The GO LOCAL Story

Our Beginnings

Efforts to start a network of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) to support locally-owned businesses originally coalesced in September of 2006 with the formation of BALLE Sonoma County as a non-profit organization. As the enterprise began to grow, the limitations of the non-profit structure became apparent.  After a brief period of restructuring by the founding team, along with the addition of some fresh talent, the Sonoma County GoLocal Cooperative was born.  Thanks to the support of our founding business members, we have emerged a stronger organization, with a quickly growing family of businesses, individuals and non-profit organizations.

Why a Cooperative?

REI Outdoor Gear, Ace Hardware, Almond Growers, and most Credit Unions are examples of successful cooperatives. A cooperative is an autonomous association of people and/or businesses united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically controlled enterprise.

Cooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility, and caring for others.

Since cooperatives are organized for the benefit of their members rather than to earn profits for investors, they tend to take a longer term view with respect to their operations. That is not to say that cooperatives don't look at the bottom line, but rather that they have additional objectives that focus more on the long-term survival of the business and their members.

The Sonoma County Go Local Cooperative is a member-owned enterprise, committed to informing and empowering its members. Anyone who lives in Sonoma County and any business with 51% local ownership can join. Our best chance of dealing with the issues we face is to work together...local businesses, community organizations and citizens. We are stronger together.  (Click here for more information on cooperatives.)

The Power of the Multiplier

The power of the local economic multiplier to enhance well-being in the community is the main driver of our work.  The term refers to how many times dollars are recirculated within a local economy before leaving the community.

Here is a study of the local economy done in San Francisco to illustrate the Multiplier effect at work.