FUSEDSM // FROM THE CHAMBER Trish Flaherty-Barnes // CEO, FuseDSM, Your Chamber of Commerce In case you haven’t noticed yet, this issue is built around our buy local initiative, Keep the Cheer Here presented by Window World. In partnership with the Des Moines Downtown Chamber of Commerce and the Des Moines Westside Chamber of Commerce, and our wonderful list of sponsors, we decided to take action in incentivizing the public to spend their dollars in our community. Often, we equate buying local with closing off access to great deals at large chains, or spending more money within our community’s footprint. But in reality, shopping locally can start small with conscious decisions to support a business in your area that is owned by a member of the community. It isn’t purchasing products or services that aren’t competitive, it’s investing in partners within the community who may already offer a specific product or service. At FuseDSM, we encourage our members to network with other members to, whenever possible; partner within our community. We know we are far from the first to recognize that shopping locally benefits our community. There are multiple studies that show buying locally not only improves our community in the way of tax dollars, but also helps us build a local supply chain and fund more local non-profit organizations. Choosing to buy from a local Des Moines source means you are strengthening our local job market, increasing the variety of businesses that are able to serve and survive, and nurturing what makes Des Moines unique.
Thank you to our Sponsors:
So this holiday season, and beyond, let’s all take a conscious effort to #KeepTheCheerHereDSM and continue to show that we are #FusingTheCommunityTogether.
Trish Flaherty-Barnes
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