Commissioner Birrell keeps it local

Efforts to support and promote local businesses are taking root nationwide and Cobb County is no exception. Cobb County District 3 Commissioner JoAnn Birrell stopped by the Smyrna Business Association’s monthly luncheon Thursday to discuss Keep it in Cobb, an initiative that encourages Cobb residents to patronize local businesses.

“The schools benefit from the penny sales tax, SPLOST tax, as does the county,” she said. “So, if you’re buying it locally, the schools are getting that tax revenue so it helps everybody all the way around. The county is doing their part. We’re trying to close the loop.”

Birrell explained that the idea for Keep it in Cobb came to her while she was campaigning in 2010.

“I started this initiative during my campaign going door-to-door and being involved with a lot of business associations,’’ she explained to the gathering at the . “I saw a lot of businesses, particularly small business owners, who were struggling to keep their business alive. I have this idea of how can we support our local businesses.”

Shortly after Birrell took office in January 2011, she held meetings to organize the initiative and officially unveiled the campaign at the 2011 Cobb Chamber Business Expo in May.

“It’s really a three-tier approach: business-to-business, business-to-consumer and business-to-government,” she said.

Keep it in Cobb is working to promote local businesses on many levels. Some of the committee’s members are working to revise Cobb County’s purchasing ordinances. Birrell explained that the county doesn’t have to take bids for goods and services at a cost of less than $2,000. Last year Cobb County spent $8 million on goods and services that did not require a bid, she said.

Keep it in Cobb seeks to revise the ordinance to include a local vendor preference clause that would give Cobb-based businesses an advantage.

The initiative is also teaching local business owners how to register as an approved vendor with the county through its “How to do business in Cobb” seminars. The first seminar was held in August and was attended by about 100 people. The seminar also included a networking session with the county’s various departments. The next seminar is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the Cobb County Safety Village in Marietta.

Birrell also invited local business owners to visit the Keep it in Cobb Facebook page to promote their business as well share the many ways they keep it local.

“You can send us a success story of how you’ve kept it in Cobb or how vendors have kept it in Cobb with you the consumers,” she said. “We want to hear your story.”