Greenleaf Painters is in its 10th year of operating as a successful, local and independent business. Serving the community around us is our thing. When local businesses gathered together to create the Independent Business Alliance (IBA) last year— part of the Princeton Regional Chamber of Commerce—we got super excited!
IBA is part of a larger, national movement to “Shop Local.”
Why does shopping local matter? Check this out from IBA’s website:
—For every $100 spent, a locally-owned independent business generates $68 in local economic activity.
—Each dollar you spend at independent businesses returns three times more money to your local economy than one spent on the Internet.
—If the people of an average American city were to shift 10% of their spending to local, independent businesses, it would bring an additional $235 million per year to the community’s economy.
Wow!
Greenleaf’s roots are in the West Windsor / Princeton Junction community, where owner Jonathan Shenk lives with his wife and son. Word of mouth by people we’ve done work for in the region (and online) has been the fuel for our growth. This summer, we have been able to employ 20 people, including our managers and local craftsmen. All of these employees are local and participate in the local economy.
In addition, we give business to painting suppliers locally, as well as other contractors in the area. These are also employers and participants in the local economy. So you see how it can work!
As a member of IBA, we have had the pleasure of getting to know many Independent business owners. We work directly with some and simply commend others because of their values and work ethic. A handful of these include:
— Rees Powell Custom Floors, owned by Rees Powell http://www.reescustomfloors.com
— Real Possibilities, owned by Rose Fisher, http://www.real-possibilities.com
— Asenka Interactive, owned by Brian Hasenkamp, www.asenka.com
—StimulusBrand, owned by Tom McManimon, http://www.stimulusbrand.com
—A Stitch Ahead, Frank Mangee http://astitchaheadinc.com
—Allegra Printing, Maurice Galimidi http://allegraprinceton.com
—Madani Interiors, Linda Madani http://www.madaniinteriors.com
Shenk has been on the Ambassador committee of the Princeton Chamber of Commerce since 2013 and is now on the IBA Regional Planning Committee which organizes events. Shenk’s participation in the Chamber has helped to increase awareness of our presence in the community and thus accelerate our growth. We have a lot of faith that the IBA will contribute to this kind of growth for others–and by extension the entire region.
Shout out to Local Businesses!
If you are a local business and are interested in joining in, the next IBA event will be “10 Best Practices for Growing Your Business,” held September 25, 7:30 AM TO 9:30 AM, with Jeff Dorman of JDA International Leadership. Visit http://www.princetonchamber.org/iba/ for details and registration.
