What does it mean to be an engaged business? Some of the signs are readily visible. Sponsorship of community events. Championing local charities and good causes. Investing in organizations like SAGA that work to increase prosperity. In short, it means showing up, being out in the community and making sure that when there is a need for support, your business is ready to lend a hand. This sort of community engagement isn’t just important; it’s vital.
But it’s not the only important way businesses need to engage in their communities to be good citizens. While our attention is so often monopolized by the grand political dramas playing out on the national and international stage, we too often forget that the most impactful policymakers for our day-to-day lives are the ones within walking distance. Zoning regulations. Tax incentives. Development restrictions. These local policies are often as vital to determining whether a business community thrives as decisions coming out of Washington, if not more so. And local businesses have a crucial role to play in shaping them. Healthy local economies need more than just community engagement from business; they need policy engagement.
It’s in this spirit that SAGA hosts its monthly Public Policy Luncheon. The concept is simple: provide a forum for the decisionmakers to speak directly to business leaders on the policies that shape our community, from public education to land use. These gatherings are envisioned as more than just information sessions; they are meant to be a conduit for critical feedback and ideas from the business community. By gathering much of the weight of Sanford and Lee County’s business community together at one place and time, its voice is strengthened substantially, and our local policymakers can more easily understand its needs.
The Sanford Area Growth Alliance is proud to be the Voice of Business for Sanford and Lee County – but SAGA’s voice is only as powerful as the businesses ready to step up and amplify our pro-prosperity message. So, whether it’s attending our next Public Policy Luncheon with the City of Sanford on March 2, engaging directly with local officials on your own, or supporting SAGA’s other efforts to move the needle on our community’s policy questions, know that your policy engagement is always welcome – and it makes a difference.