How Local Businesses Have Come Together During Covid-19
Around this time of year, local businesses are getting ready to kick off Spring sales and menus — one of the best times to eat, drink and explore in Arizona. And well, they’ve hit unprecedented roadblocks, to say the least. But one of the most inspiring things to come of this national pandemic: Arizona businesses coming together to support one another and their community. Competition has been brushed aside, and we’ve seen local businesses join forces and remind us how they’ll always show up for the state they call home — in times of crisis and beyond. Please return the favor if you can, shop local and purchase a gift card for brighter days ahead.
HERE ARE A FEW HIGHLIGHTS:
1. All (Clean) Hands on Deck: Arizona Businesses Making Hand Sanitizer
If it’s been tough for you to get your hands on toilet paper and disinfecting wipes, it’s been doubly so for Arizona’s first responders and healthcare workers. Luckily, local businesses stepped right up to fill the need. From Adventurous Stills (an LFA Green Business program grad!) to O.H.S.O. Brewery & Distillery to Blue Cover Distillery to SanTan Brewing Co., all have provided hundreds of gallons of sanitizing supplies to hospitals across the valley. O.H.S.O delivered them in KEGS and came up with a pretty catchy name — O.H. S. O. Clean. Also, businesses who are in need of cleaning supplies, can turn to our friends at MAC 6 who have partnered with Arizona brand TRUCE All Purpose Cleaner to provide free, environmentally-friendly cleaning supplies to local businesses. Here’s how to get in touch.
2. Goods for Good Partnership: Urban Plough, BrandLoyal and Noble Bread
Local furniture maker Urban Plough has teamed up with Phoenix design firm BrandLoyal and local bakery Noble Bread to create “Goods for Good,” a program with several moving parts designed to counter the negative impacts of COVID-19. At the core of the effort, Urban Plough is working to ramp up production of intubation boxes that protect healthcare workers as they treat critical patients with COVID-19 and send them all over the country. The intubation boxes were designed by Phoenix ER doctor Benjamin Reese (donate at this link), based on an initial design by Dr. Hsien Yung Lai in Taiwan. Part 2: Ready to splurge on a desk for your work-from-home needs? Urban Plough has also developed new desks for individuals who are confined to a home office environment indefinitely. BrandLoyal is providing design services for the group on a pro-bono basis and Noble Bread is utilizing its existing distribution network to get the products out into the community. Each of the desk provides a manufacturing employee with one week of pay and benefits. The volume of sales will allow the initiative to employ people from the hospitality industry who have recently lost their jobs. All goods can be purchased through the new e-commerce web site now live at goodsforgood.co.
3. AZ Market to Door: Shop All Your Favorite Farmers Market Vendors Without Leaving Home
This new service is operated by Phoenix Microgreens and delivers every Friday! They are offering “Stay at Home Local Baskets”, weekly baskets of farmers market bounty, and a la carte selections. Available for pre-order and home delivery. From your weekly bag of coffee beans to a jar of salsa to fresh pasta, check out all the Arizona goods you’d regularly find at your local farmers market online and then right at your door step! If you’re looking for other statewide options to find good food from home, check out GoodFoodFinder.com to see the latest. A few Local First Arizona members to check out on AZ Market to Door: Cartel Coffee, The Fig and The Knife, Perry Land and Cattle, and SEE SALT. If you still prefer the fresh air and stroll, some farmers markets remain open. Stay at a safe distance, preorder and stay supporting Arizona farmers and food producers.
4. Arizona CPAs Here To Help Arizona Businesses Through The SBA Loan Process
We all have proven we can do some incredible things from home, but we are incredibly proud to have the Arizona Society of Certified Public Accountants (ASCPA) offer their support in educating small business owners and nonprofits about the resources available to them during this pandemic. Local First Arizona supporter and ASCPA Life Member Carolyn Sechler (center) facilitated a conversation with other CPA volunteers who will be getting touch with Local First Arizona Members on a weekly basis and walking them through details of applying for disaster help. If you’re curious about other resources available, check out our compiled list: www.localfirstaz.com/covidresources
5. Local Business and Community Support for Local First Arizona Relief Initiatives
There isn’t a lack of relief funds to support right now, so while navigating how Local First Arizona can be best support our small, independent business community, we came up with these three critical efforts — all largely due to businesses that shared their stories with us.
Local First Arizona Small Business Relief Fund: Contribute today and help provide mini-grants to AZ's smallest enterprises: businesses with 0-3 employees whose livelihoods depend on the income they no longer have.
“Sponsor A Business” Program: For $100 you can sponsor a small business and cover access to critical business educational resources through a Local First Arizona business membership. 200 businesses have joined our movement because of this!
Donate to Advocacy: We're a small but mighty team. As the economic landscape of the nation continues to adjust to an unprecedented pandemic, LFA will need to carry the best interests and concerns of small businesses to public officials and government agencies, both locally and nationally.
So many people have been part of our effort to provide real solutions for small businesses, here are few that deserve recognition and your support. It’s a growing list!
SALT RIVER PROJECT, JACK PFISTER SUPPORT FUND, ARIZONA CARDINALS, PHOENIX IDA AND THE PHOENIX COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & INVESTMENT CORPORATION, ARIZONA COCKTAIL WEEKEND, ICONIC COCKTAIL CO., KIKI BULLINGTON, MARY WILLIAMS AND THOMAS WILLIAMS.
And all of you. Thank you for standing with Arizona small businesses. #LocalFirstAZ
We're so excited to introduce 3️⃣ ways to help support small businesses in AZ:
— Local First Arizona (@LocalFirstAZ) March 27, 2020
🤝Sponsor a Business
📣Donate to Advocacy
❤️Donate to the LFA Small Business Relief Fund: mini-grants benefiting our smallest enterprises (0-3 employees) https://t.co/egKBi9rDcF