We formed the not for profit Capital Area Independent Business Alliance (CAIBA) to help Central and Springfield Illinois areas independent businesses thrive, strengthen our local economy and maintain a vital, sustainable community. We have set forth a three part mission, dedicating ourselves to fostering consumer education, building better business to business relationships, and influencing governmental decisions.


Mission #1: Consumer Education
Help consumers understand why LOCAL FIRST matters.
  • 20% of consumers don’t care about the local message. 20% are already committed. Our biggest opportunity to influence change is with the 60% in the middle.
  • 45% of every dollar spent with a local independent business stays in the market; 13% of every dollar spent with a chain
  • Consumers need help identifying local independent businesses. Post a member sticker at your front door, add the CAIBA logo to your advertising, talk about LOCAL FIRST with your customers.
  • Work together with your neighbors, friends and others in your business category. Cross promotion and team work will pay big dividends.
Mission #2: Make Your B to B Spending Local
Switch your business spending to be LOCAL FIRST
  • Consider where your business currently spends – and modify where you can
  • Switching even $100 a month of your spending in 2-3 categories to a local firm (VS national chain) could have a huge impact on local businesses
  • We should be willing to do what we ask consumers to do: think LOCAL
Mission #3: Influence government and development decisions
We have to lead the way to a better understanding of these concepts
  • CAIBA will invest in economic studies and make the effort to educate local officials about the many economic benefits of LOCAL FIRST
  • CAIBA will be focused on encouraging government to shift incentive programs to encourage local business expansion VS providing incentives to bring in new competition for local businesses.
  • CAIBA will work with developers, community groups and public officials to improve the local economy by expanding jobs, growing revenue, making development programs more efficient and effective.
Membership is open to businesses which are able to answer YES to each of these questions.
  1. Is my business privately held, not publicly traded?
  2. Do the business owners, totaling greater than 50% of the business ownership, live in Central Illinois?
  3. Is my business registered in Illinois, with no corporate or national headquarters outside of Illinois?
  4. Can my business make independent decisions regarding the name and look of the business, as well as all business purchasing, practices and distribution?
  5. Does my business pay all marketing, rent and other business expenses without assistance from a corporate headquarters?
A marketplace of thousands of small businesses helps to ensure more innovation and competition, and lower prices over the long term. Independent businesses, choosing products based on what their local customers need and desire, not a national sales plan, guarantees a more diverse range of product and service choices.
Home
About CAIBA
Why Buy Local
Directory
Events
Contact
BECOME A MEMBER!