Whether you are starting a company, expanding a company or maintaining your current operation, it’s no secret that marketing your product is key.

In fact when Greater Jobs, Incorporated or our Albert Lea Business Development Center Board of Directors review prospective businesses, how one will market their product and reach their customer base is crucial. In short, the single most important aspect of any business is the customer. This is as important to our largest industry down to our smallest operations in Freeborn County.

So this time of year in particular is key to our businesses’ success. Shopping locally may be the single biggest effort a citizen of our community can do to ensure a strong local economy. When we shop locally we build a strong local economy, we ensure choice and diversity, we maintain our community’s character, we prevent loss of business and ultimately this provides hope for our community’s future.

We pride ourselves on the entrepreneurial spirit we’ve nurtured over the last 60 years in our community. Often times we don’t think how our buying habits may affect our local industry base. Our food industries rely on our loyalty when we choose the products we purchase in the grocery stores. Our box companies rely on the shipment of goods by their customers, who in turn rely on us to choose their products. Meanwhile, dollars spent in our community will be returned several times, from employees getting a paycheck or raises to business owners paying taxes to making contributions back into our communities. It’s a win-win for everyone.

It’s during this time of year in particular when we need to consider how our buying reflects our choices, not necessarily for ourselves, but for the future of our communities.

Happy holidays.

Pam Bishop is executive vice president of Greater Jobs, Inc., a Freeborn County economic-development organization.