Laura Clise, head of Seattle-based organization Intentionalist has been a main root of inspiration for my consideration of this project from a localized perspective. A former executive in the field of corporate social responsibility among other roles, she brings a strong level of expertise to her work now pivoted in social entrepreneurship.

The Intentionalist’s core focus is driving dollars into the local economy through small business support, and its entire social media is centered on spotlighting these entrepreneurs and the powerful stories they hold. They also center their advisory board on a wide range of industry experts who can inform their practices and keep them grounded in their mission.

While working for the PDA over the last year, I’ve grown to become more familiar with the operations that make a legacy institution like the Pike Place Market continue strong  for more than a century. Mary Bacarella, head of the Preservation Development Authority, shares her voice on a range of community organizations that have vested interests in preserving and growing local infrastructure mindfully while advocating on behalf of the small business network of more than 400 vendors. I look up to her both in informing my own job as well as considering the larger trajectory of the cultural and economic landscape in Seattle.

This pilot program developed a toolkit for sustaining local farmers’ markets, piloting it at 9 locations across British Columbia. An element of their project focused specifically on the value they hold for its community. Knowing Seattle has a reputation for the “Seattle Freeze”, a cultural trait based on a trend of perceived standoffishness or cold nature amongst its locals toward strangers, this project actively counters those tendencies and demonstrates the value in building community connections and lowering that barrier to entry.