I’ve long been involved with advocacy for local business. From the local City Hall to the office of the US President, I’ve worked to express the interests of local business in governmental policy work. On the local front, this can be lonely work. I often told my IBA members that policy advocacy often involves sitting through a lot of very boring meetings where nothing much happens. But if you’re not in those meetings, you lack understanding of the nuances, players and views. You also aren’t there when something finally happens. Local advocacy taught me the value of our collective voice. We accomplished so much more with the strength of a thousand voices behind us. 

The Local Business Institute has a voice too—your voice—and we want to represent you well on the national stage. This is why we are thrilled to have been voted a Partner at Small Business Rising.