Hi everyone,
We appreciate all the patient questions about when we would be getting started. Well, we're ready. NA First! is now officially incorporated, a temporary board of directors is in place and we're ready to get to work for the locally-owned, independent busiensses of New Albany!
To that effect, we invite you to come down to the River City Winery this Thursday evening, April 28th, anytime between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. to meet with myself or members of the board of directors to get more information about what we plan to do and to let us get to know you and answer any questions you might have regarding New Albany First!
The temporary board of directors, put together by volunteers until an election can be held, are as follows:
Kate Caufield - President
Marcey Wisman - Vice President
Cisa Berry - Secretary/Treasurer
Tommy Kaiser
Melissa Anderson
Stacie Bale
You'll find attached to this email a membership application. If you plan on attending, just bring out your completed application with you and a check or cash for whatever level of membership you choose to join at. Here's a breakdown of the levels :
Supporting Business Memberships - $300 or $500 - At the $300 level, you will receive a listing and free ad in our printed "Think Local New Albany!" guide plust listing and ad on our upcoming website along with a vote on any issue brought to the membership. The $500 level gives you those benefits plus sponsorship of all NA First! events throughout the year.
Business Membership - $15 per full-time employee (or full-time equivalents) with a $75 minimum and a maximum of $150. You will receive a listing in the printed Think Local New Albany! guide and listing on the website plus a vote on any issue brought to the membership.
Friends of New Albany First! - $50 per year - This is a membership created for fellow non-profits or businesses that do not meet the requirements of a locally-owned, independent business. Friends will be listed in alphabetical order in a special category on the website and printed guide.
Individual/Family Memberships - $25/yr for an individual and $40/yr for a family. You will be listed in a seperate category on the website and the Think Local guide.
If you cannot attend, but would still like to meet with one of us before signing up, just shoot me an email here and we'll set something up!
There are a couple of misconceptions about New Albany First! that I've been hearing over the last couple of months that I want to clear up.
First, NA First! is an independent business alliance, not a marketing campaign. Our main focus will be educating and creating awareness among the public of the benefits of shopping and using locally-owned, independent businesses.
Second, NA First! is not "aligned" with any other organizations. We are being housed in the offices of the Urban Enterprise Association and I have been receiving assistance from the Director of the UEA, Mike Ladd, in getting all the necessary paperwork together. NA First!, however, is a grass-roots campaign that encompasses all locally-owned, independent businesses in the entire city of New Albany. We very much look forward to working with other organizations to accomplish what should be everyone's ultimate goal...to make New Albany the very best it can be. That can only be achieved by working together...
Thanks to everyone that have been showing an interest in what we're trying to do here. It's an exciting time for us and we hope to see many of you come out Thursday evening at the River City Winery anytime between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., have a glass of wine and dinner and talk with one of us about how NA First! might help your business and how you might be able to help us!
Thanks,
Andy Terrell
Director, New Albany First!
Monday, April 25, 2011
NA First! Info session/membership drive this Thursday at River City Winery.
Needless to say, NABC will be coming on board at the $500 level. Now, let's turn it over to Andy Terrell for the details.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Trying to understand this NA First organization. We heard the organization is being run by Roger Baylor and Randy Smith in an attempt to drive their City Council pursuits.
You gotta love it. Someone trying to do something good to help empower the local business community is immediately confronted with false accusations from anonymous cowards.
Susan, welcome to a place where ideas matter. One of these ideas is responsibility. Scroll down to the right, and you'll see rules of engagement, which include disclosure.
But I gladly will answer your question:
What you've "heard" is not true.
While NABC intends to be an enthusiastic member of this independent small business alliance, I am not on its board, and have actively eschewed a leadership role.
NA First is the only such organization in memory to be dedicated to locally owned, independent small business from the grassroots up, not the top down.
Both Jeff Gahan and I served on a steering committee to help get the NA First ball rolling, but we were both made redundant when it incorporated, and we were no longer on the steering committee by the time the campaign began.
I hope this answers your question. If you intend to comment here, please follow the rules of engagement.
Thanks
You gotta love it. Someone trying to do something good to help empower the local business community is immediately confronted with false accusations from anonymous cowards.
Sadly, it comes from all directions, which tends to reinforce my belief that it's the right thing to do.
It continues to disappoint that some are so threatened by public engagement and organization that they feel the need to fuel unfounded rumors and undermine genuine grassroots efforts because they can't personally control them. Personal fiefdoms are the long-standing problem, not the solution.
Like you, though, I find it all the more reason to engage a broader spectrum of thinking/working/investing people rather than rely on narrow paternalism and personal insecurities as "leadership".
I'm not a business owner myself, but I'm excited to see local businesses take up their own cause, elect their own leadership, and work together. There's a lot of "local" information to share and doing so is a healthy start toward the self-sufficiency and resiliency the city will need to thrive in a long-term, sustainable way.
Roger could help a little old lady across the street and some would criticize him for furthering his council pursuits.
Post a Comment