The largest online referral network for small businesses, Alignable.com is announcing the results of its national search for leaders who’ve gone above and beyond, guiding peers and supporting entire communities as they strive to recover.
Today, Alignable’s network has chosen Laurie Scott of The Right Effect serving Fossil Ridge Neighbors as Fort Collins’ 2022 Local Business Person of the Year!
The 2022 contest is the most popular competition Alignable has ever hosted, marking a 64% increase in participation over last year. In all, 2,400+ small business owners were elected by their peers to be their Local Business People of the Year across the U.S. and Canada.
During the contest, which ran from Jan. 10 to Feb. 11, 2022, 160,000+ votes and 32,000+ testimonials were posted praising thousands of local leaders for helping their peers and communities through a turbulent year with many challenges: skyrocketing inflation, labor shortages, supply chain problems, and COVID variants.
Because of these issues, 70% of small businesses have yet to recover and recovery rates have declined 13% since December, according to Alignable’s latest poll of 6,305 small business owners. This recovery reversal highlights how important it is for the contest winners to continue their work helping even more businesses bounce back from pandemic-era hurdles.
Giving Is The Glue Holding Us Together
“In our tight-knit community, you almost always get back what you give,” said Scott, “and the challenges we’ve all encountered have compelled many of us to offer counsel and other support to peers struggling to keep their businesses afloat. While I’m thrilled to receive this award, it’s really a testament to our entire community. It reinforces my resolve to push toward a full recovery for everyone here in the Fort Collins area. We are a strong community with many outlets for networking and support, such as Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce and Larimer Small Business Development Center. Most importantly, we need to support each other by getting to know our local businesses and buying local.”
Scott received a special badge on her Alignable profile, recognizing this big win. In past years, the awareness generated through similar contests has spurred expanded connections, as well as new business for many winners.
Driving Recognition Is Key
“This has been a fun and rewarding contest to watch unfold,” said Alignable’s President & Co-Founder Venkat Krishnamurthy. “Local business owners are the heart and soul of their communities, and they ought to get way more recognition for all they do. Friendly competition aside, this contest generated some incredible peer testimonials (to the tune of 32,000+), showing exactly why small business owners are stronger together.”
To arrange interviews with Laurie Scott and/or an Alignable representative, please contact Chuck Casto at [email protected]. He also can offer JPEGs and other visuals, as well as local winner testimonials.
About The Right Effect
The Right Effect was formed in conjunction with Best Version Media to bring the power of branding to local businesses in Northern Colorado. Using “Memorable Marketing,” local businesses can connect with the community in a unique way. Currently, The Right Effect is servicing Fort Collins, Loveland, Timnath, Longmont, and Greeley with print, digital, and regional/national sport packages.
About Alignable
Alignable.com is the largest online referral network for small businesses in the U.S. and Canada. With 7 million+ members across 35,000+ local communities, Alignable is the network where small business owners drive leads and prospects, generate referrals, land new business, build trusted relationships, and share great advice.
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