Why should Americans support their small businesses?
“You can’t replace the personalization and that personal experience of walking in and knowing the business owner,” said Amanda Brinkman, chief brand and communications officer at Deluxe Corp. and host of Hulu’s Small Business Revolution – Main Street. “Small businesses, especially in small communities, give back to their communities disproportionately.”
Brinkman said it’s “growth” to a lot of business owners means hiring another employee or sponsoring the local Little League.
“It’s about keeping those dollars local,” she said. “A lot of big businesses have philanthropic efforts that are notable, as well, but it’s not the same. The dollars stay local.”
— Carie Canterbury
“A-MAN-DA.” “A-MAN-DA.” “A-MAN-DA.”
The collective cheer was loud and strong Thursday night when Cañon City welcomed Amanda Brinkman to the stage.
Brinkman, the chief brand and communications officer at Deluxe Corp. and host of Hulu’s Small Business Revolution – Main Street, received a celebratory and warm welcome during a rally held in her honor.
Cañon City is one of the 10 finalists in the running to be featured in SBR’s Season 4.
The Top 10 communities were asked to post their town’s hashtags on social media, which is closely monitored by the Deluxe Corp., so the team is familiar with the towns before each visit.
“You guys have done an incredible job telling us and the internet and the world what makes Cañon City so special,” Brinkman said during the rally, also noting the sizable crowd. “It is amazing the way you guys have turned up to support your community.”
That type of banding together is what SBR is looking for, she said.
Deluxe Corp. works with about five million small businesses across the country on their marketing needs. When they were celebrating their 100th anniversary a few years ago, they decided to turn the spotlight around and talk about “the small businesses that make this country great.”
That’s how the SBR began.
“You think of it as a show, but we think of it truly as a movement,” Brinkman said. “We do the Small Business Revolution because we want to inspire everyone to support the small businesses within their communities, but we want to make their towns special.”
Cañon City Economic Development Director Ryan Stevens also spoke during the rally. He said a handful of downtown buildings currently are under contract, and the “crown jewel of them all,” the Hotel St. Cloud, is in the renovation process.
Stan Bullis, the president of Unbridled, who owns the historic Hotel St. Cloud, shared why he chose to invest in Cañon City.
“The building has something — it’s got hope, but that’s coming from you,” he told the crowd. “You guys make it really, really easy to invest in this city — in a small part it’s the activity, but in a large part it’s you.”
Bullis looks forward to his drive from Franktown to Cañon City, he said, where he has been made to feel “at home.”
“There are a lot of cities across the country, and I have never met one like you,” he said. “You love really well. You really do. You are honest, you are hard-working, you care about your city, and you care about your kids.”
Former Mayor Tony Greer, who was a catalyst for Main Street improvements during his three terms from 2009-15, felt that if the city invested the money on a “better-looking” Main Street, and made it more fun and pedestrian friendly, then more people would spend time and money downtown.
“It’s a little bit of delayed gratification, but it’s still gratifying,” he said about all of the excitement happening downtown.
He said Valley-Wide medical center ended up expanding to Main Street because they saw the community investing in itself, and he feels that may be the case with Unbridled.
“The TV series that is here, they also look for communities that are investing in themselves,” he said. “I think a little bit of short-term pain is probably a long-term gain. I don’t know if we have ever seen anything this exciting come to our community.”
He said whether Cañon City wins the contest or not, the community already has come together at a higher level than anything he’s ever seen.
“I’m really proud of our community and the way we’ve come together for this,” he said.
Mayor Preston Troutman said the excitement from the rally was overwhelming, and he feels Cañon City has a good chance of making it to the contest’s Top 5, especially after the crew experienced the beautiful weather Thursday.
Also present at the rally was a representative from Sen. Cory Gardner’s office, as well as representatives from Woodland Park Main Street, who actively were involved in the SBR contest when Woodland Park was in the Top 10 in 2017.
Darlene Jensen, the former program manager for WPMS, said the opportunity put Woodland Park on the map, and she feels Cañon City has a good chance of making it to the Top 5.
Gail Winegerd, the current director, said if Cañon City makes it to the Top 5, it will be imperative to get people to go online and vote.
She already has encouraged her community to be sure to vote for Cañon City.
“I’ve had people call and ask how to vote and where to go online to vote,” she said.
Cañon City was the last town on SBR’s Top 10 city tour, and the next step will be the final 5 announcement Feb. 12. There will be one week of voting, and the winning town will be announced at the end of February. Once the winning town is announced, that’s when SBR opens up official nominations for businesses that will be featured in the show.
Because Cañon City was part of the Top 10, Deluxe will host a free small business seminar May 20. For more information, visit bit.ly/CanonCityCOSeminar.
Carie Canterbury: 719-276-7643, canterburyc@canoncitydailyrecord.com