County Aims to Create Jobs with 'Buy Local' Campaign

As part of a continuing effort to bolster business and job growth in Burlington County, the board of freeholders recently announced the initiation of a “Buy Local” campaign, to encourage residents to spend more of their retail dollars regionally.

In the near term, the Buy Local initiative will be advanced through a marketing and informational plan; the message will be disseminated through interaction with and special events with businesses and business organizations, through the Internet and through regular county publications.

“We view this as another economic development tool, aimed at bolstering local business at the cash register, while sending a powerful message to potential new businesses that county government supports economic activity within its borders,” said Freeholder Director Bruce Garganio. “It stands to reason that supporting local merchants enables them to improve and expand, and ultimately, create more jobs.”

He noted if each household in Burlington County spent just $20 more a month within the county, the result would be more than $40 million being injected into the local economy in a year.

According to Mark Remsa, Burlington County’s director of economic development and regional planning, Buy Local campaigns have taken root across the country, and most recently, have been initiated in neighboring Camden and Gloucester counties.

Remsa said representatives of those two counties have “actually provided valuable input. It stands to reason that while we are each encouraging support for local business in our respective counties, talking about ‘Buy Local’ across the region adds to the volume and impact of the message.

“We will network with local businesses to get their input on the best way to spread the word,” he added. “There is probably no limit to the promotional opportunities and ideas out there.”

Freeholder Joseph Donnelly noted the Buy Local initiative adds one more tool to the “economic growth package” the county has pursued in recent months, including a new Business and Job Seekers webpage, and another interactive “Site Finder” webpage, implemented by the Burlington County Bridge Commission, to assist businesses in identifying properties where they can build and expand.

Provided by the Burlington County Office of Public Information