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This article in the London Free Press presents an interesting examination of the closing of 600 Starbucks coffee shops. She comes very close to pinpointing the strength of local biz versus the canned chain experience:

The Eugene, OR area Chamber of Commerce is issuing their fifth annual Emerald Awards to acknowledge the contribution by local businesses to the area's vitality and quality of life.

I know, it's Oregon - but I think we can learn something from how they encourage and honor the work of local businesses to build better communities.

Awards are given in the areas of community caring, environmental values, growth and innovation.  

The article begins with this quote from Henry Ford, "A business that makes nothing but money is a poor kind of business." Nicely said, sir.

So says today's article in The Spectrum, reporting on the Local First campaign in Utah. They briefly make the connection between a strong local economy and sustainability.

This is an important connection. In the growing list of things you can do to live a more sustainable lifestyle, we think supporting local business first is key. When a community can source the food, transportation, energy, housing and other basic needs closer to home, they use less fossil fuels to transport these goods and services as well as growing local employment and tax revenue.

Grand County has formally adopted a local preference policy for contracts, giving them the option to use local contractors and vendors first, even with a 5% difference in the bid. And apparently there's a lot of debate about whether this costs the taxpayers more money, or is better for the community overall. (read the Sky-Hi Daily News article)