Mark Maynard

Jessica Meissner on assisting non-venture capital backed companies, and expanding the role of co-ops in Michigan

By Mark | May 5, 2013

Among the people in the audience at Thursday night’s “Doing Business in Ypsilanti” panel, was a woman who has been tasked by Washtenaw County to study the needs of non-venture capital funded entrepreneurs, and make suggestions as to how we might better support them. Her name is Jessica Meissner, and what follows is our email [...]

Posted in Economics, Michigan, Ypsilanti | Also tagged access to capital, Alternative Energy, BEC, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, co-ops, collaboration, cooperation, cooperatives, corporatocracy, Costa Rica, Dug Song, economic anthropology, Jessica Meissner, local procurement, Maker Works, Organic Valley, Paul Saginaw, purchasing, sharing assets, Small and Mighty, small business, sustainably, The Shed, Tom Root, triple bottom line, underemployment, unemployment, University of Michigan, venture capital, Washtenaw County, Wisconsin, workforce development | 9 Comments

Big Business vs. Small Business…. who’s right?

By Mark | February 28, 2013

Today, in response to an interview that I’d posted recently with the founders of the Ypsi/Arbor small business support group Small & Mighty, a reader by the name of KJC posted a link to an article titled “Small is not Beautiful,” implying, I think it’s pretty clear, that many of us are misguided in our [...]

Posted in Economics, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Mark's Life, Observations, Uncategorized | Also tagged business, cooperatives, Dug Song, health insurance, Jean Henry, KJC, Michael Shuman, Seva, Small and Mighty, Starbucks, The Shop Around the Corner, You've Got Mail, Zingerman's | 38 Comments

Grand Rapids shows us how economic development is done right… home-grown food entrepreneurship over dollar stores

By Mark | November 18, 2012

A few months ago, when I was in Grand Rapids, attending the annual BALLE (Business Alliance for Local Living Economies) conference, I had the occasion to hear a speech given by the city’s Mayor, George Heartwell. I can’t find my notes at the moment, but I seem to recall that, buried somewhere in the long [...]

Posted in Economics, entrepreneurism, Environment, Michigan, Sustainability, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged Amway, Ave Maria, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, David Frey, economic development, false equivalence, farmers market, food entrepreneurship, food hubs, Grand Action, Grand Rapids, hope, infrastructure, local food, local food production, national chains, Tom Monaghan, Water Street, Water Street Redevelopment Project | 41 Comments

BALLE founder Judy Wicks on the origins of Urban Outfitters, the birth of the Localist movement, and the necessity of local ownership

By Mark | June 23, 2012

Recently, while in Grand Rapids, I had the occasion to meet Judy Wicks, the founder of the White Dog Cafe in Philadelphia, and the woman who, ten years ago, brought the Business Alliance for Living Local Economies (BALLE) into being. Since the meeting, we’ve been chatting by way of email… Here’s the interview. MARK: Having [...]

Posted in Economics, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Sustainability | Also tagged 1983, American Sustainable Business Council, Amy Goodman, ASBC, Ben and Jerry's, Ben Cohen, Business Alliance for Local Living Economies, buy local, Chelsea Green, Chiapas, corporations, corporatocracy, democracy, Eskimo, factory farming, Fair Food, fair trade, fast food, Free People’s Store, George McGovern, Going Local, Good Morning Beautiful Business, Guy Bazzanni, Helen Caldicott, Honest Tea, human scale, Jim Hightower, Jim Slama, Joel Soloman, Judy Wicks, Lester Brown, local economy, local food, local food production, Localist, Michael Shuman, national chains, Odawalla Juice, ownership, Philadelphia, re-localization, Richard Hayne, sense of place, single-payer system, social change, Social Venture Network, socially responsible business, Starbucks, Stoneyfield Farms, Ted Rouse, The Body Shop, Tom’s of Maine, universal health care, Urban Outfitters, White Dog Cafe, Wicky Wacky Woods, Zapatistas | 10 Comments

The emergence of Local Economy Centers

By Mark | June 6, 2012

I didn’t have an opportunity to meet her at the recent BALLE conference in Grand Rapids, but, as luck would have it, I was able to dial in to a conference call during my lunch hour a couple of days ago, and ask a few questions of Kelley Rajala, the woman who runs the Sonoma [...]

Posted in entrepreneurism, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Retail, Shadow Art Fair, Sustainability, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Also tagged alternative currency, Amy's Kitchen, Bethesda, biomimicry, Business Allianc, business incubators, California, Cleveland, co-working, Dave Feldman, employee ownership, Evergreen Cooperative, Kelley Rajala, Livability Project, Local Economy Centers, Local Economy Institute, localism, Made Local Marketplace, Maryland, ownership, permaculture, Santa Rosa, Share Exchange, Slow Money, social justice, Sonoma Country Share Exchange, time bank, Transition Town, Transition US | 6 Comments

Tag Archives: BALLE

Big Business vs. Small Business…. who’s right?

Grand Rapids shows us how economic development is done right… home-grown food entrepreneurship over dollar stores

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