by Rebecca Melançon | May 8, 2020 | The Intrepid Localist
Dear Landlord, We’ve been in this mutually-beneficial relationship for a long time, perhaps decades. It’s been good for both of us. We’ve had a place to grow successful local businesses and you’ve made a nice profit. Now our businesses have an illness called a...
by Rebecca Melançon | Apr 8, 2020 | The Intrepid Localist
I know. It’s not feeling better right now but hear me out. This pandemic is forcing local business to learn new skills, find new ways of doing business and reallocate resources. The present is very painful but could ultimately lead us to a better future. A word about...
by Rebecca Melançon | Mar 13, 2020 | The Intrepid Localist
These are difficult times. We all know it. But our strength lies in each other. I had intended to write about our recent event, The Power of Local. But little did I realize that I would be viewing the Power of Local through a different lens. After the cancellation of...
by Rebecca Melançon | Oct 29, 2019 | The Intrepid Localist
For more than 15 years the AIBA has listened to its members and voiced their concerns at City Hall. At times we have proposed local policies that could help create a more thriving local business community or to relieve a particularly painful part of doing business. At...
by Rebecca Melançon | Aug 14, 2019 | The Intrepid Localist
Austin politics today are often unnecessarily divisive and destructive. Our community faces challenges in dealing with employer-employee issues such as paid sick leave, livable wages, and predictive scheduling. We have a great opportunity to come together to address...
by Rebecca Melançon | Sep 7, 2018 | The Intrepid Localist
This was written to local businesses after a harsh fight at City Hall over mandatory paid sick leave. AIBA was never against paid sick leave but the ordinance passed was particularly punitive to small, local businesses. Dear Local Businesses, I’ve spent more than 10...
