Local First Arizona, or LFA, is an economy and community development organization established in 2003 by Kimber Lanning, who is an entrepreneur and small business owner.
Lanning was encouraged to act by two observations: too many young people leaving Arizona for more vibrant cities like Austin and Portland, and the use of massive subsidies used to attract chain stores and the economic void they created.
As an Arizona native, Lanning wanted to inspire others to stay in state and develop a sense of pride in where they lived. She wanted to see locally owned businesses receive more resources and benefits since she believed that these locally owned businesses kept more money and jobs in Arizona.
When Lanning started her company and began looking for retail space, she noticed that locally owned businesses didn’t get the same incentives that larger corporations received, such as an exemption from sales tax. That was when she initially noticed the disadvantages that local and independent businesses faced. Lanning came into contact with some other small business owners and they started collaborating about ways they could change things.
“I’m the kind of person when I see something that is unjust, I am motivated and inspired to change it,” Lanning said. “This is my home, this is my state, and I want to leave it better than I found it. So I’ve dedicated my life to building a better Arizona.”
LFA began encouraging other local businesses to band together for support and a network of resources. As they began working together, they noticed many customers weren’t natives, so they didn’t understand the history of Arizona. When they talked about their hometown, they talked about wherever they moved from, but Lanning wanted them to feel the same sense of pride in Arizona that they felt for their hometowns.
According to LFA’s director of marketing and brand strategy, Lynita Johnson, the nonprofit makes a great effort to put the community first. They listen to what challenges the community is facing and which areas need resources.
Johnson explained it was difficult for small businesses to secure the loans they needed for their businesses because major banks were looking at loan amounts of $25,000 or more. However, smaller businesses need a much smaller amount and are not meeting that baseline.
“When you’re not even meeting the minimum threshold for a loan at the larger corporations,” Johnson said, “you’re not getting the attention or support you need.”
The success of small businesses relies heavily on community support. LFA has a directory of small businesses on its website where consumers can find what they’re looking for and the Shop Local First Marketplace, an e-commerce site where consumers can shop from small businesses across Arizona.
LFA serves businesses of all scales across the state, so regardless of what a business need is, they can reach out to LFA who will offer or find a solution if they don’t have it already.
“Our team is very diverse, and the work we do not only provides opportunities, but it transforms families, transforms businesses, and it creates opportunities for generational wealth and for people to build future opportunities for their families as well,” Johnson said. “Right now, it influences what their families are able to do for generations to come, and that’s really important.”
Contact the reporter at lhchapma@asu.edu.
