Last week saw some superstars of local business come together in the fabulous atrium of the Salt Lake Hardware building. Why, you ask? And just who are these superstars of which I speak? You mean, you weren’t there? Well here’s why: Local First Utah’s second annual LocalMotive awards. What are the LocalMotive awards? My. Lots of questions. That’s okay. There are answers.

To summarize, the LocalMotive is awarded to key figures and businesses that are leading the way in the buy local movement in Utah. The award is given to those community members and local business owners who educate and inform the public about the importance of supporting our local communities while showing exemplary volunteer efforts that demonstrate creativity, vision, leadership, and citizenship.

The Winners

The winners this year are Ian Brandt, Heidi Rodeback, and Beth Bell.

The Independent Selection Committee chose Brandt, Rodeback, Bell from an incredible list of nominees (list forthcoming) because of outstanding actions and activities that elicited obvious change within their community, with additional consideration given to degree of ingenuity and determination.

Beth Bell

The nomination for Ogden-based Green the World shows that Beth Bell would be the absolute best candidate to receive Local First’s award because she, “encourages small, local, independent artists and businesses the opportunity to get their products/name/brand out to the community. Green The World encourages eco-friendly and sustainable items and promotes local items from a variety of artists/businesses—including home goods, school supplies, clothing, jewelery, and more! Green the World is a fantastic local business that supports buying local and shopping eco-friendly!”

Ian Brandt

The multiple nominations for Chef Ian Brandt extoll the virtues of his tripartite culinary kingdom in Salt Lake City. To begin, says one nomination, “They really are committed to providing local fresh, food to the SLC Valley. Educational workshops and classes are also offered throughout the year.”

But the owner of Sage’s, Vertical Diner, and Cali’s Natural Foods not only buy local as much as possible in terms of food (“Often,” says his nomination, “you will see the Chef Special of the day composed entirely of products grown or made in Utah.”), but he also chooses local for services, donates time as a private chef, provides entrepreneurs an outlet for their business at his market, and has established relationships with local farmers.

Despite all his passionate investment in time and money, “Ian is constantly working to better himself and his businesses and has set many goals for the coming year.” And, perhaps most importantly, Brandt has embraced a role as educator:  “he teaches everyone around him how to be more aware of their daily choices and to make a local choice as often as possible. Ian Brandt is a leader and role model for anyone who cares about supporting local. Even,” the nomination continues, “when it’s hard and might cost more, Ian chooses local because he cares about supporting our city and state.”

Heidi Rodeback

Especially heartening was the nomination for American Fork councilwoman Heidi Rodeback, who “has been a champion of local business and commerce since before she became a city councilwoman…Heidi has tirelessly worked to improve and support our city. As a councilwoman, she has become an even greater advocate for local commerce, as she clearly understands the fiscal benefits to the city of keeping city money in the city.”

But Rodeback’s nomination believes she “deserves to be highly commended for her efforts” not just because Rodeback encourages people to make local choices: because no better phrase describes her, Rodeback puts her money where her mouth is. The nomination tells a story of a woman who recently had the opportunity to move into a new house. For furnishing, “She pledged to purchase everything she possibly could within the city limits and from small businesses, and she did an admirable job.”

The purported “penny-pincher” simply understands how important it is to support friends, neighbors, and, well, fellow citizens.

Ultimately, “Her warm, neighborly tone and personal anecdotes can’t help but convince that she understands the temptation to go elsewhere, but,” says her nomination, Rodeback shows how “it’s worth the effort to stay in town.”

Thanks Again, Dearest Everyone

Thank you to everyone for their nominations, to the efforts of all the great nominees, and to the winners of this year’s LocalMotives.

And thank you to everyone for making choices and helping others understand how to make choices that strengthen our local economy.

Here’s a hint of what’s next: this holiday season, when you’re out shopping for the people in your lives, think about Ms. Rodeback’s initiative to keep her purchases in her own town. Think about what goods and services you can get in your own city or town, or close to the residence of the recipient of the gift. Many local business owners even offer gift certificates, which is a great opportunity to both invite friends to pay a visit to their own neighborhood’s businesses. Everybody wins. So rather than some preset quantity to a faceless big-box, why not give the gift of local?

Things by Andrew Dash Gillman. LocalMotive content adapted from Local First Utah.