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SALT LAKE CITY -- We're all well aware of "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday," and now Gov. Gary Herbert has declared Nov. 27 as "Small Business Saturday" in Utah, to encourage consumers to shop at Utah's homegrown businesses.
You probably won't see a huge crowd waiting for the doors to open at a small business. Usually, the large national chain stores have doorbuster deals at the beginning of the holiday season. But if something less stressful is more to your liking, then the governor is urging you to shop Utah.
Spencer Eccles, executive director with the Governor's office of economic development, said, "Small business is located throughout the state, not just on the Wasatch Front ... east, west, north, south."
Fore every $100 spent at local small businesses, $68 returns to the community. -Civic Economics
Whether it's Norbest Turkeys for Thursday's big feast or a morning cup of Joe on your way to work, Utah owned and operated businesses are a big deal in Utah. They are a huge economic driver and create and sustain thousands of jobs.
"In Utah, about 90 percent of the jobs come from small business; 80 percent of the companies in Utah are small business," Eccles said.
Utah's agriculture industry is also a big part of the equation.
Leonard Blackham, Commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, said, "That's probably become the hottest item in agriculture right now: buy local."
Over 60% of the nations jobs are held by people working in small business, in Utah that number is even higher at 80%.
–Spencer Eccles, GOED Exec. Dir.
Consider the big crowds that regularly pack the summertime farmer's markets. Locally grown and produced items are a huge hit.
"Agriculture in the state of Utah and Ag processing is about 14 percent of the state's economy," or about $14 billion, Blackham says. "So it's pretty significant here in keeping the economy going."
The agriculture department's long-running "Utah's Own" campaign has been very successful in prompting consumers to make conscious decisions to buy locally produced products. It's a movement that's expected to continue growing.
"It's good for the environment too. Reduces transportation costs; saves the use of energy, so it just makes good sense to buy as much local as we can," Blackham said.
Besides, he says, it feels good to support the local guy. "Absolutely," he says. "It can be your neighbor, your cousins, your friends down in San Pete County or up in Box Elder County. People want to keep agriculture in Utah. They want to keep as much production as possible here."
E-mail: kmccord@ksl.com
