‘Go Local’ program moving forward -Speaker to relate experience

With a “Go Local” program gaining momentum here, Jessie Radies, founder of Live Local Alberta, will share her vision of the benefits of shopping local during the grand opening of the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce’s new office here tomorrow.
Radies will speak tomorrow 5 p.m. at the Chamber’s new location, which is above the Northern Lights Credit Union.

Tannis Drysdale, a consultant with the Rainy River Future Development Corp., said Radies has been brought on board as an advisor to help get a “Go Local” program going here.
“Jessie’s background is setting up these programs in both Alberta and other places,” Drysdale noted yesterday.
“I have travelled to Edmonton and looked at their program, and we were quite pleased with the work that they have done there.
She added Radies also will help set up “the right program for our community.”
Drysdale said local businesses and the public will be hearing much more about “Go Local” in the next month. And if the retail community is on board, a customer loyalty rewards program could be in place for the holiday shopping season.
“We are ready to launch, so we’ll begin with the retailers, who we’ve obviously been consulting with over the last two years since we had the presentation at the Northern Networks Trade Conference,” noted Drysdale.
“We have a version of a program that will create ‘Go Local’ dollars,” she explained.
“It works in a similar manner to Air Miles, but instead of sending that money out of our community, this will keep all of that wealth local.”
With this program, customers will use a card every time they make a purchase at a local retailer, accumulating points toward future purchases as a means to reward to customer loyalty.
Local economic development officer Geoff Gillon will meet with the retail community over the next couple of weeks about their participation in a “Go Local” program here.
“Ultimately, whether or not we have a ‘Go Local’ program in Fort Frances is determinate on whether or not the retail community embraces one,” conceded Drysdale.
“[Gillon] will be talking about the ‘Go Local’ rewards program and how that can work, and how co-operative marketing can work with the retail community,” she noted.
If there’s substantial buy-in, a “Go Local” cards program hopefully will be in place by late November or early December, she added.
Drysdale said there is a large number of consumers interested in signing up for the program, and certainly the business community has been cheerleading this right along.
The “Go Local” project is made possible by the RRFDC and the Town of Fort Frances with grant support from NOHFC and FedNor.