A group of local independent business owners and residents, concerned about Mariposa County's economy, community, and future, are bringing in Jeff Milchen, a national expert on local economies and community development, to give a presentation and hold a workshop on how an Independent Business Alliance (IBA) could benefit and enhance Mariposa County.

The event is free and open to everyone and will be held Monday, Nov. 2, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Mariposa United Methodist Church Parish Hall, 4991 Sixth Street in Mariposa. Community organizations, government officials, and business owners are encouraged to attend. Local, independent businesses will be providing coffee and snacks.

“With the general plan complete and the board starting to direct the future development of our county, now is the perfect time for us to start defining ourselves as a community,” said local business owner Brenda Ostrom.

According to event organizers, Milchen is a leading advocate for community-based businesses. His presentation will illustrate the importance of sustaining a strong base of local, independently-owned businesses, including success stories of programs developed to support such businesses and keep them thriving in the face of numerous challenges, from tough economic times to unfair competition by chains and online businesses.

“Independent businesses are struggling for survival across the country,” said Milchen. “But through collaborative efforts and the active involvement of citizens and local organizations, communities have proven that harmful trends can be stopped and home-grown businesses still can prosper.”

Milchen co-founded and directed the first Independent Business Alliance (IBA) over a decade ago in Boulder, Colorado. The flood of inquiries and requests for help generated by its success resulted in Milchen co-founding the American Independent Business Alliance (AmIBA) to help communities start successful IBAs of their own, create a network for collaboration among them, and begin building momentum for national shifts toward stronger local communities and economies.

“The IBA model is a proven tool of effective and sustainable community and economic development that enhances community culture, strengthens economies, and promotes tourism,” said lead organizer Scott Menzies, who is helping Mariposa bookstore owner Gary Colliver put on the event.

Menzies, who recently returned to the town of his father's roots to live in and restore their old family home, helped start the successful Humboldt County Independent Business Alliance (www.humiba.org). Milchen matched him with Colliver.

To support independent businesses, IBAs use a threepronged approach: the creation of public information campaigns about the benefits of doing business locally; the organization of collaborative purchasing, marketing and media campaigns among business members; and the creation of a visible public presence for independent business owners as a whole.

“Independent business owners' interests are often sacrificed in favor of more politically powerful entities,” said Menzies. “IBAs offer an uncompromising voice for independent businesses in the form of a community organization that is inclusive of owners, residents, and other community organizations.”

According to organizers, an ever-increasing pool of studies, including Menzies' own master's thesis, is showing definitively the broad-spectrum benefits of independent businesses to communities and economies.

“Dollars spent at independent businesses recirculate several times in the community,” said Colliver. “This 'multiplier effect' is a critical, but often overlooked factor in creating community prosperity, and is key to the long-term economic vitality of communities like ours.”

“By creating a stronger bond between independent businesses and the community, we can begin to design strategies to keep local dollars here and plug leakages like the flow of food stamps out of county,” said Menzies.

“The right combination of strategies will strengthen our local economy, while preserving and enhancing a local culture attractive to tourism.”

“IBA's help make it clear that not just consumers and business owners, but participants in an ongoing community development process where our everyday choices shape the very future of our community,” he added.

To learn more or get involved in the Mariposa County Independent Business Alliance, call Menzies at 530- 410-3333 or Colliver at 742- 7323.