Press DO 18

Think Globally, Shop Locally

Cooper Plans to Bolster County Commerce with “Shop Suffolk” Campaign

HUNTINGTON, NY---By now, there’s no sector of the economy that hasn’t felt the repercussions of the global recession. In an effort to stem the tide here in Suffolk, the County Legislature yesterday unanimously approved a bill sponsored by Majority Leader Jon Cooper (D-Lloyd Harbor) that will educate shoppers on how to use their purchasing power to bolster the county’s economy by patronizing locally owned businesses.

Numerous studies conducted across the country have shown that money spent locally has a tremendously positive multiplier effect in financially boosting other local businesses. That’s because locally owned businesses are more likely to recirculate consumers’ dollars into payments to other local suppliers. This steers more jobs and sales-tax revenue into local communities. Some of these studies have calculated the multiplier benefits of local businesses to be up to three times those of non-local businesses. Even Mother Nature makes out because locally produced and grown products require less fossil fuels to get transported to consumers.

Cooper’s “Shop Suffolk” legislation directs the county’s Department of Economic Development to work with local business improvement districts and chambers of commerce to establish, implement and advertise the consumer education campaign.

“The recession already has consumers thinking carefully before they spend,” said Cooper. “This education campaign will make them think about how, by supporting local businesses, their purchasing power can have a real positive impact right here in Suffolk County.”

Cooper credits the Huntington Township Business Council for inspiring his plan with their successful “Buy Local” poster campaign, which flooded local shop windows.

"In Huntington, we developed a successful program in which local merchant and Huntington Township stakeholder groups were invited to become involved with a grassroots ‘Buy Local’ campaign,” explained Bob Bontempi, Chairman of the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce and Co-Chair of the Huntington Township Business Council. “The result is a great awareness for the program which has encouraged local consumers to think twice when purchasing.”