La Grange Business Association expands into first office

LA GRANGE – In an effort to better support local businesses in the community, the La Grange Business Association recently moved into its first-ever office space.

The association has experienced a rapid period of growth over the last half decade, and the new office at 26 S. La Grange Road is another manifestation of that expansion, LGBA Executive Director Nancy Cummings said.

Cummings, who was hired by the LGBA board five years ago as the association's first full-time employee, said the number of volunteer board members also has tripled since she first came on board.

She said the association was founded roughly 30 years ago by a group of La Grange business owners who wanted to establish an organization to represent their interests in the community.

Hiring Cummings allowed the association to grow, LGBA board President Philip Fornaro said. Volunteers were no longer responsible for the everyday administrative work involved in running the LGBA and were therefore free to do outreach work within the community, he said.

Similarly, the move to the new office, and the addition of a part-time employee, will "make us far more efficient as we grow the organization" into the future, he said.

"Basically, this office will centralize our operations and make it more convenient for businesses, residents, members and vendors to interact with us," Fornaro said.

Previously, Cummings was leading the association while working at home, he said.

Cummings said she hopes the office will eventually "play a visitor center role" for new merchants, retailers and nonprofit organizations – a place where representatives from a variety of business ventures can find useful information.

Fornaro said funding from event sponsorships pays for the rent for the new office space and the salaries for the organization's employees.

Historically speaking, the LGBA has been known for hosting long-standing events in the community, including the annual Halloween Walk and Hometown Holiday, among others, Cummings said.

"The events used to be the main component [of what we do], and now we've diversified to become a resource and amenity for businesses," she said. "One of the new areas we want to go into is developing or helping businesses create strategic partnerships with one another."

Specifically, Cummings said the association would like to partner nonprofits and small businesses to help drive traffic to La Grange and produce a "win-win" outcome for both groups.

"We've had a real big push toward nonprofits becoming involved in our organization," said Fornaro, a local attorney.

It also was important for the office, which opened Oct. 1, to be ready in time for the holiday season, both Fornaro and Cummings said.

"The fourth quarter is sort of a make or break, certainly for retail," Cummings said. "It's a very busy time of the year, and we wanted to make sure we had the resources in place to be an advocate for [local businesses]."

The village of La Grange and LGBA recently teamed up for a local campaign to encourage residents to shop within La Grange from Nov. 28 through the remainder of the holiday season.

Dubbed Unwrap La Grange for a Hometown Holiday, the program encourages shoppers to spend $300 at local stores, and the first 100 individuals to turn in original receipts of $20 or more each and totaling at least $300 will receive a $30 gift certificate to spend at participating LGBA businesses. Beyond the first 100 shoppers, individuals who turn in receipts to Village Hall will be entered into a drawing, and the winners will be selected Jan. 15.

A big part of the LGBA's job both during the holiday season and all year long, Cummings said, is to "really emphasize to residents to think first of shopping in the local community, for a variety of reasons, before shopping at big box stores and the mall."

And the residents are responsive to the outreach efforts of the organization, Fornaro said.

"You feel the sense of community at every event you go to more so than at any event I've been to outside of La Grange," he said.