Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2008
In an effort to attract more community members and benefit from a nationally recognized program, a Wheaton business group has changed its name from the Wheaton Small Business Alliance to Local First Wheaton.
After about five months with the old name, members decided Jan. 10 that Local First Wheaton was not only more direct, but would attract the participation of consumers as well as businesses.
Manuel Hidalgo, executive director of the Latino Economic Development Corp., has worked with business owners to form the group since August. He said he and others wanted the name to focus on local businesses and residents, but also be visible nationally. Some variation of the Think Local First Campaign is used in business alliances as close as Washington, D.C., and as far away as Portland, Ore.
‘‘Yes, it’s locally based,” Hidalgo said. ‘‘But at the same time, it is important for people to realize that we’re part of the national network, and that we’ve received great advice and mentoring as part of the national network.”
Local First Wheaton has already met with members and leadership from the D.C. Area Local Business Alliance, which has already changed its name to Local First D.C.
The idea behind the Think Local First Campaign is aimed to get small businesses to buy from other locally owned and operated businesses rather than large manufacturers elsewhere.
Hidalgo said he and others wanted to make sure the group had a unique focus on local businesses, while being ‘‘part of something big.”
Business owners and area residents also said they were happy with the new name.
‘‘The name Local First Wheaton resonated more for me, as a consumer, than the Wheaton Small Business Alliance,” said Holly Olson, a Silver Spring resident and former chairwoman of the Wheaton Redevelopment Advisory Committee.
‘‘It’s something that is definitely needed in Wheaton,” Olson said about the business association. ‘‘The business community has been fragmented for a long time.”
Marian Fryer, a longtime Wheaton resident and business owner, said the new name was a good first step and the association would help create a unified voice for the business community that would lend to better results when the area is redeveloped.
Freddy Real, the owner of Caramelo Bakery on Georgia Avenue in Wheaton, has been involved in the merchants’ association since its inception and said he was happy when the change was made during January’s meeting.
‘‘It creates more of a bond with the Local First of Washington, D.C.,” Real said. ‘‘It gives you more support of two organizations looking forward for a common goal.”
Hidalgo said he hopes a new logo for the association will help it become more well-known. The logo includes the word Wheaton spelled with characters from the Korean, Urdu, Amharic, Spanish and Hebrew languages, representing the diversity of Wheaton, Hidalgo said.
