Visionary Business Leaders & Social Change Agents Join Local

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2015
Contact:
Anna Ghosh
BALLE
anna@bealocalist.org
510-587-9417 x123
Erica Pederson
Local First Arizona
erica@localfirstaz.com
602-956-0909 ext. 7
Visionary Business Leaders and Social Change Agents Join Local
Economy Leaders in Phoenix for Annual BALLE Conference
Van Jones, America’s Most Famous Farmer Joel Salatin, Dansko's Amanda
Cabot, Etsy's Matt Stinchcomb, and CODEPINK's Jodie Evans among luminaries
to speak at Localist Movement event of the year
WHAT: The 13th annual BALLE (Business Alliance of Local Living Economies) Conference is a
three-day event that explores how locally rooted economic systems solve social, financial, and
environmental problems. More than 500 local business leaders, social entrepreneurs,
community funders, policymakers and local economy leaders of all kind from across North
America and beyond are expected to attend this year’s BALLE Conference.
The theme, “What’s Working Locally,” will inform this year’s conversation around practical
solutions and wisdom that attendees can take back to their own communities to advance the
emergence of a new economy that is just, fair, and healthy for people, place, and planet.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Soil is Life vision session: America’s most famous farmer (Joel Salatin) will join an investor and
rancher, a food business entrepreneur, and a BALLE Fellow to explore what’s working to
reconnect with and restore our soil.
A Convergence of Social Movements: Van Jones joins other visionary leaders at the forefront of
current social movements in a discussion on the importance of convergence.
Financing for the Future We Want: An all-female finance vision session
(more)
Launch of 20th anniversary edition of classic international bestseller When Corporations Rule
The World: Author and founding BALLE board member emeritus David Korten returns to BALLE
to share reflections on the past two decades and the path ahead to a living economy for a living
Earth that meets the needs of all.
First-of-its-kind micro MBA for place-based impact investing: A consolidation of a three-day
place-based workshop conducted by Presidio Graduate School’s Fry, the course will build upon
the fundamentals of finance and economics, offering a peek into the financial marketplaces that
play central roles in the local and global economy.
WHO: The 2015 BALLE Conference is hosted by BALLE and Local First Arizona. BALLE is a nonprofit organization focused on creating real prosperity by connecting leaders, spreading
solutions, and driving investment toward local economies. BALLE equips entrepreneurs with
tools and strategies for local success, and provides a national forum for the most visionary local
economy leaders and funders to connect, build their capacity and innovate.
Local First Arizona (LFA) is a statewide non-profit organization working to strengthen
communities and local economies through growing, supporting, and celebrating locally owned
businesses throughout the state of Arizona. LFA seeks to promote, support, and celebrate a
vibrant and sustainable Arizona economy by educating consumers, stakeholders, business
leaders, and policymakers about local business ownership, social equity, cultural diversity,
environmental kinship, and collaboration.
WHEN: June 10 - 12, 2015
WHERE: The 2015 BALLE Conference will be hosted at a variety of venues in downtown
Phoenix. Optional excursions before and after the conference will take attendees to different
areas of the state including Cottonwood and Arcosanti.
WHY: Studies consistently show that communities with higher density and diversity of local,
independently owned businesses have more wealth, jobs, and resiliency. The BALLE Conference
offers an opportunity for local economy leaders from around the globe to come together and
share best practices for advancing strategies and policies that support local businesses and local
economies. By sharing this knowledge, these leaders can return to their communities to grow
and support their own local economies, thus working towards creating prosperity for all.
The BALLE Conference has chosen Phoenix as its host city for a number of reasons. Since the
Great Recession, Phoenix has transformed into a beautiful, new city that now embraces
Localism, innovation, entrepreneurship, and diversity. With an eye towards the city's core and a
special focus on adaptive reuse, hundreds of new local businesses have established themselves
in the heart of downtown Phoenix over the past five years, and they're thriving. Ridership on the
recently constructed Light Rail line has exceeded all expectations, and is further spurring
economic development in Phoenix's central corridor. For the last two years, Phoenix has
received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign's annual Municipal Equality Index.
(more)
In a dramatic shift based on these factors, an increasing number of young people are choosing to
start their lives and careers in Phoenix, where the cost of living is low and the quality of life is
high. Arizona is home to a thriving Localist community and Local First Arizona, the largest
BALLE member and local businesses coalition in the country with over 2,600 members across
the state.
Registration, programming, and more information is available
at bealocalist.org/conference
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