Cinda Baxter, founder of The 3/50 Project, will address VCDC banquet

The Vermillion Area Chamber and Development Company will be holding its annual banquet on Friday, Feb. 19.  In an effort by the VCDC to highlight the importance of shopping locally, this year’s featured speaker is Cinda Baxter, founder of The 3/50 Project.  With a tag line “Save your local economy three stores at a time,” the project’s goal is to promote shopping in locally owned businesses while thanking customers for the positive impact that decision has on a local economy.

“We ask consumers to think about which three stores they’d miss if they disappeared, then remind them to return there,” said Baxter. “Shoppers have become so rooted in thinking about the essentials that they’ve forgotten about the little gift store on the corner whose owner remembers their name.”

“Fifty comes from the idea that if even half the employed population spent a mere $50 per month in locally owned retail stores, those purchases would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue,” she said. “That’s a huge impact for a relatively small investment.

“In essence, the whole thing boils down to ‘Pick 3, spend 50, save the economy.’ It’s really that simple.”
 
About Cinda Baxter
Cinda Baxter understands retail from the inside out. Her commitment to exceeding customer expectations resulted in two national Retailer Excellence Awards and frequent press coverage ranging from Minnesota Monthly to Modern Bride. Today, she “pays it forward” to both retailers and vendors through her consulting company Always Upward, as a contributing editor for Gifts and Decorative Accessories Magazine, and as founder of The 3/50 Project.

Widely recognized as an expert in the gift and stationery industry, Cinda’s resumé includes seats on some of its most distinguished advisory boards: AmericasMart Atlanta, the National Stationery Show, Retailer Networks Incorporated, and the Gift and Home Trade Association (GHTA), where she also served on the board of directors. Her most recent appointment to the Gift for Life board of directors is of particular note.

She’s been a featured speaker at numerous trade shows, including the Hong Kong Gift and Premium Show, the New York International Gift Show, the Los Angeles Gift Show, and the National Stationery Show – and at several regional marts, including Dallas, Chicago, Seattle, and Boston. Whether addressing an audience of independent retailers or international business leaders, her focus remains constant – creating success.

As founder of acclaimed online communities RetailSpeaks (independent gift and stationery retailers) and Brilliant Ink (professional stationers dedicated to original design), Cinda is considered a pioneer of social networking in the retail industry – a reflection of her passion to help community based business survive and thrive for years to come.