Abilene Times

Abilene Chamber of Commerce issued the following announcement on Dec. 18

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and the most important time of the year to help keep our dollars local. Small businesses are trying to weather the COVID-19 storm and need our support more than ever. To help encourage and boost local spending, the Abilene Chamber is pleased to announce the launch of Keep It Local a community-based e-gift card platform driven in support by First Financial Bank.

The Chamber is making Keep It Local e-gift cards available for purchase, redeemable only at participating businesses. With this card, you can write a personal message and send it to family, friends and colleagues via email, text, or physical copy. All-digital and always available on your phone, the Keep It Local card makes the perfect gift or stocking stuffer. Now you can give back to the community while you enjoy the holidays.

With nearly 85 percent of the Chamber’s membership being small businesses, the Chamber sees this as a uniquely targeted boost to Abilene’s economy.

“We’re in a situation where supporting our local businesses is crucial to the future of our community’s success,” said Marshall Morris, Chamber Chair, First Financial Bank. “With added incentives for consumers sponsored by local businesses, the Keep It Local program will hopefully keep cash in our small businesses pockets who need it now more than ever.”

Participating in this program means supporting the heart of what makes our community unique. The purchase of a Keep It Local e-gift card creates a pool of cash that local businesses in the Big Country can rely on. Studies[1] have shown that local independent retailers recirculate 47 percent of their revenue back into the community, while only 14 percent of national chains’ revenue stays in the community. More dramatically, restaurants recirculate 73 percent of their revenue back into the community, versus only 30 percent for national chains.

By supporting local businesses, more money continues circulating through the local community—this is achieved through a combination of profits paid to local business owners, wages paid to local workers, goods and services procured locally for internal use or resale, and charitable giving within the community.

“Our business community is working harder than ever to give you a positive and safe shopping experience,” said Doug Peters, President & CEO of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce. “Our business community is open for business and we encourage you to shop local first. Anything helps our businesses right now whether it’s buying a gift card, leaving a positive review on social media, or participating in our Keep It Local program. Anything helps.”

Local businesses sponsoring the program for added incentives include: First Financial Bank, KTXS-TV, Lamar Billboards, Black Plumbing, Maverick Saw Cutting and Core Drilling, Texas Media, Inc (TMI), OSI Security, KBCY, The Wolf Abilene, KLDG Big Country Giant, Arrow Ford, Inc., Lawrence Hall – Abilene, and Cedar Ridge Aviation. 

If you’re looking for a way to do some good or want to know how you can help the community you love, send a Keep It Local e-gift card today! For more information on the Abilene Chamber, the businesses it represents, or to purchase your own Keep It Local e-gift card, click here.

Since 1908, the Abilene Chamber has served as a catalyst for business growth, a convener of leaders and influencers, and a champion for developing and promoting the economy and quality of life. For more information on the Chamber and the 1,200 businesses it represents, visit www.abilenechamber.com

Original source can be found here.

Source: Abilene Chamber of Commerce