PFE Blog
Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. and the Constant Evolution of Placemaking and City Building
Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. (DGRI) was created in 2013 with the goal of bringing several economic development tools and organizations under one roof (the GR Downtown Development Authority, the Downtown Improvement District, and the Monroe…
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Local First Workshop Recap: Best Practices for Employee Wellness & Mental Health
It is essential for businesses of all sizes to support their staff, from the front lines to the C Suite; but the real question is how? It's no secret that small businesses are faced with…
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Get to know Northern Initiatives
Know Your Lender: Northern Initiatives Where do they work: All 83 counties in Michigan What they are: A CDFI! Huh? Northern Initiatives is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that focuses on providing loans when…
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6 Ways to Build Local & Sustainable Habits
If you've been following the Local First program for a while, you know we're all about creating opportunities to support local and amplify our membership base. It's these businesses that keep our money close to…
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Nourish our Community
Food naturally brings people together. Whether it’s making a meal, supporting a farmer, sharing a recipe, or celebrating a special occasion: food is communal. (more…)
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Lake Michigan Credit Union Puts People First
Local banks and credit unions are part of a toolkit of sustainable solutions that drive change in our place-based economies. To dig deeper, Local First connected with Lake Michigan Credit Union earlier this month in…
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Presenting: People First Economy Podcast
The People First Economy Podcast is here to bring you insight into how we, our businesses, and our partners are all working towards building and participating in a People First Economy! You’ll hear stories, ideas,…
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GROWing a People First Economy
Thank you for joining Local First for the third of four Rebuilding our Local Economy webinar events! Each quarter, the Local First team brings new resources and technical support to you by tapping the expertise…
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Featherlight: Not Just a Website
Get to know Featherlight Raise your hand if you're a small business owner or employee looking for a better way to run your subscription based website. Good news! There's a local way to create and…
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Shop Local with LOCUS
Have you seen shopLOCUS.com yet? It's time to give it a whirl! LOCUS offers an e-commerce platform to find and support local, independent businesses. Your Local First team is a big fan and we hope…
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