There's a new excitement about Thrive Lake County, as we have been given the opportunity to take significant strides forward in our work through some generous grant funding from our fiscal sponsor, North Coast Opportunities.

Here's what's in the cards for the beginning of 2013: 

Thrive Lake County / Time Bank of Lake County opens office in Lakeport

Thrive Lake County now has an office at the LakeWorks Community Space next door to Watershed books on 307 N. Main Street in Lakeport. 

The main purpose of the office is to have a presence on the Main Street for the Time Bank of Lake County, now under the umbrella of Thrive Lake County. This is to accommodate a major expansion planned for the Time Bank during 2013.

"We're excited by the possibilities", explains Carol Cole-Lewis, Thrive Lake County's project coordinator. "We believe the Time Bank has the potential for transforming the Lake County economy as people embrace the concept of using time as a currency. If time as a currency can replace some portion of what our residents and businesses are currently spending in cash, there will be more dollars available to pay for things that are not service-related."

The office will officially open its doors on February 26th with a Grand Opening Celebration from 5:30-8pm. There will be live music, food, and games with the formal ribbon cutting by the Lake County Chamber at 6pm. There is no cost for this event.

LakeWorks, a Thrive Lake County member, offers home-based business owners a chance to have a main street presence at very low cost. Included in the low monthly rent are office or retail space, a conference area, fax, copier, signage, furnishings, display window, storage & kitchenette usage. 

Also sharing space with Thrive Lake County will be the Lake County Co-op, who will use the space on Thursdays as a retail space for the sale of co-op products to the public, and as a drop-off point.

Regular Thrive Lake County / Time Bank office hours will be held during March, at which time we will be looking for Thrive Lake County and Time Bank members to staff the desk in return for hours compensation paid through the Time Bank. Leave a comment on this blog or email admin@thrivelakecounty.org if you're interested in helping out.

Economic Development and Time Banking - Feb 6,7 

A select group of community leaders in Lake County and other nearby counties will participate in a two-day immersion training on February 6th and 7th in Lakeport. The participants will learn about Time Banking from a historical perspective, hear success stories from time banks throughout the country, and develop an action plan for growing time banking within Lake County. The meeting will be facilitated by two nationally-known time banking consultants.

We still need helpers to act as wait and bussing staff for a culinary team building activity to be held from 4pm-9pm on February 6th. Helpers will earn Time Bank Hours. If you'd like to take part, leave a comment on this blog or email admin@thrivelakecounty.org.

Home Enterprise Cooperative

A new cooperative is forming that will be the foundation for a new model of grassroots economic development. The Home Enterprise Cooperative will utilize services from its members and Time Bankers to rehabilitate residential properties in Lake County.

Do you have, or would you like to learn, building and constructions skills and be a participant in this project? If so, leave a comment on this blog or email admin@thrivelakecounty.org.

LION (Local Investing Opportunities Network)

We held two meetings in 2012. Both were well-attended by budding entrepreneurs with unique and potentially viable business concepts. We are currently looking for someone to take over the running of LION so it can continue its success into 2013 and beyond. Could this be you? if so, leave a comment on this blog or email admin@thrivelakecounty.org.

If you're interested in building the Lake County economy through your business idea or with your investment dollars, this event is for you. 

The Thrive Lake County LION (Local Investing Opportunities Network) will meet September 12th from 5:30 to 7:30pm at the Lakeport Senior Center, 527 Konocti Avenue in Lakeport. Any local investor or local business owner is invited to attend.

We’ll get acquainted with each other, learn more about how a LION works, start the process of understanding how to evaluate risk and learn what to ask for from a prospective business investment partner, and hear presentations from several local entrepreneurs.

If you’re a business owner and would like the chance to share your opportunity at this meeting, please visit our website at http://thrivelakecounty.org/call-for-presenters.html . We’ll select from those who reply to the questionnaire you’ll find there. 

Do you have $10 you can put toward a local business? If so, you’re an investor! Come meet other movers and shakers in our community who will transform our local economy from the ground up.

Admission is $5 to cover cost of refreshments. For more information, send an email to admin@thrivelakecounty.org or visit the LION page on the Thrive Lake County website.

Do you value a healthy, thriving, and robust local economy?  Have you wondered about how you can do more, perhaps by investing some of your money in local businesses?  You are not alone.

Thrive Lake County is starting a LION: a local network of potential investors and emerging or established entrepreneurs working to create a more just and sustainable local economy.  We believe savings and investments need to be working in alignment with our values, and we feel the best way to make this happen is to enable local investing.

Today’s SEC (Security and Exchange Commission) rules prevent people from investing privately in a business opportunity unless they are already in relationship with the owner of the enterprise.  In several cities, supporters of the local economy movement have found a way to help people meet SEC rules by bringing them into relationship via fun social and educational gatherings called LIONs – Local Investing Opportunity Networks.

At a LION gathering, local residents come together to socialize, get acquainted, and to meet local entrepreneurs.  Out of these relationship networks, new opportunities for local investing naturally arise.  For example, if you are interested in supporting our local food economy, you might find yourself talking to a local farmer who is partnering with a young entrepreneur to start a food processing business using the farmer’s crops.  Without an established credit rating, the young business owner might not qualify for a bank loan.  But perhaps you could provide the loan and offer terms that give you a return on your investment without draining the emerging business of the profits they need to grow.  Our local food system is strengthened.  Jobs are created.  You have the satisfaction of knowing your money is working in harmony with your values.

You can learn more about LIONs by visiting the LION Investing website, by emailing your questions to admin@thrivelakecounty.org, or by posting a comment below.  And, we hope you will also join us in person on Monday, June 25 from 5:30-7:30 pm at the Lakeport Senior Center, 527 Konocti Avenue in Lakeport.  We’ll get acquainted with each other, learn more about how a LION works, and start the process of understanding how to evaluate risk and learn what to ask for from a prospective business investment partner. There will be a $5 charge to cover the cost of refreshments, payable at the door. Please RSVP by adding a comment to this blog post