Drink Local First?

September 1, 2016

This blog post is about something near and dear to all of us who work at Impact PR & Communications…coffee. No, not just how much of it we consume in a given day, but how every decision you make when you own a business has a ripple effect.

In our town, the local chamber, Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce, has a saying — and it’s a good one: #ThinkLocalFirst. The call to action is to spend your dollars in the community you live and work in so that it can directly benefit the people right here in Dutchess County. Many business people hang the Chamber’s “Think Local First” sign they get at their grand opening and don’t give it any further thought. I’m asking them to think again.

So, what does this have to do with coffee? Glad you asked. When I first opened Impact a little more than two years ago, there were plenty of decisions to be made – and dollars to be spent. Within the first few months, I hired a local professional photographer to create headshots and a branding expert to help me bring logo ideas and a website to life. Then I ordered business cards. The list goes on. Even from that first moment, before I submitted my Chamber application and made things official, I knew every dime and dollar I spent mattered to another business in my community. Should I get those business cards from Vistaprint or support a fellow entrepreneur I knew from a networking group? Easy call.

At the office, we consume a good deal of coffee (maybe even more than a good deal; we put the “Gilmore Girls” to shame!). We’ve chosen to get our beans from North River Roasters, a Poughkeepsie-based community supported coffee roasting company. Is it the least expensive coffee we can stock? Nope, but it is incredibly good and the business is one that employs people in need of jobs locally – some even trying to better their lives after a tough go. It’s one small sign of what we stand for, but we think every act counts. When deciding where to go for a team lunch (that chain restaurant or a lovely family-owned operation), what art to hang on our walls (the kind from Bed, Bath and Beyond or a piece from a local artist) and yes, even what coffee we’ll chug before our next meeting, I’m proud to say we care, deeply. Here’s to our new movement: #DrinkLocalFirst.

Fun FYI: Feel free to join us at our grand opening bash on Friday, September 9 at noon to celebrate our new, larger office space, located at 2 LaGrange Avenue, Suite 209. The Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce will be there, there will be delicious eats from The Crooked Rooster in Poughkeepsie, and our favorite photog Melissa Surprise of Surprise Photography will be on hand to capture all of the fun times. And yep, you guessed it, we’ll have cold nitro brew from North River Roasters for all to enjoy. See you there!