Business Engagement

Community Impact Measurement & Buy Local Marketing

Consumers love local businesses, but independent businesses aren't always connecting with the right audience or telling their local story effectively. We run workshops to educate businesses about their economic impact, teach them about LOCO's Community Impact Assessment, and explain how to use to the #BCBuyLocal campaign platform and materials to promote their stories. We complete the CIA with several businesses, and publish their stories on the #BCBuyLocal website. Working with project sponsors, business groups, other area partners, and the businesses themselves, we choose a month and implement a targeted campaigns with social media and digital advertising to promote both the area and the businesses.  

In 2017, we worked with both the City of North Vancouver, and Envision Financial's Ladner Branch. In 2018 we'll start working with Vancity and Commercial Drive Business Society on a similar project. 

Contact us for more info about working with us.

Many of our projects work to engage independent businesses - to understand their challenges, seek their opinions, identify the best social and environmental practices, and involve them as key stakeholders in the future of their communities.  

On an ongoing basis, we:

• Coordinate an annual survey of independent businesses across B.C. with #BCBuyLocal campaign partners
• Measure the impact of businesses as part of our other projects 

Our other engagement activities include:   

• In 2017 we worked for the City of Vancouver to investigate tools to protect heritage businesses in Vancouver's neighbourhoods, especially Chinatown. We partnered with Heritage Vancouver, Modus Planning, and Youth Collaborative for Chinatown's June Chow. We engaged area businesses, property owners and leasing agents, residents and shoppers to understand which businesses they value in the neighbourhood, help develop a proposed definition of heritage business, and develop heritage business case studies.

• In 2017 we worked for the City of Vancouver to investigate the economic decline in the Punjabi Market area, engaging stakeholders in the future of the area, reviewing the neighbourhood planning and development, assessing the existing retail mix, and collecting data on changes in the vacancy and commercial use over the last decade. We partnered with Modus Planning, DIG360, and Masala Consulting. We engaged area businesses, property owners, residents and shoppers to understand what they value about the neighbourhood, and help develop a vision for the future of the area.

• In 2017 we worked for the Downtown Vancouver BIA to assess the challenges for businesses and property owners on Granville Street, to highlight successful independent businesses located in the area, and to encourage independent businesses to consider locating in available retail spaces to revitalize the neighbourhood. We engaged area businesses, property owners and leasing agents, to understand the benefits and challenges of the area. We developed case studies of successful independents, and independent businesses as potential new tenants on their needs.

• In 2016 we worked with Tetra Tech for Metro Vancouver to help small businesses meet the landfill bans. We researched best practices in small business waste management, identified success factors and developed case studies. We identified practices and tools useful to small businesses, developed case studies, and engaged businesses who had not yet met the bans to deliver onsite assessments, make recommendations and support implementation.