall Festival. The LFA office recycles, has
installed a refillable water station and started composting. We donate reusable goods to
thrift stores and resource centers.
2015 HIGHLIGHTS
Meetings with Infusionsoft, Joe’s Real BBQ,
Short Leash, Tucson Clean & Beautiful,
Cortez Coffee, Phoenix Public Market,
Upward Projects, Technicians for
Sustainability, Accurate Signs
Guided tour of City of Phoenix Materials
Recovery Facility
Tabling & outreach at Sustival, Earth Day at
the DBG, Earth Day at Glendale Community
College, Earth Day at Estrella Mountain
Community College, Earth Day at Phoenix
Renews
Guided tour of Orchard Learning Center &
Recycled City’s compost facility
Held a summer Recycling Info session
with Keep Phoenix Beautiful
Can collection with Short Leash
Cork collection with Upward Projects
(over 20 pounds in 1 month)
OUR COALITION
ADVOCACY & OUTREACH
Every day, we work to share the Buy Local message with as many people as possible. We
utilize a variety of strategies and avenues to spread this message to every corner of Arizona.
While we have a very robust online presence, we still value the many one-on-one
conversations that we have with individuals at public events and forums. In 2015, we saw
an incredible surge in our social media following across all of our platforms, growth in our
newsletter subscriber lists, and continued high levels of readership on our news blog. We
also partnered with many different organizations and traveled the state to speak to diverse
audiences about the importance of supporting Arizona businesses.
MAIN WEBSITE
Implemented ‘Towards Zero Waste’ plan
at BALLE 2015 Conference diverting 1,320
pounds of compostable waste from landfill
Average Monthly Unique Visits - 26,000
Managed four Sustainability Interns
(two per semester) who assisted in research
and implementation of special projects
Average Session Duration - 2:29
Average Monthly Page Views - 70,000
Average hits per month on local business directory - 50,000
SOCIAL MEDIA
131,000+ social media followers across all platforms
NEWSLETTERS
17,000 unique subscribers for 13 newsletters
BLOG
10,000+ average monthly blog readers
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MEDIA
Local First Arizona continues to build relationships among local and national media outlets
to spread the Buy Local message to as wide an audience as possible. In 2015, LFA accrued
600 features, mentions, and public service announcements on print, online, television, and
radio media outlets.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH
Local First Arizona partnered, sponsored, or participated in more than 80 community events
across the state, from street festivals to farmers markets, conferences to culinary events.
These events allow us to talk one-on-one with individuals about the importance of
supporting local businesses. These types of interactions have a strong impact and give LFA
the opportunity to build a coalition of strong supporters and advocates throughout Arizona.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Public speaking engagements have been extremely effective for Local First Arizona to
spread the Buy Local message across Arizona. These events gather people from all sectors
of the community and allow Local First Arizona uninterrupted access to a wide variety of
audiences. LFA staff was invited to speak to over 75 groups and audiences in 2015.
PARTNERSHIPS
For local businesses, collaboration with one another is a key component to a successful and
thriving business and economy. We take this idea to heart by frequently partnering with
other organizations across the state to advocate on behalf of supporting local businesses.
2015 KEY PARTNERSHIPS
Tucson:
» Collaborated with Visit Tucson and City of Tucson to make 7,000 Small Wonders maps available at
Gem Show visitor’s welcome stations - LFA staff also volunteered as “downtown docents” handing maps
out at gem show transit stations and making local business recommendations
» Partnered with the Downtown Tucson Merchants Association to launch the Downtown Tucson Gift
Card, one gift card for 70+ local downtown businesses
Phoenix Metro:
» Worked with Valley Metro to promote businesses along light rail construction areas in Phoenix and Mesa
» LFA was a key participant along with the Franciscan Renewal Center, Sierra Club, Citizens' Climate
Lobby, Arizona Interfaith Power and Light, City of Phoenix, ASU and other environmental organizations to
produce the event: Act on Climate Change Arizona: Our Moral Obligation
» Collaborated with Keep Phoenix Beautiful to offer a recycling information session to LFA business
coalition members
» Partnered with Univision to feature 24 Fuerza Local Business Accelerator graduates on evening news
during Buy Local Month 'Compra Local!'
Flagstaff:
» Worked with the Downtown Flagstaff Business Alliance to co-produce events to bring consumers into
local businesses like Shop, Rock & Roll
» Brought on local media partners like Friends of Community Radio Stations to highlight local businesses
in the community
Verde Valley:
TRAVELS
As a leader in the national Localist movement, Local First Arizona is regularly invited to
speak at and participate in national gatherings across the country.
» LFA staff sits on the boards of the Verde Valley Arts Council, the Old Town Cottonwood Association, the
Verde Valley Agriculture Coalition, and the Yavapai County Food Planning Committee
» Each of these organizations works to build vibrant communities and local economies throughout the
Verde Valley through their work in the arts, event planning, and access to healthy local foods
National Speaking Engagements Include:
» International Economic Development Conference in Anchorage, Alaska
» Partners for Rural America Conference in Virginia
» Wealthworks Conference in Washington, D.C
National Conferences Attended:
» B Corporation’s Measure What Matters Summit in Portland, Oregon
» American Sustainable Business Council’s Conference in Washington, D.C.; also visited with the U.S.
Senate Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee
» Young Nonprofit Professionals National Conference in Little Rock, Arkansas
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SUSTAINING
OUR COALITION
THANK YOU SUSTAINING MEMBERS
Local First Arizona’s Legacy Members, Community Partners, and Sustaining Members
invest generously in our organization to build strong local economies across Arizona and
create communities we’re proud to call home. These amazing Arizona companies invest in
Local First Arizona, because together we can create a prosperous and resilient Arizona for
generations to come. We are incredibly thankful to each and every one and we're proud to
stand with them to build a better Arizona.
LOCAL LEGACY
COMMUNITY PARTNER
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OUR
FOUNDATION
arizona rural development council
healthy local foods
& fuerza local business accelerator
In this section, you will learn
more about LFA's sister
organization, the Local
First Arizona Foundation,
which focuses on community
and economic development
throughout the state in
order to build self-reliant,
healthy and
prosperous communities.
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OUR FOUNDATION
FUERZA LOCAL
BUSINESS ACCELERATOR PROGRAM | localfirstazfoundation.com
The Fuerza Local Business Accelerator Program is a six-month business education program
designed to teach Spanish-preferred micro-business owners important basics for
successfully growing their business. Participants attend a series of classes on a variety of
topics including marketing, business planning, customer service, and more. Participants
also learn the importance of financial management by participating in an eMoneyPool, which
is then matched by a scholarship from the Local First Arizona Foundation. Each student
also has the opportunity to access credit at fair market rates by opening a line of credit at
Arizona-based MariSol Federal Credit Union. With a certificate of completion from the
program, they have the opportunity to apply for a line of credit at fair market rates with
Marisol Federal Credit Union in lieu of any credit history.
LFAF launched the Fuerza Local Business Accelerator Program in 2013 because we
discovered there is a need among underserved microentrepreneurs to learn basic best
practices for operating a business. By helping these businesses acquire the tools and
resources needed to thrive on their own, we have empowered these businesses to support
themselves and their families, while building a stronger and more vibrant community with
more opportunity for all.
2015 Outcomes
THANK YOU TO OUR
2015 PROGRAM SPONSORS
KEYS SUCCESSES SINCE THE
ACCELERATOR HAS LAUNCHED
Alliance Bank
APS
Arizona Community Action Association
Arizona Community Foundation
Blue Cross Blue Shield of AZ
Desert Schools Federal Credit Union
Marisol Federal Credit Union
Phoenix IDA
Phoenix CDIC
» 44 Fuerza Local Business Accelerator graduates
» 21 new websites
» 26 formed an LLC while in the program
(42 total businesses now have LLCs)
» 36 new social media pages with 15,824 fans
» 25 first-time checking accounts
» 3 first-time loans approved
» 59 new jobs created
» Estimated new revenue generated post-graduation
$876,450
“This is one of the best
programs, an unforgettable
experience. My favorite part
was getting mentorship from
the best trainers and I
learned so much.”
- Braim Villela
Los Clamatos de Tito
“This has been a great
experience for my business.
My questions are always
answered and I have grown
so much professionally and
personally.”
- Juan Amaya
J & J Amaya General Services
2015 BY THE NUMBERS
» Number of graduates from the Fuerza Local Business Accelerator Program: 44
» Number of new jobs created from participating businesses after graduating program: 59
» 5 participants have reported receiving an award or recognition by an organization of their industry
» 25 participants opened a checking account for the first time while in the program
» 17 participants reported appearing on radio or television following the program
2015 Highlights
» 2 graduates received media coverage in Phoenix Magazine as “Best Restaurants” in Phoenix,
Colados Coffee and La 15 y Salsa
» Gelatin Nation, LLC and Manualidades Rosalba, LLC went from simply creating home made crafts to
officially creating products and selling for the first time
» 8 out of 12 participants in Cohort 5 became newly registered businesses with the State of Arizona
» 12 business professionals were brought in to teach the accelerator classes
» The program established collaborative partnerships with GoDaddy, Univision, Chicanos Por La Causa
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WORKSHOPS & RURAL COMMUNITY PROFILES
In order to give local businesses the tools they need to be competitive, the Local First
Arizona Foundation conducts workshop and outreach initiatives for rural communities
across the state focused on a variety of topics, including food entrepreneurship, marketing
and communications, business best practices, branding strategies and more.
Ajo
Held in the fall in beautiful and historic Ajo, key players representing the food system from all over Arizona
educated over 40 attendees on everything from organic agriculture implementation to farmers market 101
and small business best practices to incorporating youth into farming and gardening programs.
Superior
LFAF is working currently on a business retention and expansion plan for Superior and has facilitated a
number of community workshops and dozens of key stakeholder interviews in order to deliver a plan in
March 2016 that will outline strategies for reducing economic leakage and building economic opportunity
for residents of Superior.
OUR FOUNDATION
ARIZONA RURAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
Local First Arizona Foundation is the Rural Development Council for the state of Arizona,
which hosts the annual Rural Policy Forum. The Rural Development Council works to create
new models of community and economic development that tie together small businesses,
historic downtown main streets, tourism strategies, and community planning. The Rural
Advisory Board consists of representatives from all 15 counties that work to develop quality
topics and a diverse array of speakers for the Rural Policy Forum each year.
RURAL POLICY FORUM | azrdc.org/2016-rural-policy-forum
The Annual Arizona Rural Policy Forum offers a venue for connecting rural economic
development professionals, nonprofits, community leaders, business owners, and other
rural stakeholders who are interested in sustaining rural communities. This year’s 9th
Annual Arizona Rural Policy Forum convened 225 representatives from every Arizona
county to participate in two and a half days of workshops, speakers, breakout sessions,
tours and more. Over 50 speakers from Arizona and 3 national leaders in rural economic
development joined us in Clarkdale to share successes and best practices.
Safford
LFAF is helping Safford with its economic development strategy and that, in part, includes becoming a
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) community. In partnership with the Sci-Tech Festival,
LFAF developed Science Happens Here, which is a game for kids grade 3 through 8 that includes
collecting trading cards with science experiments on them. The kids then visit the locally owned
businesses to collect the cards, each of which contains one example of science relating to that business.
For example, the bakery has the science of yeast, the cafe has the science of caffeine, the clothing store
has the science of dyes, and so on. There are 12 cards to collect and a new website with fun prizes for the
kids who conduct the science experiments. The goal here is twofold: to help kids start to think about all the
science that really happens in the world and to get excited about simple experiments; and to get the local
business community more involved with STEM education.
Greenlee County
LFAF is working with members of Greenlee County's Tourism Council to develop a plan to bring new
visitors to the region to create economic opportunities. Tourism in Greenlee will bring increased
awareness and new dollars into the region.
Clarkdale
LFAF worked with the Downtown Prescott Business Alliance to bring together 30+ Prescott businesses for
a workshop on How to Pitch the Media. The group was encouraged to think like a team to drive tourism,
and media expert Tony Felice of TFPR shared inside perspective on the stories that gain traction.
Arizona’s rural communities tend to be somewhat remote and can feel isolated from each
other, so the Rural Policy Forum brings those communities together to discuss similar issues
that each community faces. Rural Policy Forum attendees work collectively to find solutions
and celebrate successes that are driving development and prosperity in rural areas.
Becoming more sustainable:
» A ‘Toward Zero Waste’ plan was implemented and 77.5 lbs of waste was diverted from landfills
“The Rural Policy Forum provides a venue for democratic deliberation,
information gathering, and resource gathering for rural communities
across the state of Arizona that don’t really have access to this kind
of information.”
-Alexandria Wright, Yavapai College
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Prescott
LFAF worked with the Downtown Prescott Business Alliance to bring together 30+ Prescott businesses for
a workshop on How to Pitch the Media. The group was encouraged to think like a team to drive tourism,
and media expert Tony Felice of TFPR shared inside perspective on the stories that gain traction.
Rural Community Profiles
LFAF is working on community profiles and videos that highlight the unique destinations we have in rural
communities statewide.
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WEEKENDZONA | localfirstaz.com/weekendzona
Our WeekendZona initiative curates one-of-a-kind excursions to different parts of Arizona to
showcase the great towns and culture that this state has to offer. Encouraging tourism
within Arizona’s borders to rural areas keeps those tourism dollars circulating in the
statewide economy and supporting local jobs, as well as celebrates those specific
communities’ sense of place.
Sonoita & Patagonia Trip
26 people traveled with us to Sonoita and Patagonia for a wine weekend getaway that included tours of
Callaghan Vineyards and Dos Cabezas Wine Works where attendees learned first hand how to splice
varietals and maneuver grape crushing equipment as well as witnessed the bottling process. These
semi-curated getaways offer educational, behind-the-scenes looks into leading industries across the state,
while offering plenty of time to relax and have a look around.
OUR FOUNDATION
HEALTHY LOCAL FOODS INITIATIVES
Drink Local WeekendZona Sweepstakes
Local First Arizona has partnered with Hensley Beverage Company to launch a “Drink Local” campaign
and sweepstakes that will be featured in more than 200 grocery stores across Arizona. Participants can
enter to win one of several staycation packages to rural Arizona towns including Bisbee, Pinetop-Lakeside,
and Cottonwood. The campaign will promote these communities as tourism destinations and encourage
tourism within Arizona’s borders.
ARIZONA RURAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL | LEADERSHIP
The Arizona Rural Development Council is led by an Advisory Council, which consists of one
person from each county plus one Mayor.
2015 ADVISORY COUNCIL
Julie Brooks, Chamber Director, Wickenburg
Evelyn Casuga, Central Arizona College, Casa Grande
Karalea Cox, Common Sense Facilitation, Eagar
Levi Esquerra, NAU Tribal Economic Development
David Gomez, Greenlee County Supervisor
Victor Gonzalez, Sahuarita School District
Jestin Johnson, City Manager, Bisbee
Gary Kellogg (Chair), CEO, Partnership for Economic Development, Lake Havasu
Linda O’Dell, Superintendent of Schools, Globe-Miami
Casey Rooney, Economic Development Director, City of Cottonwood
Danny Smith, Graham County Supervisor
Doug Von Gausig, Mayor of Clarkdale
Paul Watson, Navajo County Director of Economic Development
Kevin Wilkins, Economic Development Administrator, Yuma
DL Wilson, La Paz County Supervisor
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Food is at the center of our daily lives, and agriculture and food production are major driving
forces in the state's economy. Supporting Arizona food entrepreneurs, farmers, ranchers, and
others in the local food industry is an important part of our mission in fostering food-based
community economic development and expanding access to affordable, fresh and local
foods in both urban and rural areas. Our portfolio of foods initiatives demonstrates the
connection between food, health, community and the environment, as well as fosters new
opportunities for Arizona farmers, ranchers and food artisans.
GOOD FOOD FINDER AZ | goodfoodfinderaz.com
In 2015, the Local First Arizona Foundation launched an improved version of Good Food
Finder AZ. Now featuring over 700 individual listings of where to find good food, Good Food
Finder is Arizona’s most comprehensive online directory of local food.
This year’s improvements:
» Uses GPS to pinpoint exact location and narrow search to as close as within a five mile radius
» Business owners can now take control of their own listings and make updates themselves
» Sales outlets for local food now have a home on GFF. Farmers markets, CSAs, food hubs and restaurants
that practice local sourcing can all now be listed
» The site’s design has been completely reconfigured, and it is now much faster, visually appealing and
better organized
» New content and tools have been added to the Resource pages
“I am so excited and thankful to be
discovering a good food movement
in my own Arizona backyard.
THANK YOU!”
-Robyn Landis
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FOOD & FARM FINANCE FORUM | localfirstazfoundation.com
This year’s Food & Farm Finance Forum was held in historic Clarkdale in the Verde Valley.
132 farmers and producers, chefs and other local food buyers, economic development
entities, local food system advocates, and students convened for two days to change the
way our desert state feeds itself. This year’s focus was on marketing and outreach, food
aggregation and distribution, and access to capital and business development with an
overall emphasis on building food hubs and collaboration.
2015 Outcomes
» 100% of forum attendees reported gaining valuable networking and coalition building opportunities
» Arizona food producers and entrepreneurs connected with organizations that are specifically interested
in funding sustainable food enterprises
“When we change the conversation
around local food to one that shows
the real cost is not included in most
foods, we can begin to see the
benefits of eating locally and
sustainably.”
-Anthony Flaccavento
Rural SCALE Inc., Keynote Speaker
FARMER + CHEF CONNECTION | localfirstazfoundation.com
In 2015, Local First Arizona Foundation took full ownership of the Arizona Farmer+Chef
Connection, an annual event with the mission of building wholesale business relationships
between food producers and buyers. The Farmer+Chef Connection has grown from being
an intimate event to one that reached over 400 attendees of all kinds this year. Just over
50% of attendees were represented by buyers looking to set up direct wholesale purchase
accounts with Arizona’s food producers. Additionally, buyers who attended this year
depicted a wide array of those looking to procure closer to home, ranging from locallyowned restaurants like Mama’s Hawaiian Bar-B-Cue to large-scale purchasers such as
Costco, Fry’s, Aramark and Panda Express.
OUR FOUNDATION
THANK YOU TO OUR FUNDERS & DONORS
Our supporters and funders are the ultimate Localists. By generously investing in our
programs and initiatives, they are putting their money to work building an Arizona that we're
all proud to call home. We would like to send a heartfelt thank you to each organization and
individual that contributed to our mission in 2015.
OUR KEY FUNDERS
PHOENIX
CDIC
SHAPING POLICY
Local First Arizona staff participate in food policy groups across the state to network with
other food system advocates and local policy officials in order to affect change to increase
access to healthy local foods in our community.
2015 Participation:
» Maricopa County Food System Coalition
» City of Tucson Commission for Food Security,
Heritage and Economics
» Yavapai Food Policy Council
» Flagstaff Food Link
» Arizona School Garden Network
» Arizona Farm to School Advisory Council
» Arizona Hunger Leadership Council
» University of Arizona Center for Regional Food Studies
» Arizona Young Farmers Coalition
» Healthy Local Food System Working Group
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OUR INVESTORS CIRCLE FOUNDING MEMBERS
Tammy McLeod & John Hamilton • Jon & Leatrice Kitchell • Angie Harmon • John & Meg Smeck
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BEHIND THE
SCENES
awards & milestones
ambassadors of local first arizona
staff & board members
BEHIND THE SCENES
AWARDS & MILESTONES
Local First Arizona is incredibly appreciative for the recognition we received in 2015. These
awards not only serve as acknowledgement for our work advocating on behalf of local
businesses, but are a testament to the important role our work plays in the overall success
of Arizona’s local economy. We share these awards with everyone who has joined us over
the last year and beyond to create a strong and vibrant future for Arizona.
LFA Foundation was recognized a Local Hero
by Edible Phoenix
Devoured Culinary Classic was a named finalist
for Best Culinary Festival by the Foodist Awards
2015 has brought both our
coalition and foundation
amazing growth, awards
and milestones.
The Local First Arizona team
recognizes that none of
this work is possible without
the incredible and continued
support from our
diverse volunteers,
statewide personnel and
experienced board members.
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LFA Foundation named 1 of 116 organizations to watch
by Food Tank: The Food Think Tank
Society of Chairs Award (Economic Development)
awarded to Kimber Lanning by National Bank of Arizona
Kimber Lanning named one of 50 Legendary Leaders in Arizona
by the Phoenix Business Journal
2015 MILESTONES
• LFA surpassed 20 employees statewide
• LFA Foundation relaunches Good Food Finder AZ
• LFA Foundation won a record number of grants in 2015: $300,000 in total from:
Freeport McMoRan Foundation, Yelp Foundation, Steele Foundation, Phoenix
Community Development Investment Corporation, City of Phoenix, Marley
Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
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INTERNSHIPS | internmatch.com/company/local-first-arizona
In 2015 we continued to expand our internship program to all of our statewide offices.
Interns were placed in a variety of departments and positions focusing on expanding
LFA’s capacity in those areas, including communications, healthy local foods initiatives,
sustainability, volunteer and events management, Fuerza Local, and general office tasks.
In total, LFA interns contributed 2,175 hours of work in 2015. Interns came from Arizona
State University, Northern Arizona University, the University of Arizona, and Pima
Community College.
Thanks to all of our 2015 interns: Celeste Allen, Jose Urteaga, Kayla Bellman, Julie Carmody,
Lore Contreras, Lisa Denny, Jessica Estrada, Colin Favre, Kendra Grahmlich, Gabe Hamilton,
Cole Lanning, Cassie Lubenow, Love Mariposa, Natalie Olson, Alexandra Pohl, Sarah Schenck,
Loran Shamis, Alexis Sherman, Alexa Salas and Jake Swanson.
BEHIND THE SCENES
AMBASSADORS OF LOCAL FIRST ARIZONA
ALFAS | localfirstaz.com/news/lfa-volunteer-opportunity
Local First Arizona's volunteers mobilize local communities across the state on behalf of
LFA's mission to spread the Buy Local message to as wide an audience as possible. Our
volunteers, known as Ambassadors of Local First Arizona (or “ALFAs”), contributed
hundreds of hours in 2015 to support LFA events, assist with office tasks, write guest blog
posts, and much more. This support has greatly allowed LFA to further expand many
programs and initiatives over the past year, thus allowing us to better serve Arizona's
independent businesses and communities across the state.
2015 MILESTONES
• The ALFA volunteer program reaches the 2-year mark
• Launched an official ALFA volunteer program for Northern Arizona
THIS YEAR’S ALFA STATS
405 ALFAS
SERVED
1834 HOURS
VALUED AT
$41,166
ALFAs volunteered at Local First Arizona and Local First Arizona Foundation
events like the the Devoured Culinary Classic, the Rural Policy Forum, Farmer + Chef
Connection, the Certified Local Fall Festival and the National BALLE Conference
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2175 Intern Hours for a total value of: $48,829
ALFA TESTIMONIAL
“We love all the events
that Local First Arizona
hosts and love helping
make them a success.
Not to mention that
volunteering with LFA
builds overall community
between volunteers,
businesses and the
community.”
-Andrew Vogeney, ALFA
INTERN TESTIMONIAL
"I am so grateful to have
the opportunity to work
with and learn from such
an inspiring group of
passionate individuals!
I feel empowered and
purposeful as a Localist,
and am proud of the work
I can contribute to this
movement.”
-Colin Favre, Intern
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LFA STAFF | localfirstaz.com/about/team
In 2015, the Local First Arizona team grew tremendously by adding 5 part time and 4 full
time staff positions for a total of 16 full time and 6 part time staff. The Local First Arizona
Foundation welcomed Rebecca Pringle as its Development Director, and Rachel Morningstar
came on full time as the Local Foods Development Coordinator. The Tucson office grew this
year by bringing on CJ Agbannawag as the Tucson Membership Coordinator, and Connor
Descheemaker joined the Phoenix office as the Outreach Coordinator. With the success of
Fuerza Local, the team has expanded to 3 with Tim Castro as the Fuerza Local Liaison,
Edgar Olivio as the Fuerza Local Business Accelerator Program Director, and Elaman
Rodriguez as the Fuerza Local Events Coordinator. Local FIrst Arizona also brought on
Celeste Allen and Jose Urteaga as part time support staff for the Phoenix office.
Additionally, LFA welcomed new staff to fill three open positions, including Cara Corbin as
the Northern Arizona Director, Natalie Morris as the Food Systems Community Liaison, and
Marianne Belardi as the Devour Phoenix Liaison.
BEHIND THE SCENES
With exponential growth year after year, Local First Arizona has been able to expand its
programming and better serve Arizona communities across the state. We look forward to
continued growth and success in the coming years.
METRO PHOENIX
SOUTHERN & NORTHERN ARIZONA
Kimber Lanning
Founder &
Executive Director
Helene Tack
Program
Development Director
Thomas Barr
Director of Member
Engagement & Operations
Rebecca Pringle
Development
Director
Chrisal Valencia
Creative
Marketing Director
Erika Mitnik-White
Southern
Arizona Director
Local Foods
Development Coordinator
Natalie Morris
Food Systems
Community Liaison
Jenny Strickland
Melanie Puskar
Marianne Belardi
Jose Urteaga
Communications
Director
Kendall Crever
Community
Outreach Coordinator
Rachel Morningstar
Celesete Allen
Connor Descheemaker
Erica Pederson
CJ Agbannawag
Tucson
Membership Coordinator
Outreach
Coordinator
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Distribution
Coordinator
Devour Phoenix
Liaison
Kelsey Melvin
Northern Arizona Community
Outreach Coordinator
FUERZA LOCAL
Localist
Program Coordinator
Tim Castro
Communications
Coordinator
Cara Corbin
Northern
Arizona Director
Fuerza Local
Liaison
Edgar Olivo
Fuerza Local Business
Accelerator Program Director
Elaman Rodriguez
Fuerza Local
Events Coordinator
Membership Outreach
Assistant
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LOCAL FIRST ARIZONA BOARD MEMBERS
BUSINESS COALITION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Samuel Richard, Board Chair
Executive Director
Protecting Arizona’s Family Coalition
Tony Motola, Board Vice Chair
Stakeholder Affairs Manager
Valley Metro
Mario Aniles, Board Treasurer
Finance Director
Housing Authority of Maricopa County
Tony Felice, Board Secretary
Tony Felice PR and Marketing
Lauren Bailey
Founding Partner
Upward Projects
James Christensen
President/CEO
Gateway Bank
Marion Donaldson
Development Director
Arizona School for the Arts
Bobbie Fox
Associate General Counsel & Assistant VP
Copperpoint Mutual Insurance Company
Jim Mapstead
President/CEO
Accurate Signs
Rick McCartney
President/CEO
InMedia
Albert Santana
Public Transit Light Rail Project Manager
City of Phoenix
Catherine Scrivano
Financial Planner & Registered Principal
Casco Financial
Jen Yee
Assistant Executive Director
Arizona State Fair
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Want to become part of the local movement?
FOUNDATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Take action with these 10 ways to help build a state we are proud to call home:
Angie Harmon, Board Chair
Social Investment Manager
Freeport-McMoRan Foundation
1
Become a Local First Business Member. Join the largest local business coalition in North
America! Connect with thousands of business owners who have taken the pledge to build
a better Arizona.
Dr. Jonathan Koppell, Board Vice-chair
Dean, College of Public Service
& Community Solutions, ASU
2
Become an Individual Localist Member. Declare yourself a Localist & join the growing group
of individuals who want to support local businesses and have fun along the way. As a
Localist, you’ll gain access to exclusively curated events, specials & opportunities in AZ.
3
Buy Local! One of the simplest things you can do to support LFA is use our online business
directory to shop with local businesses & to tell them you're there because they're local.
Keep your money where your home is & think “Local First!”
4
Contribute to the Local First Arizona Foundation. Every dollar you contribute to the Local
First Arizona Foundation will support vital programs that are working to create prosperity
for all of Arizona. Make your gift at localfirstazfoundation.org.
5
Sign up to volunteer. Become an Ambassador of Local First Arizona (ALFA) & help
further our mission. You’ll support our events & initiatives, as well as help spread the
word about the importance of supporting local businesses. Customize a schedule for you!
6
Follow Local First Arizona on social media. Get information on local events, important calls
to action, fun information, photos, videos & much more. Follow us @LocalFirstAZ on
Twitter and Instagram and Local First Arizona on Facebook.
7
Sign up for e-newsletter updates. Choose from 13 different newsletters to fit your interests
ranging from local foods and dining to business resources and/or fun local events in your
area. Sign up at localfirstaz.com.
8
Tell Your Friends. Talk to your friends and family about Local First Arizona & let them know
how they can help support our mission. Make sure they understand that they vote every
day with their dollars for the kind of community they want to live in.
9
Gift like a Localist. If you need a gift for a birthday, holiday, or special occasion - consider a
gift from Local First Arizona! A Devour Phoenix Gift Card, a Downtown Tucson Gift Card, a
Localist membership or our Localist t-shirts & swag are great gift ideas for any Arizonan.
Tammy McLeod, Board Treasurer
Vice President, Energy Resource Office
Arizona Public Service (APS)
Jeffrey Brodin, Board Secretary
Principal
Brodin HR Law
Manny Cairo
Partner
Law Offices of Snell & Wilmer
Levi Esquerra
Director, Rural Policy Institute
Program Director, Center for American
Indian Economic Development
Elizabeth Gerlach
Brand Manager
Quench Fine Wines
A Division of Hensley Beverage
Isabelle Jazo
Vice President of Brand Strategy
Lane Terralever
Gary Kellogg
President/CEO
Partnership for Economic Development,
Lake Havasu City
Will Mandeville
Director of Development
The Nature Conservancy, AZ Chapter
Deanna Salazar
Senior Vice President and General Council
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona
10
Be a Proud Arizonan. Take ownership of your home and declare your local pride for being
an Arizonan. Tag us on social media when you Buy Local, be engaged in your community,
or tell your friends about why you’re proud to be an Arizonan.
Margaret Smeck
Marketing & Communications Consultant
Keisha Tatem
State Conservationist
USDA, Natural Resources
Conservation Service, Arizona
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Want to learn more? Contact us!
WWW.LOCALFIRSTAZFOUNDATION.ORG
WWW.LOCALFIRSTAZ.COM
PHOENIX
[email protected]
602.956.0909
SOUTHERN AZ
[email protected]
520.628.2724
NORTHERN AZ
[email protected]
602.956.0909 ext. 4
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