Local Gems

Local Gems

David Sparks Ph.D.
David Sparks Ph.D.
“I’ve always been a strong proponent for small business.”

After covid first hit Idaho back in 2020, Senator Jim Risch started the Support Local Gems initiative to create a day for people to support the small businesses that make our community thrive.

“It was certainly one of the precipitating factors. When covid hit, obviously we all know what happened right at the beginning and there was just a drop off of commercial business. A large business can actually absorb that kind of punch, not necessarily easily, but they can survive. A small business frequently can’t take a punch like that, and as we all know we lost a lot of small businesses.

We believed that this / would be helpful, that the Support Local Gems program would contribute to helping keep our small businesses alive.” Said Risch.

This is the third year of the event, and it’s also supported by chambers of commerce, business associations, and elected officials all over Idaho.

“In my judgement, it is the infrastructure of our small businesses that contribute to the greatness of Idaho, to its strength, to the values that we have. And I think that most Idahoans take small business for granted. They don’t intend to do that but it’s just that way.”

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