Joining a new organization will always come with some surprises. We get a rough idea from reading the website and talking to friends. I’ve been called a bit of a sleuth, so digging into newspaper articles and watching old interviews played a role in my research. Stepping into the role of President adds a layer of complexity. You become a bit more conscious of inheriting histories and relationships, along with stepping into the new role.
My goal was to send out a monthly message like this, but it has taken six months for the first. The real reason is that I had to dive deeper. People First Economy is special and the first order of business as a new leader is to better understand the organization, our stakeholders, and growing impact. This movement that started 21 years ago as a group of Grand Rapids business owners collectively organizing to promote a Local First agenda is now supporting 400+ businesses and their thousands of employees statewide.
I figure it makes sense to use this first reflection to share my active learning and thoughts.
Our growing impact called for a rebrand to People First Economy, but People First still means Local First. Supporting Local means that nearly 70% of your dollar remains in your community. We build our regional supply chains and create more jobs. Stronger local economies outperform their peers in nearly all social, environmental, and economic indicators. As the saying goes, “Every dollar you spend is a vote for the type of world you want.” Can you find what you need in your neighborhood? No…is it in your city? Are your products in a neighboring county? How about across the state? It all counts.
We can adapt this philosophy to different conscious consumer choices. Buy Black? Love it, but let’s support our local Black Businesses first. Steps like this will help us make progress towards creating a People First Economy in cities like Grand Rapids and Detroit that are seeing billions in major investments getting headlines while the most marginalized begin to find themselves slowly getting pushed out.
A major part of the work must also shift back to our business communities. It is easier to write a tax-deductible check to a nonprofit than it is to pay a livable wage. As professor Chris Marquis explains in his new book, The Profiteers: How Business Privatizes Profits and Socializes Costs, there are too many examples where companies make decisions at the expense of their stakeholders in the community or environment where the costs get passed on to society.
I’m a business owner. Ask most entrepreneurs and I think you will find that they believe their businesses make a positive impact. We agree. However, there are not enough standards on what it means to use business as a force for good. Greenwashing and strong Marketing adds to the confusion on what the real impact of business is on our communities.
Our Good For Michigan initiative is helping lead on this front. In partnership with B Lab US & Canada, PFE is using the B Impact Assessment and United Nations Sustainable Development Goals assessment to help hundreds of business leaders measure their social and environmental impact.
This is not prescriptive. Every business stands in a different part of their sustainability journey and our team is here to support them on that path. We also do this through education cohorts and strategic partnerships. The triple bottom line is real. It’s possible to impact People and the Planet while making healthy Profits. PFE is taking international standards used by hundreds of thousands of organizations and helping implement them across Michigan.
Building a People First Economy means we create a framework of interdependence. This work includes leading sustainable agricultural and food industry systems. It involves getting business owners to support People First policies like Paid Family Leave. A People First Economy is one where a hunter in rural Michigan and Basketball players at the local park in the city both work to protect our outdoor recreation and public lands as a public good that grows our economy. We must also push for government and foundation funding to shift into the hands of organizations created and led by people most negatively impacted by our traditional economic systems.
Our consumer choices will build this economy. Our business strategies will build this economy. Our advocacy and policy choices will build this economy.
I’ll write about these topics and more in these reflections. I hope you subscribe and share with a friend who joins us on this learning journey.
With Purpose and Passion,
Carlos
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Carlos Martinez (he/him) has served as President of People First Economy since January 2024. He has extensive experience in economic development, higher education, community engagement, and global partnerships. Carlos champions the creation of an inclusive, equitable, and circular economy deeply rooted in community care.
