Providing Value to Customers...and the Community

What makes small businesses stand out from the shadow of large corporations? Their ability to take an active role in their community. While large corporations are usually more geographically dispersed, many do create intimate relationships with the communities in which they operate. A small business, however, is uniquely a product of its local environment, and therefore has a distinct advantage when it comes to creating real impact on local communities and the customers who live there.

The Local Advantage

A recently released book, "Small Giants: Companies that Choose to Be Great Instead of Big" by Inc Magazine editor-at-large Bo Burlingham, details how Zingerman’s, a deli and gourmet grocery that started with one store over twenty years ago in Ann Arbor, Michigan, has since grown into a group of seven food service-related businesses. What really stands out about this story is the many different ways that Zingerman’s contributes to their community.

For example, "Food Gatherers" is a non-profit organization started by Zingerman’s in 1998 which collects leftover food from restaurants and other food service companies and redistributes it to local homeless shelters, drug detoxification centers, the Salvation Army, and neighborhood feeding programs in low income areas. Zingerman’s co-founder Paul Saginaw insisted that if this venture was going to work that it would need to be run with the same business discipline as a for-profit business. The organization has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception and currently has a $1 million annual budget and employs eleven people.

Food Gatherers is just one example of the diverse contributions that Zingerman’s contributes to the community. In total, the company supports over thirteen local non-profit companies, provides hundreds of jobs to the local economy, and attracts visitors and tourists to Ann Arbor to experience its amazing food and extraordinary customer service.

During Zingerman’s twentieth anniversary celebration in 2002, a group of non-profits from the local community commissioned and presented Zingerman’s with a very special sign. It read:

Building Connections to Create an Impact

When a local business is able to create meaningful contributions to their local community, it makes a lasting impact in the hearts and minds of its target market. Talented employees are motivated by the company’s mission and not only work harder, but are more loyal to the employer and resist the temptations offered by larger companies. Furthermore, the people in which the company helps become loyal evangelists and take every opportunity to guide potential customers to the business. But aside from the tangible benefits, the business becomes a beacon for the values of the community and the business owner is rewarded with a sense of personal satisfaction from the impact he or she has created, which speaks to the driving force of the entrepreneurial spirit.

If you have stories to share about how your business has contributed to your local community, or how you envision your company taking a more active role in the community, please share them with us by posting a quick comment.

To learn more the book "Small Giants" and Zingerman’s community of businesses, please refer to the links below:

Harvard Business School Book Report: Small Giants

The Coolest Small Business in America, an article in Inc. Magazine

Zingerman’s online store